Nicolas Porter, Founder of Risas Dental Shares his Commitment to Equal Opportunities in Dental Care

By: Taylor Pineda

Heber native Nicolas Porter found his passion in helping others through his own personal triumphs.

“I grew up with very bad teeth. I have experienced the type of shame people who grow up (with dental problems) have experienced,” he said.

Porter decided he would never cause shame or embarrassment to anyone.

He worked full time while pursuing an undergraduate degree and was accepted to the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine before receiving his bachelor’s degree.

Within a year, Porter earned a degree in Medical Sciences, and by 2008, he had graduated from dental school.

He found himself integrated in the Colorado Latino community. Before dental school, Porter had lived in Latin America, where he discovered much in common with the Latino community. He used these experiences to develop his business. He opened a practice in Denver from scratch and merged into the Latin centric neighborhood.

He said he wanted to offer “half the prices to a population that had a lot of dental need.”

 Porter’s goal was to make prices affordable while still providing quality service. He took this philosophy back to Phoenix, where he founded Risas Dental.

“I knew it was a difficult area to merge into, but it was possible to create a combination of 1980’s Friendly customer service and pricing with 2020 modern technology and dental advancements,” Porter said.

Affordable pricing was a priority he learned as a young boy when he had a root canal. The receptionist said the procedure was going to be $350, to which his mother said, “I hope she means $3.50”

Twenty-five years later, Risas Dental offers the same procedure for the same $350, hence Porter’s commonly used “1980s pricing” branded phrase.

Affordable is a relative term for Porter, and to have modern 2020 technology with advancements and quality service has been the key to the company’s success. As a healthcare provider, he feels patients should be free to come to his office without the need of insurance or worrying about immigration status.  “The first thing on a patient’s mind when needing a dentist is, “can I go there?  Will they accept me with my insurance?  What if I don’t have insurance?”  With Risas, my goal is to erase those thoughts in people’s minds.  I want them to walk in to one of my clinics the same way they would walk in to a shopping mall – with no inhibitions about if they will be welcomed.”

As one of few dental offices that offer payment plans, Porter has found that putting trust into a community that has supported him has been key to expanding clientele.  

 “I love working with the latino community.  They are kind and appreciative and when you put your trust in confidence in them, they do the same to you by sending their friends and family to come see you.  It’s a well known fact that latinos operate by word of mouth so we try our best to treat each person as an individual – as a member of our Risas family.”

To build such confidence in the community, 95 percent of Risas Dental team is bilingual.

 “We celebrate bilingualism,” he said. “We look to the future to create a day to do recognition of the importance of bilingualism.”

It is with a genuine care for the Latino community that Porter has provided a comfortable environment for clients, where they do not feel the need to look for dental work outside the U.S.

Porter has found more than one way to give back by familiarizing himself with the community.

Through a partnership with 1190 AM La Buena Onda, Latinos can call and ask questions about dental health every Wednesday from 8-9 a.m. Risas Dental has also donated money to families that cannot afford procedures.

Porter remembers an 18-year-old high school senior who had lost his father at a young age wanting braces he couldn’t afford.  He was supporting his mother and siblings.

Risas Dental gave him the braces for free.

 “As a large dental company, we have great buying power on everything from materials to laboratory cost. And, because we have multiple dentists and an orthodontist in each office, we can save in the sharing of the costs among all the providers.  And, Instead of hoarding that, we pass that on to the patient,” he said.

With five offices and two more expected to open in April and June, Porter and the Risas Dental team have been recognized for outstanding work in the community, including winning the 2014 Entrepreneurial Excellence Impact Award with the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and a finalist and potential 2014 Business of the year in Phoenix, our nations 5^th largest city.  The results will be revealed on May 15^th.  Porter states, “I feel we have a great chance of winning which will be a testament to our amazing doctors, teams and especially patients who have rewarded us with their trust and confidence for the past 3 years.”

To find out more about Risas Dental visit: http://www.risasdental.com/

To see how Risas Dental gives back, check out the new Tempe office opening on April 26 where for the first four hours dental services will be provided free.

“(It’s an) opportunity to give back to the community that gives to us every year,” Porter said.