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IOWA FALLS-Standing in his new state-of-the-art dentist office, working side-by-side with his father Craig, is the last place Dr. Brad Miller ever thought he would be.
"I never thought I'd be a dentist, it never appealed to me," says Brad, now 1 1/2 years into his family dental practice with his father, Craig, who has practiced dentistry in Iowa Falls for the past 26 years.
"It wasn't until I came back, the summer after my freshman year in college that I did some helping at the office and some lab work that I first experienced and saw what my dad did that led me into this field of health science," Brad recalls.
"I was very careful not to push or try to influence his career decision. I wanted him to do what he wanted to do," Craig said.
Craig said Iowa Falls appealed to him as a good town to start a dental practice after graduating from the University of Iowa Dental School in 1974.
"It was a small town, yet had its own college, it was close to the parents and met a lot of the qualities we were looking for," Craig Miller said.
He started the practice at the corner of College and Estes streets and was with Dr. Neil Rowley for several years. "After Dr. Rowley left I had a couple of associates and then just tried to handle it as well as I could, knowing that Brad was coming back when he was done with school," the elder Dr. Miller remarked.
"After I decided to go to dental school, we started talking about a new office," Brad said.
Craig Miller had plans for a new office near Scenic Manor when the Iowa Falls Area Industrial Development Corp. came to him and asked if he would consider locating in the new McFarland Clinic building. "It's been a great match," he said. "It was a super opportunity and the location and facility is very good."
Miller said the new building with its ceiling to floor windows and new equipment, helps attract people to the practice and the bright surroundings helps patients feel relaxed. The dentists were recently featured in the winter 2001 edition of Patterson Today, a trade publication for dentists, with a two-page article and several pictures.
While they work well together, both a very busy with their own patients and schedules and don't have a chance to confer too much, Craig said. "We see each other in the morning, noon and afternoon and that's about it."
"I was really surprised at the patient load when I started here," said Brad, who joined the practice a week after the move into the new McFarland Clinic building at the corner of Washington and Main.
Brad said the reason for going into practice with his father was twofold. "There is a lot of anxiety going into practice with someone you don't know and it can be quite expensive. This was a good way to get into the business while maintaining a level of comfort in the surroundings."
Brad has worked on some old school classmates and some of his former teachers. "There is one I can't get into the chair," he joked.
A somewhat unusual footnote is that Brad is one of many Iowa Falls grads from the mid-1980s who are practicing dentistry, Cory Conrad, Bernie Stephenson and Greg Perentis to name a few others.
"Dad never put any pressure on me to pursue dentistry. He left it completely up to me and I know when I decided to do it that it was my decision," Brad Miller said.
"It's been a lot of fun and it is great having dad here as a mentor. He's well respected and trusted by his peers and his patients and he's a good source of learning for me," Brad said.
For Craig, the respect is mutual.
"It shows tremendous confidence to come back and practice in your hometown. I have a lot of fatherly pride in his choice. Working together is really special."
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