Dr. Patterson, affectionately known to her patients as "Sugarbug Sherriff", was inspired by the positive experience of her own childhood dentist, to pursue a career in Pediatric Dentistry.
Growing up in Meriwether County, at the age of nine I was given the opportunity to take a road trip across the country to California with my grandmother. I LOVED the sights! I remember how cold the Pacific Ocean was even in the middle of the summer, which was a surprise for me! I loved seeing the painted dessert, the Petrified Forest, and the Grand Canyon. I especially liked trying to balance and walk across the petrified logs, hiding under the overhangs, climbing on the boulders and seeing how close I could get the edge to look down the canyon walls. My grandmother survived my daredevil ways, thank the Lord! I would often re-live the scenery from that road trip while watching western movies with my dad, letting my imagination run wild.
Later in life, I decided to start pursuing my dreams of becoming a dentist. I began my journey with an externship, the Indian Healthcare Service in Montana, under a pediatric dentist. During the externship, a seed was planted that maybe I would like to pursue pediatric dentistry myself. Following my externship and graduation from the Medical College of Georgia-School of Dentistry, it was an easy decision for me to make the move to Flagstaff, AZ with my three girls in tow, where I worked for the Indian Healthcare Service, becoming a Commissioned Corps officer.
Once in Flagstaff, I worked at the Winslow Indian Healthcare Center. Over time I became the main dentist out of six to see the children in our clinics. In a few short years, I was also traveling to treat children on a dental van visiting schools and Headstart Programs throughout the Navajo Indian reservation providing preventative and restorative dentistry.
After a few years, I decided I would like to offer even more to the children...sedation dentistry for those in need. I continued on to a pediatric dental residency in Denver, CO at the Children’s Hospital, graduating in 2009. I had planned to return to Arizona and continue treating the children among the Navajo reservation. However, as I was graduating as a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, my family in Georgia was expanding. My first grandchild, Skyler, was arriving on the scene the same month I was graduating. So I decided to come back home and treat the children in “West Georgia”. It's still West, right?!
In my free time, I enjoy all things outdoors! I still love to “Float the Flint River” in a canoe or kayak, fishing, hiking, skiing (water and snow), and even cutting the grass and trimming the shrubs. Isn’t my husband lucky? ?
Education
- Columbus State University
- Medical College of Georgia, School of Dentistry
- Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program at The Children’s Hospital-Denver, CO
Licenses and Associations
- Diplomate-American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (board certified)
- Licensed Dentist in the state of Georgia
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Member
- Georgia Association of Pediatric Dentistry (GAPD) Member
- Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry (SSPD) Member
- American Dental Association (ADA) Member
- Georgia Dental Association (GDA) Member
- Western District Dental Society Member
- CPR Certified
Mission and Service
Dr. Patterson participates in local dental charitable work and dental mission trips. She enjoys her frequent volunteering at our local dental clinic in LaGrange and Georgia Mission of Mercy as well as her trips abroad including remote villages in Mexico. She also aided with dental care during Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath.