YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION: Dr. Amy Hazen | Comfort Dental Inglewood, CO

Dr. Amy Hazen has been treating patients at her Comfort Dental in Inglewood, Colorado for over 12 years. In this episode, she sits down with Shawn Zajas to talk about what really happens during a first visit, how she handles patients who are terrified of the dentist, and why dental care at Comfort Dental costs less than most people expect.

Dr. Hazen's approach with nervous patients starts with one idea: your first visit is a conversation. No surprises, no pressure. She tells anxious patients they're "just fact-finding" and lets them decide the pace from there. For patients who ask a lot of questions, she welcomes it. For patients who want to know nothing, she respects that too. Her goal is to meet each person where they are.

On the cost side, Dr. Hazen breaks down how the Comfort Dental Gold Plan works for patients without insurance, reducing treatment fees by 30 to 40 percent across the board with no hidden conditions. She also talks about Cherry financing, which lets patients split payments over six months. One of the most common things she hears from new patients: the cost was about half of what they expected.

Dr. Hazen also addresses what happens when you've been putting off dental care for years. Her message is straightforward. She's not looking backward. She wants to know what she can do for you going forward. No guilt, no lecture.

For patients in pain, her office doesn't operate on a weeks-long waitlist. Her response to emergency calls: "How soon can you get here?" Her Inglewood location is open 12 hours a day and built to accommodate same-day visits.

Outside the chair, Dr. Hazen is a mom, a home cook who never makes the same meal twice, and a bread baker who picked up the hobby before COVID made it trendy. Her 11-year-old son plays rugby and recently made a Denver select team headed to a tournament in Monaco.

She also shares one of the moments that reminds her why she chose dentistry: handing a patient a mirror after placing new dentures and watching them burst into tears. Those moments, she says, are the most rewarding part of the job.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction

0:10 Why Dr. Hazen chose dentistry

0:51 How a job at Comfort Dental confirmed her career path

1:33 What she loves most about her daily work

2:22 Life outside dentistry: cooking, baking, kids, and rugby

3:22 Her son's rugby team headed to Monaco

4:58 Why should a patient trust you with their teeth?

5:37 What a first visit looks like for a nervous patient

6:31 "We're just fact-finding today"

7:26 Explaining treatment without jargon

8:12 Do you like when patients ask a lot of questions?

9:18 Every patient interaction is different

10:22 Handling the unexpected in clinical care

11:19 Staying present as a clinician when feedback is harsh

12:21 Developing thick skin over the years

13:33 What makes patients want to come back

14:20 The most common reaction from first-time patients

15:03 How Comfort Dental addresses cost concerns

15:15 "That was nearly half of what I thought it would be"

16:01 Financing options and the Gold Plan

16:42 How the Gold Plan works for uninsured patients

17:31 Transparent pricing with no hidden fees

18:16 How Comfort Dental keeps quality high at lower prices

19:06 Patients comparing quotes from other dentists

19:57 Message to patients who've been avoiding the dentist

20:26 The one thing she wishes every patient knew

20:57 When patients wait too long to address a problem

22:42 Biggest misconceptions about dental care

23:38 The connection between oral health and overall health

25:28 A story about dental pain vs. other pain

26:35 Questions patients should ask their dentist

26:52 The Inglewood community and who she serves

28:05 Same-day emergency access: "How soon can you get here?"

29:15 A patient story that reminds her why she loves dentistry

30:06 When patients cry happy tears seeing their new smile

30:48 What she's working on to improve the patient experience

31:37 Where dentistry is headed for patient comfort

32:20 Her team and practice culture

33:05 One word her patients would use to describe her

33:43 "Every patient deserves to be understood"

34:27 A message to patients thinking about scheduling

Dr. Amy Hazen practices at Comfort Dental in Inglewood, Colorado, located on South Broadway in Denver. Her office accepts Medicaid and is open 12 hours a day. New patients can call to schedule or walk in for same-day emergency care.