The Dentist Who Listens First
Ask Dr. Amy Hazen to finish the sentence “every patient deserves…” and her answer comes quickly: “To be understood.”
It’s not a rehearsed response. It reflects something she has come to see as foundational to good dental care, and something she believes a lot of providers struggle to actually deliver. “Not a lot of doctors can take the time to understand and be empathetic to what a patient is going through,” she says. “Just hear them out, make sure you can work together going forward, make sure everybody is heard and understood. I think that’s really important.”
At Comfort Dental’s Englewood office on South Broadway, that philosophy shapes how every appointment runs.
No Jargon, No Rushing
For patients who have felt talked over or talked at by a dentist, walking into Dr. Hazen’s office tends to feel different pretty quickly. When it comes to explaining treatment, she avoids clinical shorthand in favor of plain conversation. “Let’s just have a normal conversation as though we’re meeting,” she says. “It’s important to talk with realistic terms and phrases that patients can understand. Then they understand better what you’re trying to do and what you’re trying to achieve.”
That approach applies whether a patient arrives with a long list of questions or actively does not want to know the details. “Some patients want to understand everything,” Dr. Hazen notes. “And some say, ‘Don’t tell me what a root canal is, just get in there and do what you do and leave me alone.’ And that’s fine too. You have to be flexible to help everyone with whatever their specific needs are.”
Flexibility, Not a Formula
One of the things that makes the Englewood office stand out is that it genuinely operates without a rigid script for how patients are expected to behave. People come in anxious, or in pain, or with complicated histories around dental care, and Dr. Hazen’s view is that the job is to meet them where they are.
“You’re not doing clinical dentistry on an object or a robot,” as the conversation around her practice makes clear. It’s on a person, and that person arrives with fears, preferences, and circumstances that are different every time. Dr. Hazen describes her team as their patients’ guide through that experience: “Don’t violate their trust. Talk them through it. They need that from you.”
It’s also a practice that keeps its doors open when other offices might not. If you’re in pain and call down the street, you might hear that the earliest opening is four or five weeks out. At Comfort Dental Englewood, the response is more direct. “How soon can you get here?” Dr. Hazen says. “If you’re in pain, we’re gonna get you in. We are gonna help you today.”
A Neighborhood Practice With Range
The Englewood location has been part of the South Broadway community for over a decade. Dr. Hazen describes it as an eclectic neighborhood, one that has changed significantly since she started there but has kept its character. The practice sees a wide mix of patients, including many on Medicaid, newer families, and longtime locals.
That range means the team is practiced at adapting. Dr. Hazen is joined by Dr. Talia Kroner, Dr. Joshua Weinstein, and Dr. Brett Jessen, a group she describes as a close-knit work family. “I have the best assistants in Denver, I think,” she says. “We’ve worked together for years and it’s such a fun work environment.”
The word she hopes patients would use to describe her? “Caring. I do care about everything that we are doing with them.”
Come In and Be Heard
If you’ve been putting off dental care, or if you’ve had experiences in the past that left you feeling dismissed or confused, Comfort Dental Englewood wants to change that. Dr. Hazen and her team are accepting new patients and offer extended hours to fit your schedule. Request an appointment online or call the Englewood office directly.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.