As a child, Ben Schrock always appreciated the fact that his father worked hard all day to provide for his family, yet never missed a youth baseball game.

He admired the fact that his father, local dentist Dr. Kurt Schrock, put family first. And he, too, dreamed of a career that would one day allow that same privilege.

Last month, the 26-year-old graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry and hopes his profession will allow him the same advantages his father had.

&#8220Growing up as the son of a dentist, I guess it’s always been a part of my life,” Ben Schrock said. &#8220It came natural for me.”

As it did for his father, who grew up around the dental office of his father, Dr. James L. Schrock.

&#8220I always liked being my own boss,” said the 79-year-old James Schrock. &#8220And the fact that you could go as far as your ability would take you.

&#8220The profession has come a long way since I started my practice in 1952,” he said. &#8220The advancements in pain medications, especially, have been huge.”

Schrock retired about 10 years ago and sold his Picayune practice to his other son, Dr. Hal Mark Schrock.

But his years of practicing dentistry without the use of pain medication taught James Schrock to be gentle, a characteristic most dentists aspire to have. He said he’s passed the trait on to his sons, and in turn, Ben Schrock learned to use the same tender charisma when caring for his own patients.

&#8220I’ve been a patient of Ben’s for two years now,” said his mother, Megan Schrock. &#8220He definitely does work in the same manner. He’s very careful with his patients.”

Other lessons shared within the dentist family have been patience and trust. Both Kurt and Ben Schrock have been patients of their fathers in years past, knowing that the day would come that they would have to return favor.

&#8220Now my brother and I do Mom’s and Dad’s work for them,” said Kurt Schrock, 54.

&#8220It’s been very beneficial to have mentors in the family to share information with,” he said. &#8220My dad and my brother helped me when I was learning, and now we’re all helping Ben.”

Schrock said a lesson he’s tried to teach his son is to always remember why he entered the field of dentistry.

&#8220Even though we’re self-employed, we are always working for the public. That’s important,” he said.

Another important part of opening a solo dental practice is learning to run a business, as both James and Kurt Schrock have learned.

&#8220The hardest part is becoming a business person as well as a dentist. It takes a lot. I’m fortunate enough to have a very well-qualified staff,” he said.

But it also never hurts to have family help around the office, either.

When Ben Schrock was still in dental school he’d help his father around the office during the summer. And Megan Schrock helps her husband of 29 years by keeping things organized as office manager. She’s worked by his side since he opened his practice in Vicksburg in 1978.

James Schrock’s wife, Charleen, worked as the receptionist in his office for more than 40 years.

As for the youngest Schrock dentist’s possibility of working with his future wife, he said he’d just have to wait and see. He’s engaged to marry his college sweetheart, Erica Roberts, in September.

&#8220She does have a degree in business administration, so we’ll see… maybe,” he said.

Now that he’s finished four years of undergraduate work and four years of dental school, Ben Schrock has been accepted for general practice residency at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he’ll be for the next two years.

Although unsure about what the future holds for him, Schrock said he’s proud to have followed in his father’s, uncle’s and grandfather’s footsteps.

And as for his predecessors, they’re happy to add another dentist to the Schrock family.

&#8220I’m very proud of him,” Kurt Schrock said.

&#8220I feel proud to have him carry on the family name in the dental field,” said James Schrock.

And, he said, there’s only one bad part about it.

&#8220Now I feel old.”