Comfort DentalFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Comfort Dental franchise requires a total initial investment of $802K – $842K, including a $75K franchise fee. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $802K – $842K
- 76th pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 48th pct Healthcare
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 145
- 66th pct Healthcare
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Healthcare avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1993. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 145 to 142 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
11 legal cases disclosed in the FDD. Read Item 3 before signing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $802K – $842K including a $75K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 52/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Comfort Dental Group, Inc.
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Rick A. Kushner, D.D.S.
- CEO experience
- 9 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CO
- HQ
- 2540 Kipling Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215
- Auditor
- Erickson, Brown & Kloster, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $21.8M
- vs $23.0M prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2024
- Status as of 2024; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
Franchisees operate dental clinics providing general dentistry services (cleanings, fillings, extractions, etc.). Day-to-day operations include patient scheduling, clinical care delivery, staff management, Medicaid/insurance billing, and maintaining regulatory compliance across varying state dental board requirements.
- CEO
- Rick A. Kushner, D.D.S.
- Headquarters
- CO
- Founded
- 1993
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 10
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $75K | $75K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $38K | $51K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $689K | $716K |
| Total initial investment | $802K | $842K |
Source: Comfort Dental 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $802K – $842K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $38K – $51K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K – $75K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- $12,000 per month; subject to annual percentage increases
- Ad fund
- $4,000
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $12,000 per month |
| Transfer fee | $10 |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Healthcare averages
How Comfort Dental Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 145
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.4%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +2.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 7
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 0.7%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 1.4%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 7 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 7
- Loan volume
- $1.0M
- Median loan
- $75K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Comfort Dental's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Comfort Dental presents elevated risk due to material litigation (corporate practice violations, billing fraud allegations), going concern status, unprotected territory, high fixed royalties without revenue disclosure, and unsubstantiated profitability claims.
Litigation (Item 3)
Three litigation matters disclosed: (1) Washington Department of Health investigation into corporate practice of dentistry (resolved March 8, 2017); (2) CDMO, Inc. & CDET, Inc. v. Comfort Dental Group, Inc. for declaratory judgment, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, and breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing (settled November 22, 2016 for $1,520,000 net consideration); (3) Smile One, Prof. LLC, Dr. Craig Bahr, and Dr. Carl Bahr v. Comfort Dental Group, Inc. et al. for breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, violation of Colorado Consumer Protection Act, civil conspiracy, tortious interference, and promissory estoppel (arbitration pending).
Largest disclosed settlement: $1,520,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Erickson, Brown & Kloster, LLC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 52 / 100 rating
- 01HIGH11 active litigation cases including corporate practice of dentistry violations and unauthorized Medicaid billing — suggests systemic compliance issues
- 02HIGHGoing concern disclosure indicates material uncertainty about franchisor's ability to continue operations
- 03MINORHigh fixed royalty ($12,000/month = $144,000/year) with annual increases creates inflexible cost structure; no revenue disclosure makes ROI validation impossible
- 04MINORTerritory not protected — direct franchisor competition and multi-unit franchisee cannibalization risk
- 05MINOR145 units with unknown growth trajectory — no disclosure of unit count trend (declining, flat, or growing) is a major red flag
- 06MINORNet income claim ($420,092) lacks supporting Item 19 financial performance representation; unverified and potentially based on cherry-picked locations
- 07HIGHLitigation includes disputes with master franchisors — suggests franchisor relationship instability and possible territorial/operational conflicts
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Denver, Colorado |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Colorado |
| Litigation count | 11 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Three litigation matters disclosed: (1) Washington Department of Health investigation into corporate practice of dentistry (resolved March 8, 2017); (2) CDMO, Inc. & CDET, Inc. v. Comfort Dental Group, Inc. for declaratory judgment, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, and breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing (settled November 22, 2016 for $1,520,000 net consideration); (3) Smile One, Prof. LLC, Dr. Craig Bahr, and Dr. Carl Bahr v. Comfort Dental Group, Inc. et al. for breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, violation of Colorado Consumer Protection Act, civil conspiracy, tortious interference, and promissory estoppel (arbitration pending).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 11 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
67 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Comfort Dental · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Comfort Dental franchise?
The total investment to open a Comfort Dental franchise ranges from $802K – $842K, with an initial franchise fee of $75K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Comfort Dental franchise owners earn?
Comfort Dental does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Comfort Dental's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Comfort Dental (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Comfort Dental franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Comfort Dental has 145 total units in the United States, including 145 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Comfort Dental a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Comfort Dental as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 52 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.