Orthodontics Is the Field of Smiles with Dr Bryan Houlberg

Some patients come to their first orthodontic consultation and cannot smile, even when Dr. Bryan Houlberg asks them to. They have hidden their teeth for so long. At the end of treatment, some of them cry when they finally see their new smile. When Bryan Houlberg was six, he rolled off the top bunk at his grandparents' house and broke his arm through a growth center. It grew back crooked, and he spent years in and out of surgery. He wanted to help people the way his surgeons helped him. Then three doctors, at three different times, told him to become a dentist instead. Orthodontics clicked on his first day of dental school, and he has now spent 16 years with Comfort Dental in Colorado. In this conversation with Shawn Zajas, he explains why moms who bring a child in for braces so often leave with braces of their own, why he never goes into his office during patient hours, and the three questions he says every patient asks: can I afford it, can I make the appointments, and do I like and trust the doctor. For orthodontists, he talks about the first ten minutes that convinced him Comfort Dental was the right model, buying into a partnership, time for his kids, and who is a good fit. What you'll hear in this episode: The bunk bed accident that started it all Why three doctors told him to become a dentist The patients who can't smile at their first visit Why moms leave with braces too Why he never goes into his office during patient hours The three questions every patient asks His advice for orthodontists starting out Chapters 00:00 Coming up 00:56 Meet Dr. Bryan Houlberg 01:13 Why orthodontics 04:04 The bunk bed accident 05:26 Three doctors said dentistry 06:57 Options after ortho school 09:23 First impressions of Comfort Dental 11:11 Rethinking a successful practice 12:52 Deciding to buy in 15:41 The first year 16:38 What his friends thought 18:52 The biggest misunderstanding 20:17 Time for his kids 21:22 Not doing it alone 23:50 Is ortho just ortho? 25:32 Making braces affordable 28:11 Moms who leave with braces 30:57 Orthodontics is the field of smiles 33:20 Changing how people see themselves 35:10 Out with his patients 37:14 Not every orthodontist thrives 40:15 Who's a good fit 42:20 Four partnerships 45:53 Freedom inside Comfort Dental 47:49 The three questions every patient asks 49:18 Taking care of the team 53:32 Advice to his younger self Comfort Dental orthodontics, Colorado