Dr. Steven Katz describes his career in dentistry as nothing short of a wild ride. And looking at his path—from football fields and Ivy League rowing to the New York Jets sidelines, from rebuilding after devastating setbacks to racing again at age 70—it’s easy to see why. Yet what stands out most isn’t the twists and turns of his professional life, but the way he’s found balance, purpose, and passion outside the op.
Early Lessons in Resilience
The spark for dentistry came unexpectedly. As a 10-year-old playing baseball in Staten Island, Katz hit a line drive that knocked out the teeth of a bread delivery man who had stopped to pitch. “I believe that’s when I decided to become a dentist,” he recalls—part penance, part purpose.
Athletics defined much of his youth. Though his high school football coach insisted he was “too small” to play in college, Katz pushed himself to Columbia University. Injuries cut short his football dreams, but he pivoted to rowing lightweight crew—dropping 70 pounds to compete. To support himself, he worked night shifts as a paramedic in Harlem, an experience that shaped his sense of empathy and adaptability.
Those qualities carried him through dental school at Washington University in St. Louis, where he entered an oral surgery residency early. But the weight of trauma and cancer cases pushed him toward restorative dentistry instead, a choice that set the stage for his long career. 
Building, Losing, and Rebuilding
Katz launched a practice in Malverne, New York, where his surgical skill and hospital ties led to becoming team dentist for the New York Jets and a regular dental consultant for Fox News. His practice flourished—until a devastating accident in 1999 left him sidelined for two years and forced him to close.
When he recovered, Katz started again from scratch. He assembled a new team, trained them in systems and psychology, and reopened in September 2001—just one week before the tragedy of 9/11. Growth was slow until another life-altering moment: when a team member was struck by a drunk driver and nearly killed. Katz and his staff dedicated themselves to her recovery, raising over $500,000 for her prosthetics and independence.
“That experience gave us a much greater sense of purpose,” he says. Fueled by mission, the practice became a multi-million-dollar success and was voted Best Dental Practice on Long Island in 2013, 2014, and 2015—a remarkable comeback from disability.
Sharing the Mission
Katz’s story of resilience began drawing attention. By 2008, peers asked him to speak about rebuilding. In 2014, he published They Didn’t Teach Us THAT in Dental School, a candid book on the realities of practice ownership. That same year, he took the stage at The Profitable Dentist annual meeting, launching a second career as a speaker and coach. Soon after, he was recognized as “The Best New Speaker in Dentistry.”
In 2015, Katz sold his practice to coach full-time. Since then, he’s worked with more than 160 practices, helping them achieve over $300 million in growth—not by pushing production, but by elevating care, calibrating diagnosis, and strengthening patient trust.
A Return to Health and Rowing
Even as he helped others, Katz admits his own health suffered. Years of multiple shoulder surgeries, poorly controlled diabetes, and high blood pressure left him overweight and unfit. Then, ahead of a Columbia alumni rowing event in 2024, a former teammate challenged him: “You lost the weight once—you can do it again.”
Katz took it seriously. Over 18 months, he trained two hours a day, six days a week, shedding 65 pounds, reversing his diabetes and high blood pressure, and coming off all medications. Last fall, he rowed his first 2,000-meter race in 47 years—an exhilarating return as the oldest rower in his boat by 16 years.
The experience inspired yet another reinvention. Katz earned certification as a personal trainer, specializing in seniors and post-surgical clients. “Older adults don’t always connect with younger trainers,” he says. “I understand those limitations—and I want to help people regain their vitality.”
Life Outside the Op
Today, Katz splits his time between coaching dentists toward practice excellence and coaching peers toward healthier lives. For him, the two roles are connected.
“Dentistry gives us the chance to change lives,” Katz says. “But we can’t do that if we neglect our own health and happiness. When we find balance and nurture passions outside the operatory, we bring our best selves back to the practice, our patients, and our families.”
For Dr. Steven Katz, that balance is found on the water, in the gym, and in the lives of those he mentors. His story is proof that even the wildest ride can lead to clarity, purpose, and renewal.
