If you want to be an oral surgeon, be prepared to stay in school until your early 30’s. Greg Pyle, a 1980 graduate of Bedford High School took that route and he’s now president of Drs. Patterson, Pyle & Associates. After high school, he first attended Juniata College, graduating in 1984; then moved to the University of Pittsburgh for a Doctor of Medical Dentistry and then spent time at the West Virginia University Medical Center for a residency. It wasn’t until 1994 - 14 years after graduation from high school - that he was able to return home to open a practice in Bedford. “It was nice to experience living in other places, but the goal was always to get back to Bedford. It’s a great place to live and raise a family. There’s really no other place I considered living.”

As an oral surgeon, Dr. Pyle deals with diseases of the head and neck - extracting wisdom teeth, doing reconstructive surgery following accidents or disease, diagnosing and treating growths in the head and neck area. He chose oral surgery after spending time in the field during a rotation in dental school. “I enjoyed it so much that it didn’t feel like going to work - and that’s still true. I love what I do.”

His greatest challenge comes from an aspect of his career for which he was not prepared - running a business. Patterson & Pyle has 21 employees, including 6 doctors spread over several offices. “If I had it to do over again, I’d have taken some business courses - running a small business isn’t easy and it’s not something I ever envisioned.”

Pyle said his most enjoyment comes from building relationships with patients and being able to help them physically. He sees a wide variety of ages - in one day recently, his patients ranged from age 3 to 87. “You’ve got to have good people skills and a comforting attitude to work with patients,” he said. It’s also important that prospective oral surgeons have good manual dexterity and be strong in math and science. “And of course, you’ve got to enjoy learning, because you’re going to be in school a long time.”

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