Potocki Orthodontics & Grass Lake Pediatric Dentistry

Brian and Melisa Potocki

Potocki Orthodontics & Grass Lake Pediatric Dentistry

Dentistry is a family business for Drs. Brian and Melisa Potocki who work to fill a critical need in Hillsdale and its surrounding communities.

Brian, DDS, MSD, owns Potocki Orthodontics and splits his time among its offices in Hillsdale, Coldwater, and Grass Lake working as an orthodontist. Melisa, DMD, owns Grass Lake Pediatric Dentistry and works as a pediatric dentist in the Grass Lake office. One day per week both the orthodontics and pediatric dentistry are running in Grass Lake at the same time.

“I’m the only orthodontist in Hillsdale and the only one in Coldwater,” Brian says. “So, the next closest orthodontist offices are very far away for many of our patients.”

For both Brian and Melisa, dentistry runs in the family.

“My dad was a dentist in Perry, a small Michigan town,” Brian explains. “I don’t remember the exact moment I knew I wanted to be one myself, it just happened.”

By Elyse Apel

After graduating from high school, Brian went on to attend the University of Michigan for his undergraduate and then continued there at its School of Dentistry, where he earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery.

“I was there for eight straight years,” Brian says. That is also where he met Melisa, though she is originally from Canada.

“I chose the oral healthcare field because I grew up around it,” Melisa explains. “My mom, Kristine, worked in a dental office for most of my life.”

Melisa received her Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the University of Kentucky, which she attended while Brian was serving as an officer in the United States Air Force in Ohio and later in New Mexico.

While serving in the Air Force, Brian was able to continue his education and begin to practice dentistry.

“When I graduated from dental school, I was stationed in Ohio and I did a oneyear training program called advanced education in general dentistry,” Brian says. “A residency program where I learned lots of different things about all the different types of dentistry.”

Following her graduation, Melisa and Brian married. Once Brian left the Air Force, they both decided to return to school to receive more specialized training. They then attended Case Western Reserve University, where Melisa received a certificate in pediatric dentistry and Brian a certificate in orthodontics.

After that, they decided to return to Michigan, eventually buying the Hillsdale practice in 2020.

“Just a little bit after I bought this practice, we decided to start the Grass Lake location from scratch in 2022,” Brian says. “Then, in 2023, I purchased the Coldwater location.”

Brian currently splits his time among the three locations, while Melisa bases her practice out of the Grass Lake office. For both Melisa and Brian, dentistry is a mission that allows them to serve the community and make it better.

“You can really make a big difference in people’s lives and that is the most rewarding part,” Brian says. He adds that that is especially true in orthodontics.

“Seeing the confidence return to my patients is the best part of the job,” he says. “It’s a lifelong payoff that they then can enjoy for the rest of their lives.”

The teams of staff in all the offices are critical to providing competent and effective care to their patients.

“We try to provide an individualized treatment plan and a really excellent patient experience,” Brian explains. “From the first phone call to the time they spend with the team, we want to be sure we are prioritizing the patients.”

Both Brian and Melisa are thriving in their respective specialties.

“In orthodontics, it is just me versus the tooth,” Brian says. “The most challenging clinical cases are also the most satisfying to solve. It’s just really nice to have good clinical outcomes for patients even when we started from a very difficult point.”

Melisa says that it is important for her patients to always feel comfortable and relaxed in her office, not stressed because they are at the dentist.

“I want to help my patients to enjoy—and even get excited about—going to the dentist,” she says. She adds that is especially important to her since she works with children on a daily basis.

“We find that many adults are afraid of going to the dentist because of an experience they had as a child,” Melisa explains. “My goal is to stop that cycle and to help create patients who not only have healthy mouths, but who enjoy going to the dentist.”

Brian says they are happy with their current lives, but are always open to expansion and finding more ways to serve the local community.

"It’s been such a good thing for us and our family,” he says.

Outside of work, you will find Brian and Melisa spending time with their three daughters, Ewa, Emilia, and Eleanora. Hockey is Brian’s hobby of choice, while Melisa’s is reading.

For more information or to request an appointment, you can reach the Hillsdale office by phone at (517) 439-1461, the Coldwater office at (517) 278-7900, and the Grass Lake office at (517) 439-1461.