“Some of you may know me or heard about me through my research, my teaching or my clinical work. Maybe it was the soft skills of communication or the dental geek technical side of my personality. Perhaps it was from my love of cooking or disc golf. Who knows. Whatever passion or interest led you here-welcome. We have some pretty cool things going on.”

Michael Melkers, the Founder of the Nuts & Bolts Occlusion programs has been a mentor for The Pankey Institute, is currently serving as the Editor for American Equilibration Society and as an Ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. In the past he has been Director of Occlusion & Aesthetic Dentistry at the Pacific Northwest AEGD Residency Program and Visiting Faculty at The Spear Institute.

BALANCE

First and foremost, I am my patients’ dentist & I take that privilege quite seriously. You will not find me “practicing for the podium” or being paid to advocate procedures or products to my patients or my colleague practitioners. While my primary vocation and livelihood is derived from clinical practice, I also balance my time between research, publishing & teaching around the globe.

WHY I PRACTICE

Why? Because I love it & I love helping and treating patients. It is as simple as that. While I feasibly could lecture and travel full-time, it is neither my passion nor my goal. I do feel strongly that in order to teach with credibility and continue to grow professionally, an active, private clinical practice is essential. Beyond the care of my patients, I feel that credibility as an instructor comes from not only in knowing how to perform clinical procedures but also how to successfully implement them in real-world practice.

WHY I TEACH

“The privilege that I have is sharing that influence and those lessons forward.”

There is an energy and excitement in small group learning that does not come with reading books or attending large room lectures. Knowledge & professional interaction is rewarding and addicting. I am the clinician and educator that I am today because of impactful instructors who took the time to listen as well as share. It is that influence that molded my own teaching and facilitation. The privilege that I have in sharing that influence and those lessons forward.

WHAT I DO

If I could share one thing, it would be for dentists & patients to see what is possible. Too often we get mired in the present and our conditions. We get lost in the complex issues of clinical and technical dentistry and forget about simple goals and how they guide us. We lose hope and sight of what could be. Hope changes everything.

I help clinicians understand the seemingly complex in simple and applicable terms. I help clinicians understand not only how to do the dentistry but why it needs to be done & why it is important for our patients. Actually getting to implement our skills in clinical practice is much more about the why than the how to. It is about people & helping them identify their goals and how to get there.

SIMPLY SPEAKING

While my heart and home are in the woods outside of Hanover, New Hampshir,e my travels in teaching have taken me around the globe, to 5 of the 7 continents and over a dozen countries. I have presented at the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, the AACD, the American Equilibration Society, the International Academy of Gnathology, the British Dental Association, the Australian Dental Association, the Seattle Study Club as well as countless state & local dental societies, organizations & study clubs.

Whether speaking from the podium in front of hundreds or in a private office for just a few, my strength is connecting one-on-one with the attendees and facilitating learning in a safe, comfortable and inspired environment. Pull up a chair & have a seat-this is where possible begins.