Meet Dr. Monica Babbitt-Tanquilut
Dr. Monica Babbitt-Tanquilut grew up in the small town of Bristol, Illinois, about 60 miles from the city of Chicago. In 1988, she graduated from Southern Illinois University with a degree in dental hygiene. While working part-time as a hygienist, she continued her education at University of Illinois in Chicago, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1993 and her Doctorate Degree from the School of Dentistry in 1994. She completed her education at University of Nebraska in Lincoln with a residency in Periodontology in 1997.
Because of her dental hygiene background, Dr. Babbitt-Tanquilut has been involved in the area of periodontics for over 20 years. She has served as an Associate Clinical Professor, in the Department of Periodontology, at University of Illinois, where she received the Faculty Development Award for the Department of Periodontics in 1999. Her private practice involves all aspects of periodontal therapy, including non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease, implants, and oral pathology. She is particularly interested in plastic surgery for esthetic improvement and the medical implications from oral infection. In fact, she was involved in a research project through the National Institute of Health which looked at the link between osteoporosis, post-menopause and periodontal disease.
Dr. Babbitt-Tanquilut frequently attends continuing education courses, most recently regarding periodontal medicine, implants, and laser surgical technique. Even though it is not required in the state of Illinois, she completed a proficiency certificate from the Academy of Laser Dentistry. In the last two years, she has attended 100+ hours of continuing education, which is over 3-times that required by the state of Illinois. She has been a member of the American Academy of Periodontology and the Midwest society of Periodontology since 1998.
She is very excited to be back in the Chicagoland area after living in Las Vegas, NV for six years. While she was established with two premiere dental offices there, it was family, friends, and midwest values that drew her back to the area. Dr. Babbitt-Tanquilut and her husband Rene (a general dentist) have two daughters, Chase and Kendall. In her time away from the study and practice of periodontics, she enjoys spending time with family, fitness, nutritional/alternative health, travel, and real estate/home improvement.