We are pleased to announce the 25^th anniversary of our orthodontic practice. Dr. Scott Patterson started the practice back in 1981, the same year that the Space Shuttle, "Columbia," made its first flight. "Columbia" was the first reusable spacecraft. It orbited the earth 36 times during the 54 hour and 22 minute flight.

What else happened in 1981? On July 29^th, 20-year old Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles. The couple was whisked away in a 70-year old horse drawn carriage with a "Just Married" sign on the back. Also, George Washington’s dentures were reported missing from the National Museum of American History. The gold and ivory teeth had been in a storage room. The inscription on the choppers read, "This was the Great Washington’s teeth." Actually, he had dentures galore. One set is kept at Mount Vernon, another is in London and a third is somewhere in South America.

Yes, when you think about it, things have changed a lot in 25 years.

But, after all this time, there are some things which have remained the same. One great thing is that Dr. Patterson is still around and thriving after 25 years of hard work and dedication by everyone involved . . . and most importantly, caring about patients who helped him reach this milestone.

"DOC"umentary

Dr. Patterson has always been glad that he made the decision to set up his orthodontic practice in the state line area.  His decision could be considered somewhat surprising, since he had never set foot in the Midwest before he graduated from dental school. 

Doc grew up in suburban New York, and enjoyed some family vacations to the dairy farming regions of rural Vermont.  It was the beauty and peace of the pastoral scenes, as well as the attractions of raising a family in a small, independent community, that eventually drew Doc to Monroe. 

Doc earned his Bachelor of Science degree and then completed his four years of dental training at the nation's number-one dental school, graduating with honors at the age of 24.  During the following years of his orthodontic residency training at the world's top orthodontic program, he carefully analyzed numerous communities in 12 different states searching for the ideal practice location.  Eventually, he flew to Wisconsin and visited Sturgeon Bay, Whitewater, Baraboo and Monroe and returned a second time to nail down his decision.  Doc selected Monroe because of the quality of the schools and health care, low crime rate, good community government, service organizations and spirit of volunteerism.  The excellence of the downtown area, convenient local shopping and proximity to Madison and Chicago were also factors which influenced his decision.  Years later, he was not surprised when a man in Connecticut evaluated over 2,500 small towns across America, and ranked Monroe 13th best. 

In 1993, Doc opened his office in Freeport at the request of some local dentists, thereby making his services more convenient for the many patients who had been driving to Monroe. 

Looking back, Doc has experienced most of the usual challenges which face dentists in private practice.  The biggest challenge, he notes, was hiring, training and coordinating an excellent staff.  "Without a doubt, my staff is now the best I've ever had," Patterson says.  "There have been some excellent staff members among the 30 plus team members I've worked with through the years, but I believe that Diane, Charity, Geri and Vickie are unsurpassed in their abilities, organizational skills, personalities, camaraderie and caring attitudes."

Other challenges have included managing an inventory of several thousand different items, negotiating our way through a maze of governmental regulations concerning private practices, employees, insurance administration and taxation, and continuing to produce excellent results as patients become busier and less able to comply with instructions concerning the wearing of appliances and elastic bands.
 
Counting the two years of orthodontic residency, Doc has spent most of his life providing orthodontic services to his patients.  "Because each patient is different, every year presents new challenges, so the job remains interesting," Patterson says.  "I'm proud to report that my staff and I have been able to buck the trend toward assembly line orthodontics, and have continued to provide individualized care for patients. "  That care has included a number of innovations which Doc has developed on his own to treat particular problems.  He has returned to the University of North Carolina as a guest lecturer to share these methods with residents and faculty. 

In addition to his extensive community involvement which earned him the Monroe Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award in 1998, Doc enjoys solving problems, which include patents and inventions in progress.  A very popular program which Doc developed and presented to Congress is the Health Savings Account, which lowers overhead expenses for insurance companies while greatly reducing insurance costs for insured individuals. 

Popular Events 25 Years Ago

What events happened in 1981?

• Air traffic controllers go on strike
• Joe Louis, the longest reigning champ, died at 67
• "Trivial Pursuit" was the new game craze
• Baseball strike started on June 12th and lasted seven weeks.  The L.A. Dodgers defeated the N.Y. Yankees to win the World Series
• The Stanley Cup was won by the New York Islanders
• The NBA title went to the Boston Celtics The Super Bowl was won by the Oakland Raiders
• Popular tunes were Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes", Manhattan Transfer "Boy From New York City", and Al Jarreau's "Breaking Away"
• Picture of the Year - "Chariots of Fire"
• Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn received Best Actor and Actress for the movie "On Gold Pond"
• Dr. Scott B. Patterson started his first year of Orthodontics in Monroe, Wisconsin