Dr. James Brown, a dentist who has practiced in Zionsville for 47 years, retired Dec. 31, 2020, after a searching for years to find suitable successor. After a chance meeting, Brown decided on Dr. David Taler and Dr. Natalie Mercho, a married couple whom own Advanced Family Dentistry.
“Most of the years were spent at the 135 S. 2nd St. address,” Brown said of his practice. “I’ve been here long enough that you can see two to three, sometimes four generations in a family as we’ve been treating them. As I started to get to thinking about retiring a couple years ago, I kind of made up my mind what I was looking for, and it took me two years to find (them).”
Taler and Mercho opened their second practice Jan. 4 at 135 S. 2nd St. in Zionsville, where Brown previously practiced. Originally, they moved to Indianapolis in 2012 to be closer to Mercho’s family in Geist. They then opened their first practice in Fishers in 2014. The couple currently lives in Carmel but plan to move to Zionsville after their new home is built.
The three met after a friend asked Mercho if she and Taler were interested in buying another practice.
“I said (to her), ‘Yeah, we are actually looking for one, but there is nothing on the market right now,’” Mercho said.
Mercho’s friend gave her a phone number, and on the other end of the call happened to be Brown’s daughter-in-law, who Mercho grew up with in Noblesville, and recommended they contact Brown.
“I was not interested in selling out to corporate dentistry,” Brown said. “I wanted somebody who was going to carry on the philosophy I had of working with patients and for patients, and after talking to David several times, I decided my search was done.”
At its Zionsville location, Advanced Family Dentistry will continue to provide routine and emergency dentistry but will expand its services to include more advanced procedures like dental implants and “full smile makeovers.” Advanced Family Dentistry will invest more than $150,000 in improvements and remodeling in the space, Taler said.
“A practice seems to take on the personality of its doctor, of its owner, and it’s been so amazing walking into this place,” Taler said. “Patients are welcoming us. This is just the kindest and nicest and most genuine group of people, and, obviously, it’s a reflection of doctor Brown. It’s going to take my wife and I to even try to attempt to fill his shoes.”
Taler has won numerous patient-focused honors, including being awarded as a Top 10 Dentist in Indiana by the National Academy for Dental Professionals, among other awards.
Mercho attended the Veterans Affairs Hospital Residency program in Baltimore and completed a general practice residency at the Brooklyn Hospital in New York before joining a practice in downtown Baltimore. She has recently expanded her training in Invisalign, Botox, and Dermafil.
Brown, while retired from practicing, still teaches one day a week at the Indiana University School of Dentistry.
