Our Staff

Dental Assistants

Teresa Thomas

Education/Experience: The West Georgia College and Gainesville College grad started working in dentistry in 1986 and has 32 years of work experience.

Fun Facts: Teresa has a twin sister and one fantastic nephew. Her hobbies include cooking and anything outdoors. She enjoys lake time, running, and spending time with family and her great circle of friends.

Tracey Bunn

Education/Experience: Graduated from Villa Rica High School and attained an associate degree from Fortis College in 2012. She has been in dentistry for five years.

Fun Facts: She is married to Douglas. They have two sons, Lucas and John Wyley. She enjoys taking her son on dates and going to the movies.

Deborah Day

Education/Experience: Deborah has been with BGW Dental for five-and-a-half years. She went to Gwinnett Technical College and graduated from North Georgia Dental Assisting School in 2009.

Fun Facts: She has been married to her husband, Matt, for two years. She has a son, Weston, who arrived in March 2018. She also has a pit bull puppy named Sophie. She enjoys hanging out with family and friends in her spare time.

Gina Justice Davenport

Education/Experience: Gina graduated from West Hall in 2002 and attended Gwinnett Technical College in 2004 for Fashion Merchandise. She completed the dental assisting program at Lanier Technical College in 2014 and also earned her certificate in expanded functions and radiology. She has completed C.E. credits, course trainings, CPR training, and Hinman classes to expand her knowledge in the dental field.

Fun Facts: She enjoys spending time with her family. She has three boys who keep her very busy with sports in her free time. She loves it. She is a free-spirit Aries and also ambidextrous.

Heather Bone

Education/Experience: A Dental Assistant since 2001, Heather earned her X-rays certification from FTCC in Fayetteville, N.C., and her coronal polishing certification from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Fun Facts: Married with one child, who is now attending college, Heather and her family enjoy all things outdoors, including camping and fishing. In her personal time, she enjoys painting furniture and keeping her antique booth, “Lizzie Mae,” in Dahlonega full of goodies.

Angela Wilson

Education/Experience: Angela graduated from The Gwinnett School of Dental Assisting in 2001 and worked at three dental offices before finding her home at BGW Dental Group in 2013.

Fun Facts: Her favorite activity is spending time with her daughter, Gracie. She also enjoys photography, reading, crafts, hiking, and watching a good movie.

Karla Corona

Education/Experience: Karla graduated from Gainesville High in 2015 and took a dental assisting course for a year. BGW Dental Group is the first dental office she has worked for and she loves what she does here.

Fun Facts: Raised by amazing parents, she is the oldest of four. Karla was raised in Gainesville and has lived here all her life. She enjoys horseback riding and being outdoors. In her free time, she likes to go to the park with her dog, Luna. She also loves spending time with friends, family, and her fiancé.

Gina Black

Education/Experience: Gina has been in the dental field since 1995 and began her career with five years in orthodontics. She has been with BGW for 18 years now.

Fun Facts: In her free time, she loves spending time with her family and friends. Her family is very important to her. She has one son, Austin, and they both live in Gainesville. She loves to be outside. She also loves traveling and visiting new places.

Tara Poole

Education/Experience: Tara graduated from Lanier Tech for Dental Assisting in 1985 and has 33 years of experience in dentistry.

Fun Facts: Married for 31 years to her high school sweetheart, she has a wonderful daughter and son-in-law who have blessed her with two beautiful grandsons. Her hobbies are spending time playing with her grandchildren and hanging out with her family and friends. She also enjoys walking, kayaking and painting rocks.

Michelle Trahan

Jennifer Lavalle

Cesia Ravelo

Mattie Canup

Jena Turner

Dental Hygienists

Elaine Dixon

Education/Experience: Elaine graduated from Gainesville High School and obtained an associate degree from the Medical College of Georgia in 1991. She has been in dentistry for 28 years, working at BGW for 18 years. She has also been a patient of this practice since 1980.

Fun Facts: She loves spending time at the family mountain house with her husband Josh and children Barrett, Jacob, and Maggie. She also enjoys being a ministry leader at her church and loves ministering to teenagers.

Tabitha M. Welborn

Education/Experience: Tabitha graduated from Commerce High School in 2002 and Athens Technical College in 2006 with a degree in allied sciences and dental hygiene.

Fun Facts: Married in 2011, her son was born in 2015. She enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Kimberly Souther

Education/Experience: Kimberly has worked at BGW for 21 years. She graduated from Lanier Technical College Hygiene School 1993 and also obtained an associate degree from Gainesville College 1993. She graduated from North Hall High School in 1990.

Fun Facts: Married for almost 30 years, she has two wonderful children and loves to read, hike, and go camping with friends from church.

Taylor Saxon

Education/Experience: She graduated from Athens Technical College in 2016.

Fun Facts: Taylor is married and has a golden retriever, Annabelle. She also likes to spend time at the gym.

Kelly Allen

Education/Experience: Kelly graduated in 2004 with an A.A.S. from Gainesville College before then attending Lanier Technical College. She has been a hygienist for 12 years and also has two years of experience as a front office assistant.

Fun Facts: Married since 2005 to her husband, Josh, they have a daughter, Piper. Kelly enjoys sketching, painting, baking, traveling, and spending time with family. She also enjoys volunteering for various charities, going on mission trips, and donating art to charities. She is originally from Lake City, Fla.

Brandy Tucker

Education/Experience: Graduated from Athens Technical College in 2010.

Fun Facts: A native to the Gainesville area, she enjoys being able to serve the community she grew up in. She has been married to her husband since 2010 and they have three wonderful girls. They enjoy being outside, watching sports, and attending church.

Farrah Hill

Education/Experience: Farrah studied dental hygiene at West Virginia University Institute of Technology and furthered her degree in expanded dental functions for the dental auxiliary at Stark State College. She is passionate about full-body well-being and her interests directed her to a massage therapy degree from Washington State Community College and essential oils as a Well Advocate. Farrah has 19 years of experience providing dental health care and education to her patients.

Fun Facts: She relocated from West Virginia with her husband and two children, and she is grateful for the neighborly community of Gainesville, where she has found comfort.

Mariah Kidd

Education/Experience: Mariah obtained a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from Augusta University (formerly Medical College of Georgia).

Fun Facts: Recently married, she has one “fur-baby” named Ghost. Her hobbies include spending time with her family (six nieces and nephews). She also loves to read and travel.

Karen Boles

Education/Experience: Karen started in dentistry at the age of 16 in an orthodontics office in Cumming, Georgia. She continued through high school and college as an orthodontic assistant. She graduated from Gainesville College/Lanier Tech in 2009.

Fun Facts: Married since 2005, she has one daughter, born in June 2014. Karen enjoys camping, hunting, and fishing as a family. She also loves the beach.

Melissa Penaloza

Bryleigh Shaw

Office Administrators

Erika Camacho

Education/Experience: Erika has over 17 years of experience in orthodontics and customer service.

Fun Facts: She enjoys time at home, going to the movies and shopping. She is married and has two sons. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and was born in Honduras.

Sherri Parker

Education/Experience: Sherri has a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She worked with Northeast Georgia Medical Center for 15 years and at Back in the Game Physical Therapy for two-and-a-half years.

Fun Facts: She has been on staff at Lakewood Baptist for more than 23 years. She also enjoys making soap and lotion, gardening, crocheting, and spending time with family. She has been married to her husband, Bryan, for almost 30 years and they have three daughters.

Mary Webb

Education/Experience: Mary graduated with honors while receiving her A.S. in dental hygiene and practiced clinically for 15 years. She recently relocated from Jacksonville, Fla.

Fun Facts: She loves spending time with her family and spoiling her nieces and nephews any chance she gets. She also loves sports and is a Georgia Bulldogs and Braves fan!

Lori Shubert

Education/Experience: She has more than 20 years of experience in the dental field. All of those years have been with BGW Dental Group.

Fun Facts: She is married with two daughters, one stepson, and one granddaughter. She has enjoyed playing softball since she was eight years old. She also enjoys family time, volunteering in the community, and cheering on the Missouri Tigers.

Cindy Grossenbacher

Education/Experience: Cindy started in the dental field in the summer of 1977 as a dental assistant. She attended Maricopa College. She worked as an assistant for over 20 years in various offices, including with an orthodontist, a periodontist, and an oral surgeon. She has worked in an administrative position for the past 10 years.

Fun Facts: She has a daughter and son, along with two granddaughters and two grandsons. She loves to fish, hike, walk, sew, and make crafts. She also enjoys spending time with her fiancé and grandsons. She loves Georgia and BGW Dental Group.

Debbie Johnson

Education/Experience: Debbie is a native of Charleston, S.C. She studied at Baptist College at Charleston Southern University. She has been in Gainesville for 14 years and in dentistry for 13 years.

Fun Facts: Married to David Johnson, she loves spending time with her family. She also loves the lake and Charleston beaches. She has two boxers. God, her husband, her family, and friends make her life complete.

Maitlyn Michaels

Courtney May

Amber Wiley