Need tile or teeth? Couple has it covered

SANDPOINT — Porcelain tile or porcelain teeth?

Josh Burt joked with his wife, Amanda Caswell-Burt, that they could one day have their businesses in the same building. Then, customers could get all their porcelain in one stop. 

Burt is a co-owner of Idaho Tile, a custom tile and stone company, while Caswell-Burt is a dentist getting ready to open up her own practice.

Caswell-Burt is opening Sandpoint Kids Dentistry next week. She previously worked for Kaniksu Health in Bonners Ferry and then Sandpoint for two years. She said she saw a "ton of kids" who were in pain and she would have to send them to other places, such as Post Falls, because she didn't have hospital privileges.

So she convinced her husband to let her go back to school. She went to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland to specialize in pediatrics and complete her residency. Prior to that, after graduating from Sandpoint High School, she attended Boise State University for undergraduate studies before going dental school at New York University where she graduated in 2011.

After returning from Portland, she worked two years for the Pediatric Dental Center, which is based in Coeur d'Alene, but has an office in Sandpoint as well.

"Now I am branching out and going out on my own," Caswell-Burt said.

Caswell-Burt said she is the first dentist to have full hospital privileges at Bonner General, and also has hospital privileges at Kootenai Outpatient Surgery in Coeur d'Alene.

Caswell-Burt will be sharing a building with John Hintz Orthodontics, 1202 N. Division, and plans to open May 15.

Hintz also has offices in Hayden and Rathdrum, so she will be able to use the Sandpoint office when he is out of town. Hintz is in Sandpoint on Fridays and every other Wednesday, so while she didn't have her hours set yet, Caswell-Burt will not be working those days.

Burt started Idaho Tile more than a year ago, along with his partner, Jessie Shipton.

"I had my own business, Josh Burt Tile and Stone, the previous six years before that," Burt said. "I've been doing (tile) for a while — about 15 years."

Both Burt and Caswell-Burt grew up in the area and said a lot of people know their parents, Dan and Jan Burt, and Mickie and Rodney Caswell, though Rodney Caswell died a few years ago. The couple also have a 19-month-old daughter, Adelyn.

They enjoy living in Sandpoint not only because they grew up here, but also because they enjoy the outdoors — camping, skiing and hiking.

Contact and other information on both businesses can be found on the respective Facebook pages: facebook.com/sandpointkidsdentistry and facebook.com/IdahoTile.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.