Scott Patterson has been practicing dentistry and orthodontics in Monroe for 26 years. He owns his own practice and prefers it that way, because he wanted to run his own business.
Patterson enjoys working with children and teenagers, watching them grow from visit to regular visit.
He enjoys the newfound self-confidence a child gets from a good checkup, or from a set of braces straightening the teeth. Patterson said that's the best part of his job.
The worst part is the paperwork.
"When I went into dentistry, I thought it was mostly clinical work," Patterson said. "After 40 hours of clinical work, there's another 40 hours of paperwork."
At the height of his practice, Patterson worked 94 hours a week. A marriage and family life changed that. He started accepting fewer patients and now works about 50 hours a week.
What is the last good book you read?
I read most of books on tape from the library. The last one I finished was "The Heretic's Apprentice," a Brother Cadfael mystery book.
What is your greatest fear?
My personal fear is a long period of suffering not being controlled by medicine, but I don't fear death.
What is your favorite food?
Lentil soup. It has a good basic flavor, a good base, and it's a soup that changed the world (In the Bible, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, also known as Israel, for a bowl of lentil soup to fill his hunger. Therefore, Jacob's people would be a source of blessing for all the nations of the Earth.)
If you could be granted three wishes, what would they be?
I'd look at getting more wishes.
To be able to retire and devote all of my time to my family and good deeds.
To have perfect health for myself and for those I love.
Who do you most admire and why?
Corrie ten Boom. She was a Dutch woman who saved 2,000 Jews during World War II. She ended up in a concentration camp and was still able to hug the guards a few years later when they asked for her forgiveness
Patterson enjoys working with children and teenagers, watching them grow from visit to regular visit.
He enjoys the newfound self-confidence a child gets from a good checkup, or from a set of braces straightening the teeth. Patterson said that's the best part of his job.
The worst part is the paperwork.
"When I went into dentistry, I thought it was mostly clinical work," Patterson said. "After 40 hours of clinical work, there's another 40 hours of paperwork."
At the height of his practice, Patterson worked 94 hours a week. A marriage and family life changed that. He started accepting fewer patients and now works about 50 hours a week.
What is the last good book you read?
I read most of books on tape from the library. The last one I finished was "The Heretic's Apprentice," a Brother Cadfael mystery book.
What is your greatest fear?
My personal fear is a long period of suffering not being controlled by medicine, but I don't fear death.
What is your favorite food?
Lentil soup. It has a good basic flavor, a good base, and it's a soup that changed the world (In the Bible, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, also known as Israel, for a bowl of lentil soup to fill his hunger. Therefore, Jacob's people would be a source of blessing for all the nations of the Earth.)
If you could be granted three wishes, what would they be?
I'd look at getting more wishes.
To be able to retire and devote all of my time to my family and good deeds.
To have perfect health for myself and for those I love.
Who do you most admire and why?
Corrie ten Boom. She was a Dutch woman who saved 2,000 Jews during World War II. She ended up in a concentration camp and was still able to hug the guards a few years later when they asked for her forgiveness