After college, she was accepted into dental school at The University of Tennessee Memphis. Following that, she attended dental school in Memphis for her first year. Later, she transferred to Nashville to attend Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, where she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1999. Afterward, she continued her education with a three-year post-doctoral residency in orthodontics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
During her time at Vanderbilt, Dr. Oakes received extensive training in many areas, including orthodontics, cleft palate, and treatment of dentofacial abnormalities. Upon completing her residency, she began practicing in the greater Nashville area in 2002. Dr. Oakes completed an additional three years of post-graduate education beyond her four years of dental school, specifically focused on orthodontics. As a result, she is an orthodontic specialist, a registered member of the American Association of Orthodontists, and she limits her practice exclusively 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.
