Local man becomes third-generation dentist

Payton Sittason’s father and his father before him all followed a similar path, graduating from UAB and returning to Hartselle to practice dentistry. Now as Sittason Family Dentistry celebrates 30 years, Payton will be joining the family practice.

Jennifer Sittason, Payton’s mother, said she never imagined her son following in his dad’s footsteps, but she is excited to have him join the practice.

“It is the neatest thing,” Jennifer said. “I have been working up front helping with the insurance, and the neatest thing I have ever heard is (a patient) will say ‘I almost wrote a check to big Bob.’ We have three generations, and some people still remember having ‘big Bob’ as their dentist.”

In addition to being a third-generation dentist, Payton’s fiancée graduated from UAB with him and will also be practicing dentistry. “They are getting married Aug. 24, so there will be a lot of Sittason dentists coming in,” Jennifer said.

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Payton and his fiancée both graduated from the UAB School of Dentistry this year.

Jennifer said Payton has always been involved with the family practice, helping clean the office during weekends while in high school. She said it wasn’t really until college, however, that he began to commit to wanting to follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“I think Hartselle High School so prepares people for pathways. He took biology and chemistry and I think excelled in that, but it was not really until college that he was serious about what he wanted to do,” Jennifer said. “I think it was kind of always in the back of his mind, though.”

David, Payton’s father, also joined his father’s practice after graduating from UAB. “I am proud. It’s been a long haul, but I am proud of him,” David said.

Payton first graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in biology before going on to dentistry school.

“David did not wish for any of his boys to go through that. We married his senior year in dental school, and it’s pretty tough,” Jennifer said. “It’s a lot of sacrifice and a lot of school, as everybody knows, but it’s totally worth it.

“Hartselle has been very good to us.”