Pictured here is the Sarah J. Mowery, DDS team: (l-r) Lisa Klima, Terri Feasby, Ashley Adams, Alisha Hablawetz, Sarah Mowery, Gretchen Matty, Jamie Ellenberger, and Shannon Puckett.
The dentist practice opened in Antwerp in 1964 with Dr. Bricker at the helm. For the next four decades he cared for the people of Antwerp’s and Paulding’s teeth. Enter Sarah Mowery in 2009. Her first job out of dental school was at the Neighborhood Health Clinic in Fort Wayne, IN. She was drawn to the service of treating under-served children. The connection came when Dr. Bricker and a mutual friend of Sarah’s co-owned a piece of hunting land. That mutual friend told Mowery that Dr. Bricker was planning to retire, but he didn’t want to leave his patients without a new dentist. Sarah recollects, “We met, the timing was right, I loved the community.”
Mowery started as an associate, working for him in the summer 2009. She thought this would be best since the community was used to a mature male and had never experienced treatment with any young female physicians/dentists. To both doctors’ delight (and relief), it was a good fit. She purchased the practice in December 2009, bought the Antwerp building in 2012 with an eye towards expanding the office in the future. The Paulding office was closed in January of this year in preparation for the move in to the new place.
The expansion in Antwerp just seemed like a fitting next step for Mowery. There are no other dentists in Antwerp, and the building was conveniently located next to a piece of un-utilized property. The current building was going to require some major renovations in order to keep it functional long-term (it still had the original phone system and wiring installed in the 60s!). “I know it sounds corny and nostalgic… but it just seems to me that Antwerp is where the heart of the practice is located. We still have a handful of “original” patients who have been with the practice since its inception, and many of them live in Antwerp.” She said that a future location in Paulding is not out of the question, but for the time being, consolidation was a necessity. There is much hope that the increased availability for scheduling appointment times will make up for the inconvenience of no longer having multiple locations. Currently, there are nine employees including Mowery and her husband: two full-time dental hygienists, three chair side dental assistants, and two office assistants. There are hopes to add a third dental hygienist and possibly another office assistant in the next few months, depending on community response and necessity.
The construction team of Weisenburger builders has been fantastic in getting this project finished in a timely manner. “Ron and Steve’s attention to detail and professionalism is beyond compare. I would recommend them to anyone.” Mowery stated. The old Antwerp building will likely be demolished. A few members of the community have approached Mowery about moving and renovating it, but at this point that’s just not a feasible option for the business, unless someone wants to purchase the existing building and renovate it themselves. The exterior stone, the cabinetry, much of the existing equipment will be transported to the new building to be immediately or eventually utilized. Mowery is in communication with a dental missions company and hopes to donate much of the functional, but outdated equipment to underprivileged areas in need.
The new facility will be on the cutting edge of 21st century dental care. They have expanded to add three new operatories, one of which will be equipped at a future date and is capable of allowing for more complex procedures (sedation, surgery, complex pediatric cases), which could provide the possibility of bringing in a specialist one day a week. The new facility is fully handicapped-accessible and has state-of-the art equipment, including digital x-rays, fully digital charting/insurance billing methods, and new chairs and dental units for patient comfort. They will have a fully functional dental lab and plan to incorporate some in-house dental prosthesis repairs as well as possibly hiring a laboratory tech at a future date to create/maintain patients’ dentures/partials/retainers/crowns.
This entire process would not have been possible without the help, patience, cooperation and support of several people. Sarah stated that there were several facets in making this new building a possibility beyond the builders. The first one she mentioned was the support of the community. “If we had no patients, we’d have no practice. People have been very supportive of my plans to invest back in the town… and that’s really what I’m doing. The project is a big financial undertaking, but I plan to be here for life and I can only stay because our patients have put their faith in me. They expect me to provide them with the best dental treatment and advice I’m capable of producing, and I do that every day,” Sarah expounded, and then continues, “And Dr. Bricker started this legacy – he is well-respected and heartily-missed primarily because of his love for his town and his patients. We would not be here were it not for him and his efforts.”
Her staff has been as excited about this project since they first started talking about it over three years ago. Many of the team have been employees of the practice since long before she came to the area. She had some passionate comments about her employees, “Their commitment to quality and the health of our patients is unwavering and, at some times, downright fierce. They are so proud of what they do… and I am equally proud of them. They are my work family, and I could not have chosen a more dedicated group of women to surround myself with.”
And where would Sarah Mowery be without her husband, Ty? It’s not always easy to be business manager, house manager, husband, employee, father, errand-runner, and human. Many men would struggle with assuming roles traditionally held by the woman of the household; but he does it well because, as Sarah professes, “He is the best man I’ve ever known… and I don’t say that lightly.”
Mowery gives credit to God for all He has done in making this endeavor possible as well. “He blesses me and challenges me daily… but His presence and His voice are with me always, guiding my decisions and reminding me to treat my patients with kindness and respect.”
A little about the person, Sarah J. Mowery:
Tyson and Sarah dated through dental school and got married in 2008, though she says, “I asked him on a date in 8th grade. It was one of those, ‘Will you be my boyfriend? Circle yes or no’ situations. He said no.” … at the time. Now they have two spunky, precocious, spectacular daughters: Annabelle (Anna) is 5 and Lilian (Lily) is 2. Both sets of parents still live in Pendleton, Indiana, where the couple met. They are used to traveling to visit with loved ones, as Ty lived in a Chicago suburb when they first got together, and they have many far-away friends and family that they see as often as possible (Boston, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, Lansing, Portland, OR). But slowly and surely they are making lives for themselves here in Antwerp, and are very thankful for local friends and neighbors who make life fun on a daily basis.
As part of getting acclimated into the community of Antwerp, Sarah is an active member of the Rotary Club, both her and Ty are members of the Chamber of Commerce of both Antwerp and Paulding. She is also a member of the American Dental Association, the Ohio Dental Association, and the Maumee Valley Dental Association, as well as a satellite member of the Isaac Knapp District Dental Society. The kids are also getting them more involved in community activities such as tumbling, soccer, ball, and piano. Ty is a league golfer.
Existing, active patients will be receiving a postcard stating that the opening date is May 13th. They also have a public open house planned for June 16th, and will be closed for non-emergency treatment on that date.
