Our staff

We would like you to meet the people who will share in your complete dental health care experience here at Pear Tree Dental. We are proud of our staff, proud of each other and proud of our team approach to quality dental care.

Dr. G. Thomas Poirier, D.D.S.
Dr. Poirier was born and raised in the Detroit area. After graduating from Albion College, he attended the University of Detroit School of Dentistry, completing his Doctorate in 1972. He was a partner in a western Wayne county practice until 2001 when he opened the new more advanced office in Saline, Michigan. Dr. Poirier has also taught at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in the undergraduate clinic. Dr. Poirier has been a member of the American Dental Association and Michigan Dental Association for over 30 years. He is also a long-standing member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the Michigan Dental Association/Forensic Identification Team. Dr. Tom and his wife Lois live in Canton, MI and have two sons, Jeff 32, Electrical Engineer and Steve 26 an Art Director. Dr. Tom enjoys backpacking, hiking, sailing, skiing, gardening and woodworking when he finds time. His motto is: Only God is perfect: I must strive for Excellence.

Kay Franzel, R.D.H
Kay has been with our office since April 1984 and is a registered dental hygienist. She earned her degree from Mott Community College in 1982. Kay has been with our office full-time for over 20 years and takes great pride in her profession. Our youngest patients all enjoy Kay and look forward to giving her hugs and new photos for her bulletin board in her dental room. She has a wonderful caregiving personality and she delights her youngest patients with humorous tooth brushing and flossing videos from Kerbie the Monkey. Kay also received her license in local anesthesia in May 2003. Kay enjoys her role as an Aunt to 7 nephews and 1 niece.

Amber
Amber resides in Saline and has two years of experience at Pear Tree Dental. She recently graduated with an Associates degree in Dental Assisting from Washtenaw Community College. Since then, she has earned her CDA and RDA. Amber is currently attending school in order to earn her bachelors degree before going into dentistry. Amber was a professional nanny for 6 years before coming to our office, is a bright addition to our office and is very good at what she does.

Shirley Branam, RDH, MBA
Shirley is the Central Clinical Educator for DENTSPLY Professional. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene from the University of Michigan and continued on to complete a Master of Business Administration degree in Health Care Management from the University of Phoenix. Shirley’s background includes over 20 years in clinical and educational experience in the dental assisting and dental hygiene professions. While a member of the University Of Michigan School Of Dentistry, she held various appointments including hygiene faculty member, staff hygienist in the Graduate Prosthodontic Clinic, and research coordinator assistant. Her areas of expertise include clinical dental hygiene, biomaterials, implants, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide sedation. She currently lectures for DENTSPLY Professional covering topics on ultrasonic instrumentation, anesthesia, caries risk assessment and implant maintenance. Shirley has three son's; Michael, Steven, and Matthew and a puppy named Toby.

The team here at Pear Tree Dental looks forward to meeting you! We are proud of our office and the level of oral care and restorative dentistry that we provide. We want you to have a positive dental experience with us, so be sure and let us know if there is anything more we can do to make it more favorable. Your kindest compliment will be the referral of a friend or family member.