Most people don’t think of having a blast at the dentist’s office, but that’s exactly the atmosphere that Candace T. Wakefield, DMD goes for at the Children’s Dental Zone in Florissant, Mo.
The pediatric dentist designed her practice to be kid-friendly, with high-energy music jamming and all the electronic gadgets and games a youngster could ask for. She thinks of the office as the “Chuck E. Cheese” of dentistry, where it’s always party time.
“Everything is for the child,” Wakefield said. “We have iPads on the walls. They can come in and get stimulated heavily by all the video games we have on display. We also have a nice fish tank is there and all those little, little kids like to go run and see that, because it’s a pretty nice-sized fish tank.”
The underwater theme continues with a SpongeBob SquarePants bathroom and other colorfully-themed rooms. The office also plays “very energetic, high-intensity music” she mixes herself.
“It’s almost like a party, and that’s kind of the atmosphere we want to create,” Wakefield said.
Wakefield realizes it may be a bit quirky for some, but it’s all a result of growing up in a very large family with lots of kids.
“I get along well with kids. That’s why I chose pediatric dentistry over general dentistry, because I feel as though kids can relate to me and I’m able to relate to their needs,” Wakefield said.
“They don’t view me as some old doctor. It’s because of my silly personality; I was the class clown in high school and I like to have fun and I like to bring that to the office.”
In 2011, Wakefield authored her first book for children, which is available online. “I wrote my first book, My Dentist Appointment to lessen the fears some children may have about their first dental appointment,” she said.
For adults, Wakefield has a separate dental practice across the hall, the W Dental Group.
The St. Louis native is a 1991 Riverview Gardens High School graduate. She credits a particular teacher, Vera Raglin, for early inspiration.
“She was my honors English teacher two years in a row and she really helped to mature my mind and to cultivate my mind,” Wakefield said. “She helped me to be a more mature student and to push myself further than just getting the grade.”
Wakefield’s mother is a retired East St. Louis Lincoln High School teacher, and her father retired from Ford Motor Company. Although there are MDs and PhDs in the family, she is the first dentist. Her St. Louis mentor in pediatric dentistry was Alvin Sams, DDS, who
helped Wakefield as an undergraduate in dental school.
“He helped to build the character of pediatric dentistry and allowed me to see dentistry performed in a different way,” Wakefield said. “He was very instrumental in my decision to pursue pediatric dentistry and to attend Howard University.”
She has also participated in a cultural exchange trip for dentists in China. Wakefield has traveled to Nicaragua and Jamaica for several dental mission trips. Her first pediatric teacher at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine was from Nicaragua and led a mission there to perform dentistry.
“I really got turned on by that experience and being totally out of my element,” she said. “It was a very rewarding experience to see how another part of the world lived and what we could do to help them.”
Wakefield also has traveled to Jamaica on three dental mission visits led by Dr. Dwight E. McLeod, another dental school instructor.
“I just like to be able to help those people who couldn’t otherwise get the help,” she said.
Now she herself is a faculty member of Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine.
Wakefield graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia and earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. After dental school, Wakefield completed her residency at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she served as chief resident in Pediatric Dentistry and received her Specialty Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry.
The Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awardee received the 2012 Howard University Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard University.
Wakefield is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the Missouri Dental Association as well as the Greater St. Louis Dental Society. She served as vice president of the Mound City Dental Society and former president of Minorities in Pursuit of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Wakefield grew up with Olivette Baptist Church as her home church. She attended Shalom for a few years before becoming a member of Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church in East St. Louis, Illinois, where Rev. Vincent Collins is pastor.
