In 1964, William S. Bricker, DDS opened a dental office at 203 S. Cleveland St. in Antwerp. As he approached retirement, he began looking for a like-minded provider to take over his practice. This person had to be someone who was comfortable working in a small town, would carry on the practice that he had built, and would come to love this small town as much as he did. Lucky for Dr. Bricker’s patients, and the residents of Antwerp, he found that provider in Sarah Mowery. As Sarah took over the business, the name became Sarah J. Mowery, DDS.
Sarah had grown up with many dental issues of her own, some of them good and some of them not so good. She knows firsthand how important is it to have a good relationship with your dentist and she genuinely wants to provide a positive experience for her patients. After completing her undergraduate studies at Butler University, she continued her studies and graduated from the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 2008. Eventually she, along with her husband Tyson, took advantage of the opportunity presented to them and moved to Antwerp where they live with their two daughters, Annabelle and Lillian.
Sarah and her team specialize in beautifying smiles, maintaining your dental health and helping you improve your appearance. Whether you need a veneer, crown, filling or bridge, they promise to make your teeth look as good as or better than the teeth that Mother Nature gave you. You can expect them to spend much individual time with you, educating you on good oral hygiene and addressing any concerns you or your family may have. They strive to provide a stress-free environment and you can expect to hear her staff and their patients laughing during their dental appointment as it happens multiple times each day. This is exactly the reason people travel from Fort Wayne, Toledo, Lima and Indianapolis to her practice right here in Antwerp.
Sarah is most proud of her staff because they are the “salt of the earth” type of women who care about their patients and their well-being. They have all been in the chair and they know how it feels and how stressful it can be. None of them EVER want to be the reason that a child or an adult are afraid to come back to the dentist.
Sarah also enjoys working with children, often treating children as young as a few months. Children should begin seeing a dentist at age 1 or when their first tooth comes in. Many times, these visits are done with the child sitting on the mother’s lap in the dentist chair. She loves to coach anxious children through their fears and leave the office with bright happy smiles. Sarah likes to tell the story of when she was a child and was having some crown work done. When her dentist pulled his hands out of her mouth, his gloves were red. Having some unhappy experiences in the past, Sarah was concerned about all of the red. Her dentist told her that when the crown is put on, it turns your spit red for a short time. Well, that settled that!
She appreciates when the whole family is involved in healthy dental habits. She believes that if everyone in the household is on board with good dental hygiene habits, then great smiles will come easily.
One of the new investments that the Mowery’s have made in the practice was the purchase of a Solea CO2 laser unit. The laser makes it possible to cut or vaporize many types of tissue around the teeth and gums to perform reliably anesthesia free treatments that help to make patients more comfortable during procedures. Blood free, suture free, and pain free treatments make fillings, root canals and biopsies extremely easy and with a shorter recovery time. Lasers are used to remove decay within a tooth prior to a filling procedure. Lasers are also used to reshape gums and remove bacteria during root canals.
One other aspect of Sarah’s business is the identification and release of tongue-tie. Tongue-tie is a hereditary condition marked by thickening or tightening of the tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth thus restricting the movement of the tongue. A tongue-tie can often be the reason that some babies have difficulty breast feeding. Tongue-tie can also cause improper speech development, especially with articulating the letters “r” and “l”. A tongue-tie is treated by a minor surgical procedure called a frenectomy that can be performed quickly, with a laser, in the dentist office.
The dentistry can also make custom mouth guards for sports activities. A mold is cast from a soft rubber/gum-like material that the person bites into. After the cast hardens it will be put into a machine that will heat a clear or colored rubberized plastic and then vacuum fit to the cast so it is always a perfect fit! Companies or schools can even have their logo formed into the mouth guard at the same time, completely customized for the end user!
One tip that she wants to share with you to improve your experience is do not lie about flossing! They know and they can tell from the other side of the room whether or not you are a flosser.
One little known secret about the field of dentistry that most of you do not know is that Gatorade, energy drinks, and soda pop are nearly as corrosive as battery acid! It doesn’t take long or with much exposure to damage teeth and cause other health problems with these drinks.
Sarah J. Mowery, DDS is a member of the Antwerp Chamber of Commerce, which seeks the betterment of the community through strong businesses such as this. If you would like to know more about the Antwerp Chamber, please visit our Facebook page. If you would like to join, email at antwerpchamber@gmail.com
Sarah wants to leave you with this: Life is short, smile while you still have your teeth!