The people in the room

Meet the doctors

Two pediatric dentists and two orthodontists work under one roof here, which is why a child can move from a cleaning to braces without ever changing buildings. Every credential below comes straight from what each doctor has actually earned, nothing more.

Dr. Tim Bakelaar

Pediatric dentist, DMD, Board Certified

A native of Brandon, Mississippi, Dr. Bakelaar graduated Magna Cum Laude from Millsaps College before earning his DMD from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He completed a one year Advanced Education in General Dentistry at UMMC, then a two year residency in Pediatric Dentistry at UTHSC Memphis.

He has treated patients at LeBonheur Children's Medical Center, St. Jude Children's Hospital, the Arlington Developmental Center, and Crittenden Memorial Hospital, and holds operating room privileges at LeBonheur East Surgery Center. Dr. Bakelaar is Board Certified in Pediatric Dentistry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and provides both oral and IV sedation in office.

He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the Tennessee Dental Association, and the Memphis Dental Society, and has been named a Memphis Magazine "Top Dentist" several times. His particular passion is caring for children and adults with special needs.

Dr. Jennifer Simmons

Pediatric dentist, DDS

A Memphis native and graduate of White Station High School, Dr. Simmons earned her degree in Biology Magna Cum Laude from the University of Memphis before completing her DDS at the UTHSC College of Dentistry in Memphis.

Dr. Nadia Hameed

Orthodontist

The newest orthodontist to join the Bartlett office, Dr. Hameed earned her DDS from the NYU College of Dentistry in 2016, where she was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the honor society for the top dental students nationally.

She completed her orthodontic residency at the University of Pittsburgh in 2019, and has practiced exclusively in combined pediatric dentistry and orthodontics practices ever since, which is exactly the kind of practice this is.

Dr. Kaitlin Polk

Orthodontist

Raised in southern Oklahoma, Dr. Polk moved to Memphis in 2019 for orthodontic training. She holds a Biology degree from Baylor University and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, where she graduated with honors and distinction and was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon.

She completed a General Practice Residency at OU's Children's Hospital, then trained in orthodontics at UTHSC, the oldest orthodontic program in the South, which accepts only four residents a year. Dr. Polk is a member of the American Dental Association and the American Association of Orthodontics.

The rest of the team

Dental assistants and front desk, every visit

Alongside the doctors, our dental assistants and front desk staff are with a family at every step of a visit, from check in to the walk back to the chair. It takes the whole team to make an appointment feel calm for a child, not just the doctor who sees them.

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