By Mark Ambrogi

In the last four-plus months, Brett Finkelmeier became a father, finished his orthodontics residency at the University of Louisville, settled into a new home in Carmel and opened his practice.

Finkelmeier, a 2006 Carmel High School graduate, opened Finkelmeier Orthodontics, 912 St. Range Line Rd., Carmel, in mid-September. It was an easy decision to return home.

“I had a great childhood in Carmel,” Finkelmeier said. “I thought it would be a great place for (son) Beckham.”

Finkelmeier, a former CHS basketball player, played basketball as a walk-on for three seasons at Indiana University. His final two seasons were Tom Crean’s first two as coach.

His wife, Nicole, whose maiden name is Dall, is a 2006 Hamilton Southeastern graduate. Nicole is a former HSE cheerleader, so she knew Finkelmeier’s name before they met.

“We were rivals, and whenever we played Carmel I wouldn’t really like Brett,” Nicole said.

That changed after they met at IU. They were married in 2014.

Nicole, who is a licensed physician’s assistant, is helping her husband with marketing the practice.

Elizabeth Harmon serves as a clinical assistant.

Finkelmeier, 29, graduated from IU School of Dentistry in 2014.

Finkelmeier originally started out in medical school. His father, William, is a vascular surgeon.

After switching to dentistry, Finkelmeier found orthodontics was his favorite part.

“A lot of times you fix a problem as a dentist and no one is happy when they come or when they leave,” Finkelmeier said. “Generally, people are happy here when they leave.”

Finkelmeier said his practice offers some cutting-edge technology, such as a dental intraoral camera.

“It’s as accurate as impressions,” Finkelmeier said. “We’re offering treatment at a great value because we are a small practice. We’re not a big factory.”