Comfort Dental Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $802K – $842K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (7)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Comfort Dental is a dental franchise operating general-dentistry clinics offering cleanings, fillings, extractions, and more at accessible prices. Franchisee dentists run a practice managing clinical care, staff, and insurance and patient billing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Comfort Dental franchise requires a total initial investment of $802K – $842K, including a $75K franchise fee. The 2024 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored4 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $802K – $842K
- 79th pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Projection
- Royalty
- Flat fee
- Units
- 145
- 68th pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $802K – $842K including a $75K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports net income per dentist rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 53/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (2 opened, 2 closed) (Item 20).
- LEGAL11 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3, higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- 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
- EBK CPAs (ebkcpa.com), Colorado Springs, CO
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $22.9M
- vs $23.0M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Rick A. Kushner, D.D.S.
- Headquarters
- CO
- Founded
- 1993
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 10
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 156% above the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
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
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $38K – $51K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K – $75K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- $12,000 per month; subject to annual CPI-West increases; …
- Ad fund
- $4,000 per month flat Marketing Fee
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $12,000 per month flat fee, with proportional reduction if monthly Gross Collections are below $400,000 |
| Transfer fee | $10 |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Comfort Dental is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Comfort Dental unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported per transaction, not per outlet
- Item 19 type
- per-transaction figures
- Range (low → high)
- $137K→$1.5MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 34 of the 2024 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $262K→$610K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · typical
Compared against 162 Healthcare brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports net income per dentist rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (+2.1% 3-year CAGR) with 145 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Healthcare medians
How Comfort Dental Compares
Category median of published Healthcare brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
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 (3-yr)
- +2.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +2.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 1
- Not renewed
- 0
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- 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 12 · 10 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
10
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
62 current owners across 2 states.
- CO 59
- AZ 3
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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
- Under 10 loans (7)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 7 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (7)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (7)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
11 cases disclosed: WA Dept of Health corporate practice investigations (2); master franchisor breach of contract/fraud suits (2); Colorado Dental Board Medicaid billing cease and desist; WA securities consent order; patient negligence/malpractice cases (3); CDGI arbitration vs former franchisee; patient estate representative suit
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · EBK CPAs (ebkcpa.com), Colorado Springs, CO
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Audited statements of operations for FY ended Dec 31, 2023 (qualified opinion - going concern). Total Revenues $22,945,284 comprised of Rental Fees $8,227,371, Royalty Fees $8,576,278, Other Revenue $2,080,811, Commissions $1,149,934, Consulting Fees $1,225,081, Other Franchise Fees $1,512,748, Interest Income $173,061. Net Loss ($1,810,199). Total Stockholders' Deficit ($9,473,052).
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 53 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGH11 active litigation cases including corporate practice of dentistry violations and unauthorized Medicaid billing — suggests systemic compliance issues
- 02MINORHigh fixed royalty ($12,000/month = $144,000/year) with annual increases creates inflexible cost structure; no revenue disclosure makes ROI validation impossible
- 03MINORTerritory not protected — direct franchisor competition and multi-unit franchisee cannibalization risk
- 04MINOR145 units with unknown growth trajectory — no disclosure of unit count trend (declining, flat, or growing) is a major red flag
- 05HIGHLitigation includes disputes with master franchisors — suggests franchisor relationship instability and possible territorial/operational conflicts
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| 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 (courts of general jurisdiction) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | CO |
| Litigation count | 11 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
11 cases disclosed: WA Dept of Health corporate practice investigations (2); master franchisor breach of contract/fraud suits (2); Colorado Dental Board Medicaid billing cease and desist; WA securities consent order; patient negligence/malpractice cases (3); CDGI arbitration vs former franchisee; patient estate representative suit
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 11 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
- Training location
- Home/office (audio recordings); Lakewood, Colorado (lab); franchisee-owned Dental Office location designated by CDGI
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
62 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
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?
Item 19 of the Comfort Dental FDD discloses outlet figures from $137K to $1.5M but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Comfort Dental?
Comfort Dental is franchised by Comfort Dental Group, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Comfort Dental FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Comfort Dental FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 53 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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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.