Matt is the CEO and co-founder of DifferentKind, a platform that helps dental professionals measure and improve patient-reported outcomes and experiences. As a leading expert on person-centered care, motivational interviewing, and shared decision making in dentistry, he has helped drive strategies to make dental care more human throughout the world. At DifferentKind, he’s focused on building scalable person-centered solutions to help oral health move toward value-based care.
In the world of dental innovation, authentic brilliance often emerges when practitioners dare to step beyond the operatory and follow their unique calling. Dr. Matt Allen’s journey from dental director to dental technology pioneer exemplifies the power of embracing uncertainty on the path to creating remarkable impact.
When Dr. Matt Allen stepped away from his role as dental director at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) to take a sabbatical year, he had no highway laid out before him—just an intuition that his authentic path would reveal itself.
“I realized that I was probably done being a dental director,” Matt shares. “I didn’t know what was next. I felt very deep in my core that I needed a change.”
That courageous decision to enter the unknown—what Matt calls “conceiving before believing”—created the space for his authentic brilliance to emerge. During his sabbatical in the Colorado mountains, Matt found clarity while building paths on his property, engaging in what he calls “soft focus time.”
“For me, that period was really critical in creating the space to dream up what Different Kind could be,” he explains. “I certainly wouldn’t be where I’m at right now if I didn’t have that time.”
For many dental professionals, the fear of stepping beyond clinical practice into entrepreneurship feels paralyzing. What makes Dr. Allen’s journey particularly illuminating is his relationship with uncertainty—not as something to avoid, but as a necessary companion on the path to innovation.
“I think a lot of people want highways laid out in front of them,” Matt observes. “I’ve always viewed my life as taking one stone at a time, putting it down in front of me, stepping on it, and then continuing to figure it out.”
This mindset shift from needing complete certainty to embracing the next visible step represents a fundamental transformation in how dental professionals can approach innovation. It’s about trusting that illumination will come, even when the entire path isn’t visible.
“We don’t need the full road illuminated,” he says, referencing the metaphor of car headlights. “We just need to drive where our lights can show us where we’re going.”
Matt’s experience with motivational interviewing—an evidence-based behavior change methodology—led him to identify a critical gap in dental practice management: the lack of meaningful data to improve patient care and practice outcomes.
Different Kind was born from this insight, with a mission to build data sets that drive improved oral health outcomes for patients and business outcomes for dental practices. The company’s first product focuses on patient experience, going beyond traditional metrics like NPS or Google reviews to provide actionable insights.
“A lot of the data that we see is focused on outcome metrics—like growing the business by 10% or reducing turnover,” Matt explains. “Those are good vision points, but you need leading metrics to help you get there.”
In an industry where patient feedback often exists solely to attract new patients, Different Kind takes a fundamentally different approach. Their platform creates a two-way dialogue between practices and patients, collecting meaningful insights and helping practices respond to them effectively.
“We want to create that two-way dialogue,” Matt emphasizes. “When I give you my honest thoughts, you actually take that into consideration and do something about it.”
This approach exemplifies the kind of authentic innovation that can only emerge when dental professionals embrace their unique perspective and strengths. By focusing on the human element of dental care—truly listening to patients—Different Kind is pioneering a more wholehearted approach to practice management.
Looking back on his journey from clinician to entrepreneur, Matt offers a powerful metaphor for dental professionals considering their own authentic path:
“My metaphor for where I’m at in my life is like a river,” he shares. “I’ve chosen the river that I’m going to be on. I don’t know what the future curves will hold, there’s going to be some rapids… but I’m excited to see what’s around the corner.”
This vision of embracing one’s chosen path—with all its uncertainty and adventure—captures the essence of authentic brilliance in dental entrepreneurship. It’s not about following a prescribed route, but about trusting your unique journey and the people who accompany you on it.
“The things that matter most in life end up being the people you surround yourself with,” Matt advises. “They will help shape your life into whatever it’s meant to be.”
Dr. Matt Allen’s story reminds us that the future of dentistry belongs to those willing to trust their vision even without guarantees. For dental professionals feeling called to innovate beyond clinical practice, his journey offers several key insights:
In the dental profession’s evolution, authentic brilliance emerges when practitioners like Matt Allen move beyond playing small and dare to create solutions only they can conceive. As the industry continues to transform, it will be these original thinkers—those willing to get in the boat without guarantees—who shape its most remarkable future.
Are you a dental professional feeling called to step beyond clinical practice and create something unique? Share your innovation journey in the comments below or connect with us to explore how you can bring your authentic brilliance to life.
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