Dentist in Mokena, Illinois

The brief descriptions below are designed to familiarize you with our team's training, professional credentials, work experience, as well as some of their personal interests.

Dr. Duane Wolff

A native of the south suburbs, Dr. Wolff began practicing as an associate in Tinley Park and Homewood from 1983 until 2005. After completing his Undergraduate studies at Loyola University of Chicago and receiving a BA in Chemistry in 1979, Duane then attended the University of Illinois, College of Dentistry. In 1983 he attained his DDS degree.

Dr. Wolff's focus is on outstanding patient care. He and his entire team are committed to continuing education. Dr. Wolff is a Member in Good Standing with the ADA (American Dental Association), ISDS (Illinois State Dental Society), CDS (Chicago Dental Society), AGD (Academy of General Dentistry, and the ICOI (International Congress of Oral Implantologists) attaining a Fellowship status.

Dr. Wolff is proud to introduce his associate, Dr. Samantha Palazon to help serve both state-of-the-art locations full time. Dr. Wolff and Dr. Palazon provide all general dental services in both locations. In addition, non-surgical periodontics, oral surgery, endodontics and comprehensive aesthetic and cosmetic procedures, including tooth whitening, are provided in both offices.

Dr. Wolff is very avid in outdoor activities. He and his family enjoy camping, fishing and water sports. They spend time traveling and when they are home, enjoy cooking and gardening.

Dr. Samantha Palazon

Dr. Samantha Palazon earned her undergraduate degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Illinois State University in 2002 and she completed dental school education in 2006 at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Palazon has a true passion for family dentistry and a friendly chair-side manner. She is a member of the ADA (American Dental Association), ISDS (Illinois State Dental Society), and CDS (Chicago Dental Society). She has received awards for superior work ethic and outstanding achievement in operative dentistry.

Dr. Palazon is also a native of the south suburbs. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, and is a fan of basketball and football. 

Our Staff

Shawn - Office Manager
Shawn has been a strong part of Dr. Wolff’s team since 1994. She began as a dental assistant and eventually moved on to become the office’s manager, a position which she has had for the past seven years. However, not only does she manage both the Homewood and Mokena offices, but she still contributes time as an assistant and can do anything from reception to in-house bleaching to dental lab work.

Shawn is an expert assistant with any procedure and can answer any questions our patients might have. She will always make sure they have an understanding of what the procedures are about before anything is done and will do whatever she can to make our patients feel as comfortable as possible.  Shawn hires and trains all staff members.  She is also certified for dental sealants, cornal polishing, and can perform CPR.

Shawn puts a lot of time into finding the best dental products for our practice as well as focusing on whitening procedures.   She is always working hard to do what is best  for our patients.

When she is not spending time as an office manager, Shawn loves to be with her husband and children.

Barbara - Registered Dental Hygienist
Barbara has been practicing as an RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist) since 1987 and has been with Dr. Wolff's team since 1994. Like our other hygienists, she is certified with the administration of intra-oral injections and can perform CPR as well as the use of AED.

Barb is focused on achieving the highest level of quality in her patient care. It is her goal to provide the best up to date therapeutic methods of treatment available. In her work, Barb includes the use of stress reduction and motivational techniques for patient comfort and oral health. She truly enjoys helping people achieve the best dental health possible.

Barb is a very active person and enjoys working out at the local health club, biking, fishing, bird watching, and cooking.

Kristy - Registered Dental Hygienist
Kristy, an RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist), has been with Dr. Wolff since the year 2000.  The first four years were as a dental assistant, during which time she continued her educational goal of becoming a hygienist.

Upon graduating from Prairie State College in 2004, she remained with Dr. Wolff and has been a hygienist for the past three years. Kristy is certified to administer intra-oral injections, perform CPR, use AED, and monitor Nitrous Oxide. She enjoys dental hygiene and her goal is to perform the highest level of patient care possible in a gentle and caring manner.

Kristy is recently married and a new home owner. When she is not at the office she likes scrap booking, shopping, and spending time with her family. 

Jessica - Registered Dental Hygienist
Jessica is a member of our hygiene team.  She has been with us since 2008. She graduated from Prairie State College in 2007.  She loves being a member of this professional staff providing healthy and happy smiles.  She loves meeting new faces and always does her best to make patients feel comfortable, while providing each of them with quality care.

Sue - Office and Finacial Coordinator 
Sue has had the experience as a patient coordinator for Dr. Wolff since 1991.  Her job description includes greeting our patients, scheduling appointments, and handling insurance and finacial issues.

Sue is very friendly and has a wonderful sense of humor. She always has a smile on her face and loves  welcoming our patients into the office.

When she is not hard at work, Sue enjoys spending time with her husband, her three adult children and her two dogs who keep her life interesting.  In her spare time, Sue enjoys scrapbooking and doing crafts.     

Rhonda - Office Coordinator
Rhonda has been working as a Patient Coordinator for Dr. Wolff since 2002.  She is very sweet and loves to help in any way that she can. She is good at dealing with any situation and she looks forward to answering any questions our patients may have.

Not only is Rhonda excellent at handling financial issues and helping patients with scheduling requests, but she will also be working with Dr. Wolff as an assistant. She is sure to excel in her new position with her kind heart and gentle spirit.

Rhonda is also a proud mother and enjoys being with her young daughter, loved ones, and friends. She also loves listening to Dave Matthews and attending concerts whenever she can.

Cathy - Office and Finacial Coordinator
Cathy joined Dr. Wolff’s team in May 2007 as a Financial and Insurance Coordinator. She has been in the dental field for nearly 20 years and is able to work well with our patients when scheduling or financial issues arise.

Although Cathy is mainly at the Homewood office, she works for both Dr. Wolff and Dr. Palazon and enjoys helping however she can. She is always friendly and remains focused in her duties as a patient coordinator.

When she is not at the office Cathy loves to be with her husband and three daughters. She also enjoys gardening, walking, and reading 

Sarah - Dental Assistant
Sarah began assisting with Dr. Wolff since 2002 and now works part time in the  Mokena office. She is certified in coronal polishing, sealants, and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) as well.  Sarah is always able to provide a friendly atmosphere for our patients and can make anyone smile with her uplifting sense of humor. She is an expert in dental lab work and loves to assist any procedure. She also enjoys the outcome of good dental work and interacting with our patients to make sure they get the result they want.

In her spare time, Sarah loves spending time and traveling with her husband and son.

Kristen - Dental Assistant / Office Coordinator
Kristen graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lewis University.  She started working for Dr. Wolff in 2006 and is now a full time employee. She is certified in coronal polishing, sealants, and can do CPR as well. Not only does Kristen assist the Dr.'s, she is also an Office Coordinator in both locations and can train new employees.

Kristen is a hard worker and does everything she can to lend a helping hand to our dental team. She will never turn down the opportunity to aid a co-worker in need. She is exceptionally good with children and is able to provide them a warm and happy environment while she is assisting.

In her spare time, she enjoys cheering on the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bears, and Chicago Cubs. When none of these teams are playing, Kristen enjoys attending country music concerts.  

Amy - Dental Assistant

Amy has been working with Dr. Wolff since 2008, but has been in the Dental Assisting field since 2005. She is certified in coronal polishing and CPR. She enjoys working with the doctors and patients and seeing the whole process from start to finish. She loves when patients walk out with confidence in their smiles.

When she is not in the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 children, and 2 dogs. She also enjoys dabbling in photography, shopping, and reading. 

Michelle - Dental Assistant  

Michelle is a new member of our dental team and a certified dental assistant who recently graduated from Indiana University Northwest. She graduated with a certificate for dental assisting including radiology occupational safety and chair side assisting.  She is also certified in CPR.

In her spare time, she loves attending her two children's sporting activities and scrapbooking.

Brittany - Dental Assistant

Brittany is a new member of our dental team and a certified dental assistant since 2008. She is also certified in coronal polishing, CPR and using the AED.

Before starting at Dr. Wolff's practice, Brittany became a licenced EMT and Phlebotomist.

In her free time, Brittany enjoys going to school, spending time with her family, boyfriend, and three dogs. She also loves watching football, espeacially the Chicago Bears and the Tennessee Titans.

Find Us

Mokena Office
19160 88th Avenue
Mokena, IL 60448
(708) 479-7733
 

Homewood Office
18161 Morris Avenue
Homewood, IL 60430
(708) 799-7722

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