About

A note from Dr. Parker:

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Dr. Kirk Dahlke (pronounced doll-key) as a part-time associate orthodontist who will help our treatment availability and ability.  Dr. Dahlke, owns an orthodontic practice in DuPont, WA, he will continue to work and live in DuPont.  He has graciously agreed to travel to Yakima to work a few days a month.  I want to assure you that this is not a transition, but rather an addition.  With Dr. Dahlke we will be able to have expanded days and a decompressed schedule to better serve you.

Our practice has grown tremendously over the last few years due to the great team that we have at Yakima Orthodontics.  This growth creates challenges and opportunities.   The chance to add an experienced orthodontist, like Dr. Dahlke, is a wonderful opportunity that I am very excited about.

Now for some interesting facts:  Dr. Dahlke and I first met back in 1995 when we were both serving as missionaries for our church in beautiful Switzerland.  You may catch us speaking German to each other.  We reconnected this last year when we found out we were both orthodontists – it’s a small world.  Dr. Dahlke grew up in California and attended dental school in Arizona.  He joined the army where he practiced as a general dentist doing all aspects of dentistry and then practiced as an orthodontist for his last five years while serving.  He purchased an orthodontic practice 4 years ago in DuPont next to Fort Lewis where he can keep his military connections strong.  He and his wife have 6 children.

More from Dr. Dahlke:

I grew up in a small ranching town in California, where I learned the importance of hard work from an early age. I earned money for college by stringing barbed-wire fences, painting, renovating apartments and working for a small construction company. I married my sweetheart and moved to San Diego where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from UC San Diego. We then moved to Arizona and I graduated from the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health.  From there, I joined the army where I practiced as a general dentist doing all aspects of dentistry and then practiced as an orthodontist for my last five years in the army. The army provided the opportunity to go to Oklahoma, Honduras, Germany, Afghanistan, Texas, and most recently to the sands of the California desert. We had great experiences and made life-long friends everywhere the army sent us. Now, we have settled down to join you all in the Pacific Northwest as we spend our remaining years raising our family in DuPont, and providing you with the best possible smiles.