Meet Dr. Shelby Nelson
The new leader of one of Tennessee’s premier general dental practices.
Dr. Shelby Nelson, Tailwater’s newest practice partner.
Dr. Nelson is originally from Spartanburg, SC. She studied biology at Wofford College and graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC where she earned her Doctorate in Dental Medicine.
Ever since she was a kid, Dr. Shelby Nelson knew she wanted to be a dentist.
Which is funny, because her family is in the sugar business.
Shelby’s mom, Kim, owns Daisy Cakes. She was even on the TV show Shark Tank a few years ago, and Barbara Corcoran said,
“Kim is authentic and her Daisy Cakes are straight from the heart.”
Click here to learn more about Daisy Cakes and Kim, Shelby’s mom.
Shelby loves Daisy Cakes too, as long as her patients brush and floss after eating them.
Shelby grew up with two brothers. One older and one younger. And Shelby watched closely as her parents managed a successful business and raised a loving family.
She knew she wanted to do the same someday, but in a different industry.
Teeth.
After graduating from dental school, she moved to Nashville to begin practicing. She’s trained in same-day crowns and all aspects of modern general dentistry. She loves her patients, good technology, cooking, traveling, and Nashville.
Dr. Shelby Nelson back when she was in her final year of dental school at the Medical University of South Carolina. She was Vice President of MUSC’s chapter of the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Association of Women Dentists.
Dr. Mark Warden opened Brentwood Dental Center over thirty years ago and succeeded in building something special.
Loyal patients. Great team. Exceptional location.
Brentwood Dental Center became one of the premier general dental practices in Tennessee.
Last year, Dr. Warden and his wife, Elaine, decided it was time to explore transitioning to retirement. Time to find a dentist they could trust to lead Brentwood Dental Center for the next 30 years.
It wasn’t a decision they took lightly.
They had a team they loved. Patients who trusted them.
They couldn’t retire without knowing their practice would be in good hands. They needed a dentist with exceptional clinical skills, a good heart, and a warm and welcoming personality.
And a sense of humor.
It was around that time when Tailwater co-founder Dr. KB Parkes first met with Dr. Warden at his office.
Mark and KB talked about the history of Brentwood Dental Center and the future of dentistry. About practicing the right way and what it takes to lead a multi-generational practice that thrives for decades.
After learning more about Mark’s patients and values, KB told him,
“Mark, I think I know a dentist who could be the perfect successor for this practice.”
KB and our team at Tailwater introduced Mark to Dr. Shelby Nelson. Shelby was leading Mid TN Dentistry in Franklin, TN at the time, but KB knew she was quietly and patiently looking for a premier practice she could lead with a path to ownership.
Dr. Warden and Dr. Nelson hit it off.
They shared the same values. They liked each other.
Over a series of conversations with Dr. Warden and his team, they agreed Dr. Nelson was the right person to carry Dr. Warden’s legacy and help Brentwood Dental Center thrive for decades to come. Dr. Nelson’s patients were devastated to hear she decided to leave her practice to join Brentwood Dental Center, but their loss is our gain.
In April of 2022, Dr. Nelson officially became Tailwater’s newest partner. In May, she’ll begin leading Brentwood Dental Center.
Win, win, win.
Win for Dr. Warden.
Win for Dr. Nelson.
And a win for Brentwood Dental Center’s patients.
Our team at Tailwater is proud to be partnering with Dr. Nelson. And we’re grateful Dr. Warden is trusting us to lead the practice he built with such care.
We’re all excited for the next 30 years.
