A Person, Not a Tooth with Dr Harry Werner

A new denture patient looks in the mirror and tells Dr. Harry Werner, "I don't have a smile." His answer: "No, you just forgot how to." Then he says something funny to coax that first smile out. Harry Werner grew up in rural Texas, where he watched which classmates had bad teeth and how the other kids treated them. He earned marketing and management degrees first, spent a weekend alone deciding what he really wanted, and went back for the sciences. After dental school he left three jobs that put sales ahead of care before he found Comfort Dental. Today he owns half of his office in Wheat Ridge, outside Denver. In this conversation with Shawn Zajas, he explains why great care starts with listening, and why he treats a person, not a tooth. He talks about the patients who rely on antibiotics until they lose a tooth, why laughter makes for better dentistry, and his six weeks treating Navajo patients in Flagstaff. For dentists, he talks about the road from business school to dentistry, what the mentorship model taught him, why he refused to settle, and who is a good fit for Comfort Dental. What you'll hear in this episode: Why the kids with bad teeth in rural Texas stayed with him Business degrees before dental school Leaving three jobs that didn't fit The denture patients who have to learn to smile again Why he treats a person, not a tooth Why antibiotics won't save a bad tooth Keeping a twelve-hour day fun Treating Navajo patients in Flagstaff His advice for dentists who feel stuck Chapters 00:00 Coming up 00:41 Meet Dr. Harry Werner 01:14 Why dentistry 03:39 Business school first 05:23 The road after graduation 12:03 Choosing Comfort Dental 15:41 Finding his rhythm 16:16 The culture at his office 17:53 The best days 19:20 Patients who forgot how to smile 20:06 Outside the office 20:35 What business school taught him 21:18 Mentorship 23:59 Refusing to settle 26:16 Why the model works 27:46 Who's a good fit 29:00 The patients he sees 29:27 Support from Comfort 31:05 What's the catch? 33:43 Time with the people you love 36:00 Picking the right office 36:57 A patient he won't forget 38:48 Advice to his younger self 40:20 Treat a person, not a tooth 41:36 Antibiotics won't save a tooth 43:23 How his team would describe him 45:16 Treating Navajo patients 46:45 What he loves to do 47:21 The future of dentistry 48:27 Learning to talk with patients 49:44 Why he loves being a dentist Comfort Dental, Wheat Ridge, CO