Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Gamble.
Hi Joanna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I joined Teach For America in 2012 after earning a Bachelors Degree from UVA and moved from Charlottesville to Atlanta, GA. I taught kindergarten for two years in a school with limited funded resources and that is where my inspiration to become a dentist sprouted. The small neighborhood school I worked at had a dental clinic in the basement (weird, I know) and many of my students would pop down there during instructional time and return with silver crowns on their front teeth, something I had never seen. TFA aims to close the education gap but through this experience I was exposed to the vast gap in access to healthcare. After completing the program I shifted gears and followed my passion for cooking, my goal was to open a food truck in a budding mobile food market in Atlanta. It was so so hard and I have a serious appreciation for food industry workers. I decided I wanted to go back to school and pursue a career in dentistry so I took courses at a local college, moved back home to VA shortly after to continue the prerequisites, met my now husband, applied to dental school, worked as a pediatric dental assistant at an awesome office and was accepted to University of Pennsylvania! Philly was such a cool place to live and after 4 years there I matched to University of Florida, Naples for my 2 years residency in pediatric dentistry. We got married, had our first children and realized we needed to be closer to family so we relocated to Wake Forest, NC in 2023. I worked as an associate at a local practice and quickly realized I wanted more control in my career than being an associate allowed so my husband and I began looking for the best location to open a practice. We ended up finding a stellar office within a mile from our home and here we are one year later opening the doors to Wildberry Pediatric Dentistry!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth is relative I guess. We have absolutely been through heartache and impossible situations along the way and life can be tragic in some ways but beautiful in others. My first pregnancy was very difficult, I was on bedrest for 4 months, gave birth to two beautiful twin boys and after almost 4 months of new parenthood our first son passed away after one week of impossible medical complications. Healing from that loss is forever ongoing and returning to residency 2 weeks after his passing was a huge challenge, especially having to see children intubated. Relocating to NC was was we needed, and our wonderful son Asaiah was born in November 2023.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Wildberry (name created by my husband) is a safe place for families to receive pediatric dental care in a calm, comforting, nonjudgemental and evidence based environment. I am a board certified pediatric dentist and a mom who knows all too well the craziness involved in raising young children. It takes a village to raise children and I want to be part of that village for the families that seek care at Wildberry. We offer a sensory/toddler room for younger kiddos with a nursing chair and toys available for families with multiple young kids. Private hygiene rooms with TVs and headphones to allow me to have private conversations with parents without alarming their children while still including them in the physical space. I welcome parents in the treatment area to be involved with their children’s care, especially because treatment can be unpredictable with kids and I like parents to be right there to discuss pivot points. I use high quality, state of the art dental materials and remain up to date on the most current evidence based practices available for pediatric dentists. I do not judge parents on decisions they have made for their families and do my best to educate and work together to find solutions that benefit their children. Our office is bright and colorful, I pride myself on utilizing local artists, designers and vendors to bring our vision to life. I am also deeply rooted in the Wake Forest community and take my position as a business owner seriously, we give back to the town and sponsor events each month and would happy to pop up anywhere we are welcome with goody bags and smiles!
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love all our little pocket of the Triangle and the people we have met here. Everything our young family needs is so close and convenient. I appreciate the dedication the town and chamber of commerce have to maintaining the quaint nature of Wake Forest. I do wish we had a Trader Joe’s though 😉
Pricing:
- – membership plans for families with no insurance
- – transparency with insurance benefits
- – complimentary filing for all insurances
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wildberrypeds.com
- Instagram: wildberrypediatricdentistry
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wildberrypeds
