Being a wife, mother, and pediatric dentist brings me immense joy. I founded Carolina Pediatric Dentistry in 2002 to provide a dental home for all children, including the tiny ones, anxious ones, and those with special healthcare needs. Our growing team of doctors, administration, dental hygienists, and dental assistants have continued this mission ever since. For over two decades, we have cared for each friend as if they were our own child.
I love many things about being a pediatric dentist. I love making children proud of their smiles and promoting habits that enable those smiles to last a lifetime. I also love getting to know families at each visit, and seeing children’s smiles grow from the first tooth to college graduation is an honor. Now, I have the joy of seeing the children of my patients! Double wonderful!
I enjoy pediatric dentistry so much that when I am not in the office or with my family, I often teach other dentists and medical providers about pediatric dentistry locally, nationally, and internationally. I have been chosen for many leadership positions, including, but not limited to, being a past president of the North Carolina Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, a past president of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and the current Dental Director for Raleigh Children’s Surgery Center. I am adjunct faculty at both UNC and ECU. I serve the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners via conducting site and provider evaluations for a Moderate Pediatric Conscious Sedation permits.
I was accepted to at age 19 and graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee, where I completed my Doctorate of Dental Surgery. I was shy one class due to my accelerated two-year undergraduate program to receive a bachelor degree. When COVID happened, I made the decision to finish my Bachelor of Science in Biology at Arkansas Tech University and officially graduated in December of 2020! I received my certificate in pediatric dentistry and Master of Science from the the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. In 2018, I completed a 3-year hybrid program for a Certificate in Leadership from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management through the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Leadership Institute Cohort V. One of the greatest honors of my professional life is being the 2024 recipient of the Manual M. Album Award. This award “is presented annually to the individual or organization that has made the greatest contribution to the oral health of children with special needs.”
Averaging more than four times what is required in continuing education a year, I am a testament of lifelong learning. I acquire continued education through intensive collaboration, discussion, and involvement with the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD), attending multiple continuing education courses in person and via webinar, and teaching continuing education to other family and pediatric dentists and physicians nationally and internationally. By immersing myself in information from hundreds of colleagues, literature, and textbooks, I can ensure that our sweet patients at Carolina Pediatric Dentistry receive the most current clinical techniques in the most child-friendly environment possible. I also serve as a key opinion leader for many dental products that allows me to ensure our practice implements evidence-based state-of-the-art-materials.
My husband and I raised our children and yellow labrador “Daisy” in the Raleigh-Wake Forest area. Our daughter is a veterinary medical student, and our son is an engineering major. With four different schedules, family time is precious and limited; therefore, my office hours and locations have become more restricted to best balance my family and professional life. When our kids are home, we enjoy anything outside as a family as well as board games and movie nights. The four of us love to watch any one of the Star Wars movies. My husband and I enjoy endurance sports for fun and have completed 3 Ironman Distance triathlons, the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run, and many marathons.
I cherish Wakefield/Wake Forest communities, where I started the first office, lived for 14 years, coached a variety of children’s sports, served on preschool curriculum development committees, and was even a consultant for the library. I also embrace the Downtown community, having now lived in it for several years.
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