Filling needs of patients, 1 at a time

Dentist bases his growing practice on compassion, dedication, family

With a loan and new degree from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, Joseph Harris purchased a dental business and started running his practice out of a Phoenix office in 1979.

Although the founder of Harris Dental had the talent and education, in dental school there weren’t classes on how to run a business or interact with patients. That was the unexpected challenge.

“They taught you how to fix teeth but not how to balance a checkbook ... how to talk to people,” said Harris, who runs the multisite practice with his sons Brian and Scott.

Harris took out a loan while in school and purchased the business from another dentist for $25,000. But Harris’ lack of business knowledge hindered him. A bank representative stepped into a mentor role, gave him a loan and made recommendations on how to make the most of it.

“I made a lot of wrong choices. ... But he took me under his wing. There was a lot of trust from them that I could be successful,” Harris recalled.

Harris came through. In the practice’s early days, he saw as many as 50 patients in a month. Currently, a total of about 2,500 patients are treated monthly at Harris’ five Valley locations. Three of those offices opened within the past 12 months.

Harris also worked on his chair-side manner and learned