Dental Team – Tyler, TX

Shelby
Dental Hygienist

Shelby has been at Southern Oaks Dental for over a decade and enjoys being able to build long-lasting relationships with her patients. She’s a graduate of Tyler Junior College’s Dental Hygiene Program and completes continuing education courses every year for license renewal.

Originally from Hawkins, Shelby has been married for over two years to her husband, Toby. Together, they have three dogs, named Katie, Nala, and Blakely. In her free time, Shelby enjoys walking her dogs, being outdoors with her husband, shopping with her mom, and spending time at home and with her family. An interesting fact about Shelby is that she loves all things plants and built her very own custom greenhouse with her husband!

Stacey
Dental Hygienist

Stacey grew up in Longview, Tx but has lived with her family in Whitehouse, Tx since 2005. She graduated from the dental hygiene program at Tyler Junior College in 2003 and has worked in the dental field ever since. Stacey’s favorite part of her career has always been caring for and building relationships with her patients. She and her husband have 3 daughters, 2 cats and a very lazy dog. She enjoys watching Aggie football, cooking and reading a good mystery novel. They are members at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler.

Kayla
Dental Hygienist

With a few years of experience in the dental world under her belt, Kayla enjoys building strong and trusting relationships with her patients while helping them improve their oral health. She studied at Tyler Junior College to earn her Associate’s in Applied Science and Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, along with her certifications in CPR and N20 monitoring. At home, Kayla lives with her high school sweetheart husband, their child, and their three pet dogs. In her free time, she enjoys working out as well as traveling whenever she can. One fun fact about her is that she can quickly say her ABCs backward!

Cherish
Dental Hygienist

Cherish is an East Texas native who grew up in Lindale, Tx. She graduated from the TJC Dental Hygiene program and later joined our wonderful team in 2017. She chose the profession of dental hygiene because of her passion for service and the opportunity to build long lasting relationships with patients while providing them with care that is gentle and thorough to make each visit an enjoyable experience. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Will and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Ollie. They love to cook, travel and watch football with family and friends every weekend. Go Cowboys!

Doddie
Registered Dental Assistant

Doddie has over 15 years of experience as a registered dental assistant and loves what she does. She enjoys working with patients and educating them about their oral health and everything having to do with dentistry! She is a graduate of ITT Technical Institute in Irving and has over a decade of orthodontic experience. She’s also certified in nitrous oxide sedation and CPR.

Originally from Lufkin, Doddie has four beautiful daughters. Whenever she isn’t working, she loves going to the movies, shopping, swimming, and enjoys outdoor activities like camping and fishing. Every chance she gets, she goes to visit her family in Lufkin, too! An interesting fact about Doddie is that she loves animals and would rescue them all if she could!

Marleny
Registered Dental Assistant

Marleny has been in the dental field for over two decades. Originally from Tyler, she completed her Dental Assistant Certification at Tyler Junior College. She enjoys helping nervous patients feel comfortable while they’re in the treatment chair and watching them walk out of the office happy and with a confident, improved smile.

Marleny is a proud mom of four and grandmother of five! She loves all of her grandbabies even though they can be handfuls! She has always enjoyed baking since she was little and loves being a soccer mom and traveling whenever she’s able to. She believes that family comes first and always tries to spend as much time with her loved ones as she can.

Meleaha
Front Office Administrator

Meleaha has over 30 years of experience managing dental offices and rejoined our team in January of 2024. She enjoys getting to work with patients in all capacities.

She and her husband, Craig have four dogs, two wonderful children, and four beautiful granddaughters. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, working out, and spending time with her family.

Tonya
Front Office Administrator

Tonya is from Mabank, Texas, just southeast of Dallas. She has over four decades of experience in the dental field and originally started out as a dental assistant. She loves being able to help patients in any way she can and working with a wonderful team like the one at Southern Oaks Dental.

Tonya is happily married and has six kids, five boys and a girl, in addition to two grandsons, two dogs, and a cat! Whenever she isn’t at the office, she loves spending as much time as she can with her family and friends and watching and listening to true crime podcasts and TV shows.

Grace
Front Office Administrator

With close to two full decades of experience in the field of dentistry, Grace is truly thankful to work with an amazing and compassionate team that is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care for our patients. Originating from Cerritos, CA, she typically helps to schedule people for appointments and ensures that they feel comfortable and welcome when visiting our office. She attended Long Beach City College for her undergraduate degree and continues to learn new things every day.

Aside from dentistry, Grace lives with her wonderful husband and their five fur babies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading mystery novels, watching horror films, and crocheting. One fun fact about her: she can speak English, Spanish, and Korean!