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Cheyenne Hunziker - December 2017 Employee Spotlight

Cheyenne Hunziker has been an Orthodontic Assistant at Pinamonti Orthodontics for 4  years. Her favorite part of working at the office is working with our patients. She enjoys getting to know them and looks forward to seeing them each time that they visit. She also loves working with our Smile Out Loud team because we work through problems together, and we all like to learn new things to help our patients.

Outside of the office, Cheyenne likes to spend time with her son, Jonah, her daughter, Roary, and her husband, Jonathan. They have two dogs named Nymeria and Sookie, a cat named Neko, and a hedgehog named Needle. She also likes to read, watch scary movies, bake, and crochet. A fun fact about Cheyenne is that she taught herself how to crochet.

When asked what her favorite memory while working at Pinamonti Orthodontic is, she said: “My favorite memory centers on a certain patient.  This patient started treatment with more than normal misalignment and did not want to smile because of it.  She was quiet and was very introverted.  Her parents were concerned, not just with her bite and her appearance, but how her lack of confidence was affecting her at school.  Dr. Pinamonti outlined a plan at our first meeting.  Photos were taken at that first meeting, and Dr. Pinamonti discussed the photos with the patient and her family.  With a plan in place we started treatment and within a few visits, the patient was starting to smile when she came into the office.  She started offering little things about herself, like her pets, her favorite school subjects, and also some (new) friends.  Recently, this patient had her braces removed and was fitted with her custom retainers.  On the day we remove braces we updated her photos and reviewed the before and after images with the patient and her family.  I barely recognized the girl in the “before” photos.  Before treatment, she had a shy, nervous smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.  The “after” photos showed a confident, happy girl that matched the personality that was hiding before treatment. I felt so honored to help this girl find her smile, and every day I try to match that with the patients I get to see."

Teeth erupt crookedly for a number of reasons that range from genetics to mouth deformities and serious oral diseases. When extra teeth or abnormally large teeth create a malocclusion (crookedness or misplacement of teeth), the culprit is usually genetic in nature. Other inherited traits involve jaws that are too small to accommodate a full set of teeth and misaligned jaws that did not form properly in the womb.

Can crooked teeth be prevented?

In most cases, underbites, overbites, and crooked teeth are genetically derived and can’t be avoided. Orthodontic treatment with braces will be necessary to correct the condition once the child is old enough to wear them. However, certain early childhood behaviors may also contribute to the development of crooked teeth that can be avoided. These include:

• Thumb sucking and tongue thrusting
• Losing baby teeth to decay before permanent teeth have naturally pushed them out of their sockets
• Allowing pacifier use to continue after front teeth have erupted

Permanent teeth underneath baby teeth are directly affected by the health of baby teeth. If baby teeth are prematurely lost due to decay or trauma, permanent teeth will shift when they start moving upward. Baby teeth are like anchors for permanent teeth that help guide them as they erupt through the gums.

In addition, excellent care of baby teeth is vital to having healthy permanent teeth free of discoloration or decay. Harmful oral bacteria can spread into the gums and reach permanent teeth still buried in the gums. Once attached to a tooth’s enamel, bacteria will begin eroding the tooth even before it has a chance to take its first bite!

When to Start Orthodontic Treatment for Crooked Teeth

Dr. Gina Pinamonti and our staff suggest that parents bring your child to Gina B. Pinamonti, DDS Orthodontics around age seven to rule out potential issues with permanent teeth eruption. If problems are discovered, it is not unusual to begin orthodontic treatment at that age. In fact, specific conditions such as crowding and gaps between teeth are easier to correct at an early age.

Early treatment also benefits from the growth process of the jaw, which helps move teeth to normal positions.

At Gina B. Pinamonti, DDS Orthodontics we love learning trivia and interesting facts about Thanksgiving! This year, Dr. Gina Pinamonti wanted to share some trivia that might help you feel a bit smarter at the holiday dinner table and help create some great conversation with friends and family.

The Turkey

There is no historical evidence that turkey was eaten at the first Thanksgiving dinner. It was a three-day party shared by the Wamponoag Indians and the pilgrims in 1621. Historians say they likely ate venison and seafood.

According to National Geographic, the dinner at the Plymouth colony was in October and included about 50 English colonists and 90 American Indian men. The first Thanksgiving dinner could have included corn, geese, and pumpkin.

Today, turkey is the meat of choice. According to the National Turkey Association, about 690 million pounds of turkey are consumed during Thanksgiving, or about 46 million turkeys.

The Side Dishes

The green bean casserole became popular about 50 years ago. Created by the Campbell Soup Company, it remains a popular side dish. According to Campbell’s, it was developed when the company was creating an annual holiday cookbook. The company now sells about $20 million worth of cream of mushroom soup each year, which is a major part of the recipe.

While there were likely plenty of cranberries for the pilgrims and Indians to enjoy, sugar was a luxury. What we know today as cranberry sauce was not around in those early Thanksgiving days. About 750 million pounds of cranberries are produced each year in the US, with about 30 percent consumed on Thanksgiving.

The Parade

Since Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday until Lincoln declared it in 1863, the annual parades were not yearly events until much later. The biggest parade that continues to draw crowds is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Beginning in 1924 with about 400 employees, they marched from Convent Avenue to 145th Street in New York City. Famous for the huge hot-air balloons today, it was actually live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo that were the stars of the show then.

However you choose to spend your Thanksgiving holiday, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday with those you love.

Thanks for asking! It really depends on the dental age of the patient rather than their chronological age. Usually a good time to have your child evaluated by an orthodontist is after the front permanent teeth have erupted into the mouth or if there appears to be extreme crowding of the teeth.

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children between the ages of seven and nine should be evaluated by an orthodontist. There are times when an early developmental treatment is indicated to correct situations before they become major problems. In these circumstances the patient will most likely benefit from a second phase of orthodontics when all of their permanent teeth have erupted.

Most full orthodontic treatment begins between ages nine and 14, and lasts from one to three years, with two years being the average. It’s important, however, that children be screened at an early age for Dr. Gina Pinamonti and our staff to assess if your child can benefit from orthodontic treatment and when treatment should begin.

We hope this helps, and invite you to give us a call if you have any questions about your child’s treatment at Gina B. Pinamonti, DDS Orthodontics.