After college, she was accepted into dental school at The University of Tennessee Memphis. After attending dental school her first year in Memphis, she transferred to Nashville to attend Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry – where she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1999. After dental school, she continued her education with a three-year post-doctoral residency program in orthodontics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
At Vanderbilt, Dr. Oakes received extensive training in many areas of orthodontics, cleft palate, and treatment of dentofacial abnormalities. She completed her residency and has practiced in greater Nashville since 2002. Dr. Oakes had an additional three years of post-graduate work beyond the four years of dental school, specifically for orthodontics. She is an orthodontic specialist, is a registered member of the American Association of Orthodontists, and she limits her practice specifically to orthodontics.
Dr. Oakes is active in the dental community and completes 40 hours of continuing education every two years. She is a member of The American Association of Orthodontics, The Southern Association of Orthodontics, The American Dental Association, The Nashville Dental Society, and The Tennessee Dental Association.
In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, traveling, watching football, and spending time with friends and family.
