Dr. Bob Bowling poses with staff members, Jessica and Stacey.  Photo by Connie Voss

GRIDLEY (MPG) - “Changing lives, one smile at a time” is the motto of Bowling Family Dentistry.

The office, in Gridley for 35 years when Dr. Bruce Bowling bought the practice from Dr. Craig Barton, is now expanding.

Bruce Bowling’s son, Bob Bowling, attended the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, where he graduated with honors. Bob Bowling joined the practice in 2011 and took over in 2013 when Bruce Bowling retired.

Son and father, Bob and Bruce Bowling, pose in front of their dental office in 2011. Courtesy photo

Bruce Bowling and his wife, Alicia, then went on a mission to Arkansas for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After coming home, they planned to return to Arkansas for more missionary service but Bruce Bowling sadly suffered a fatal heart attack in 2016.

Bowling said that patients still talk about his dad “and the excellent dental work he did for them.”

Armed with his education, state-of-the-art equipment and dental team, Bob Bowling has built upon his father’s legacy. He treats most of the common dental concerns as well as abscesses and gingivitis and also performs implant surgeries.

Having served as a missionary for two years in Honduras, Bowling speaks fluent Spanish, making it more positive for limited English-speaking patients.

Bowling said that he wanted to expand the practice so he could see more patients. Planning and financing for the project took three to four years but construction has proceeded much faster, according to Bowling.

Dr. Bob Bowling shows where his own office will be in the new expansion.  Photo by Connie Voss

Construction started in July and is scheduled for completion in February. The project will include a complete remodel of the existing dental office. The new expansion will have three new treatment rooms, a break room, consultation room, better restroom facilities and an improved sterilization area, according to Bowling. The staff will move into the new portion of the building while the old office is remodeled.

Bowling and his wife, Emmalee, reside in Gridley with their three children.