WESTPHALIA — After 44 years as a private practice, the Westphalia Dental Clinic has become an associate of Huntline Dental Group. Dr. Tim and Ruth Barnhart, RN, announced their association with Dr. Sam Barnhart.

According to Dr. Tim, “Huntline Dental is purchasing our practice.”

The merger will allow Dr. Tim to continue providing services two days a week at the Huntline office. “It also gives our patients a great alternative to the services we had provided over the years,” Dr. Tim added.

Dr. Sam and his staff are already providing high-quality general dentistry as well as many other more specialized treatments, including implant-supported appliances.

“This arrangement gives me the opportunity to spend more time with my family and enjoy life on the farm,” Dr. Tim said.

In 1970, Dr. Tim’s father was the counselor at Maries R-1 in Vienna, and advised Dr. Tim’s brother, Dr. John Barnhart, DDS, to seek a career in dentistry. “He knew that John and I were not cut out to live in the city,” Dr. Tim said. “Since John is four years older than me, I just assumed I should follow the path he was taking.”

Both completed their undergraduate studies at Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

Dr. Tim and Ruth were married in 1979, and she worked as an RN at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., putting her husband through school.

After graduating from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., in 1980, the Barnharts opened the newly-constructed Westphalia Dental Clinic on June 18, 1981. “We had 18 patients that first day and never looked back,” Dr. Tim said.

Dr. Tim has been working at his office on Mondays and Tuesdays, and at the Huntline office on Wednesdays and Thursdays. “We are basically adopting his schedule because ours is booked out six months to a year at a time for first-time cleaning and checkups,” Dr. Sam noted, adding his mother will work full-time up front. “They’re here with us already, so patients will see familiar faces, because we’re all just kind of one team now.”

Ruth will have a similar role to that which she held at her husband’s practice, greeting customers and taking care of immediate needs at the front.

Until the transition is complete, Huntline is operating out of two locations. “They still have their own system for cleaning up their accounts receivable and all that,” said Dr. Sam. “So, patients that have bills will still be able to go there, and my mom has access to that system so she can clean all that up.”

Although he is cutting his hours to two days a week, Dr. Tim, Ruth, Megan, and Tina will continue to see patients at the Huntline office. “The girls will continue helping Huntline staff even on my days off,” Dr. Tim said. “This will allow us to see our folks and keep up with the lives of the people we have come to love! There is not time or space enough to thank all the people who treated us so well over the years. Suffice to say, there were many!”