Meet Our Dental Team

At the dental practice of Dale M. Scharine, DDS, our friendly, dedicated, and energetic dental team is committed to working with you and your family to create a positive dental experience every time you visit our practice.

We welcome you with warm smiles to our practice!

Karen

Dental Assistant

Karen works with our patients, helping them understand the importance of maintaining good oral health.  As a dental assistant, Karen works chairside with Dr. Scharine, helping with most dental procedures.  She has been a member of our team since 1997, and we just love her warm, outgoing personality. Karen is compassionate toward the needs of our patients, a good listener, and always ready to help our patients through any anxieties they may have about dentistry. Karen’s favorite thing about working in dentistry is that she is able to continue her education, so that she can always provide patients with the best treatments possible. She appreciates the family-friendly atmosphere of the practice, and enjoys Dr. Scharine’s wonderful sense of humor.

Karen is British born, and she moved to the United States in 1992. She currently lives in the outskirts of New London.  She and her husband, Mark, have two children, Matthew and Clair, who attend Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton. They also have three pets which include two cats, Beau and Moss, and one yellow lab named Remington. When she’s not at the practice, Karen likes weight training, bicycling, four-wheeling, camping, leisure time with her girlfriends, and attending her children’s sports and school events. She enjoys going to the movies and the theatre, and she has even been a member of the community theatre! Her favorite holiday is Halloween, because she gets to dress up! Before working in dentistry, Karen worked on cruise ships selling designer handbags and costume jewelry. She even met her husband on a cruise ship while he was working as a musician in the orchestra.

Melissa

Dental Hygienist/Administrative Assistant

Melissa is one of our dental hygienists and the administrative assistant. Melissa has always been a natural fit in our practice, especially being the daughter of Dr. Scharine! She has a very warm, understanding personality, and enjoys getting to know her patients so that she can provide them with the personalized care they deserve. She is a great listener, and is always able to help answer her patients’ questions and put them at ease during their treatments. Melissa also enjoys working with the team, and feels that at this practice, there truly is no “I” in team – everybody works together, and everybody is passionate about what they do. Melissa has a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota and an associate’s degree in dental hygiene from Fox Valley Technical College. She has been with our practice for many years, and is grateful for all of the relationships she has built with our patients over the years.

Melissa is married, and she and her husband, Dave, have two beautiful daughters, Adelyn and Lillian, and a dog, Barley. In her free time, Melissa enjoys playing tennis and going on walks. She is very active in the community, and spends a lot of her time volunteering with the Tri County Community Dental Clinic, as well as being an adjunct instructor at Fox Valley Technical College.

Michelle

Certified Dental Assistant

Another one of our dental assistants, Michelle has been a member of our team for many years. She loves working with our patients, and enjoys engaging in conversation with each of them. Our practice is full of laugher, and Michelle appreciates the fun environment, and feels that it helps make patients feel at ease while visiting the dentist. Michelle also enjoys working with the team. She feels that Dr. Scharine is one of the gentlest dentists, and he has such a warm, caring personality, and that our entire team is like one big happy family. She looks forward to welcoming you and your family to our practice.

Outside of the practice, Michelle enjoys spending time with her husband, Toby, and their four wonderful children, Kyle, Trent, Carter, and Maci, as well as their family cat, Fernando. Michelle’s leisure activities include watching her kids play baseball, soccer, and dance, as well as traveling with her family and spending time with her friends. Originally, Michelle attended the University of Wisconsin to major in Dietetics, but after about a year, she decided to go into dentistry, and hasn’t looked back since!

Peggy

Dental Hygienist

Peggy has been practicing dental hygiene since 1975, and has been working with Dr. Scharine since 1979. Even after all these years, she still enjoys the profession, and meeting new patients. In fact, her favorite thing about working in dentistry is the patients! She gets so much satisfaction when she knows that she’s helped her patients save their teeth and make their smile brighter and healthier. Peggy loves working with our young patients, and providing them with a wonderful first dental experience. After seeing Peggy, most of our young patients can’t wait to come back! Dentistry today is not just about healthy teeth, but healthy bodies and healthy lifestyles. Peggy enjoys helping people improve the health of their mouths, as well as improving their overall health.

Originally from Appleton, Peggy graduated from Madison Technical College with an Associate’s degree in dental hygiene. Peggy enjoys spending time with her husband, Dan, her two grown children, Erin and Joshua, her two stepdaughters, Angelica and Tierney, and her grandson, Elijah. In her spare time, Peggy likes reading, scrapbooking, quilting, and volunteering with her church. She also loves to cook and bake; and she’s quite famous for her delicious cheesecakes! She even enjoys sharing her culinary passion with others, and is a Pampered Chef Consultant.

Sara

Administrative Assistant

Sara has been working with Dr. Scharine for over 20 years, and shares his enthusiasm each day coming to the office to care for our patients. She is one of the first smile’s you’ll see when you come to our practice. Sara enjoys greeting our patients, and getting to know them and their families. She has a wonderful, caring, and fun personality, and is always excited about helping our patients during office visits. Sara personally enjoys working with Dr. Scharine as well, and she feels that the entire team works hard to provide a great environment with a professional yet relaxed atmosphere for our patients.

Sara is married, and has three kids; two of her kids are recent graduates from Lakeland College – It’s a Great Day to be a Muskie! – and her youngest is a senior in high school. When she’s not at the practice, Sara enjoys watching her kids’ athletic events, going for walks, and is always looking forward to a good country music concert! During the first week of August, you won’t see Sara at the practice; that’s when she and her husband go on their annual Harley Davidson ride “out west,” stopping in Sturgis on the way home!

Sue

Certified Dental Assistant

Sue has worked with Dr. Scharine for almost 30 years, and to this day, she still loves being a part of this practice, and most of all, working in dentistry! Sue loves getting to know our patients, especially those who are receiving orthodontic treatment. She always feels a great sense of pride knowing she’s been able to help her patients achieve a beautiful smile that they will have for the rest of their lives. Sue strives to make each patient she works with feel comfortable and enjoys explaining each treatment, as well as answering any questions they may have. Her goal is to provide every patient with a positive experience whether they are here for general dental care or receiving orthodontic treatment. Sue also enjoys working with the team, and all of the fun times they’ve shared throughout the years.

Sue and her husband, Jim, have one son who will be attending Marquette University. When she’s not at the practice, Sue enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, and traveling. She has been an active member of the Appleton North Band Booster Club for the past four years. Sue’s husband is an avid fisherman, and as new “empty nesters,” Sue looks forward to learning how to fish so that she can join her husband out on the water; in fact, Sue’s dream is to someday live on a tropical island and own all of Jimmy Buffett’s recordings!