Dentist Couple Open Office On North Mullan

Hate trying to talk to the dentist when you’re upside down in his chair?

The first place you’ll see a dentist in this office is upright in a consultation room, with the shining choppers of their patients looking down on you.

Dr. Michael Melkers and Dr. Jeanine McDonald have designed their new office at 930 N. Mullan, Suite 2, for comfort and they pride themselves on taking care of more than just their patients’ teeth.

“We talk to patients a lot about what their needs are,” McDonald said. “And it gives also them a chance to get to know us better.”

The couple opened a new practice in the Spokane Valley last month. They were married a year ago and moved to Spokane from Washougal, Wash., near Vancouver. Both dentists are members of the American Dental Association and many other trade groups. They have been practicing for six years.

Melkers’ and McDonald’s office is one of a handful in Spokane to offer a new laser diagnostic system, approved by the FDA last month, that can detect tooth decay even before it shows up on an x-ray.

The office also has a dental hygienist, dental assistant and treatment coordinator.

Local crafts displayed

Handcarved ivory, paintings and jewelry designed and crafted by local artists is on display at a new gallery on Trent Avenue.

Owner Nick Crocker said he wanted to give local artists a place to display their work.

“There’s a lot of artists out there that just don’t have a chance to get their names out,” he said.

The Local Artist, 9219 E. Trent, displays any original artwork for $4 a month. The artist can set the price and the store receives 25 percent commission on anything that sells.

Crocker, who also owns the Coin Corner next door, said it is the second business he has tried to start in that storefront. He ran a custom T-shirt printing shop for a year, but closed it because it was just breaking even.

The idea for the new store popped into his head one day as he was driving to work, he said.

The displays at the Local Artist change often and one artist is featured each month. All mediums of work are accepted. Crocker said he will refuse anything that is pornographic or otherwise inappropriate.

Susan Nelson knows diets

The first time she went on the Diet Center plan she lost 60 pounds. And later when the pounds crept back on with age, she went back on the program to shed another 30 pounds.

Nelson is the owner and counselor at a new Diet Center in the Spokane Valley at 225 N. Sullivan Road. She also owns a second branch in Coeur d’Alene.

“Everyone who works here has gone through the program or they are currently on it,” Nelson says. Because staff members have gone through the struggles of weight loss themselves, she says, it makes it easier to help others with their efforts to slim down.

“Emotionally, it is one of the worst things you can go though.”

The Diet Center is a 27-year-old franchise. The Valley has not had one of the weight-loss center for about 5 years.

Nelson said the center offers body composition analysis and a diet and exercise program tailored for each individual. The diets follow the food guide pyramid and participants can come in for daily counseling, weigh ins, or if they have any problems.

Nelson said she opened a branch in the Valley because it has a broader customer base, and about a quarter of her clients already lived here.