Joyce Kasunich: No, we hear quite a bit of different, what do we do, do I brush first, do it floss first, it doesn’t matter. You floss first, you brush then what about – whenever you know –

Trish Howser: I am drilling down this procedure here.

Joyce Kasunich: Yeah, you know whatever you fix your schedule or which – it doesn’t really matter. As long as you keep it clean really. Just keep it clean and you’re going to be fine.

Trish Howser: Well I did learn, I guess it’s Misty.

Joyce Kasunich: Misty is one of our hygienists, yes.

Trish Howser: She is the one that – because I was telling her like I’d always feel so good in the back here, when you get your teeth cleaned, and I was telling her about that, and she said, well, make sure every time you brush you really do a good job back there. I spend so much time and it has made a difference.

Joyce Kasunich: Well, we have a salivary gland that sits right down there and it’s a very common area people build up in the backs of their lower front teeth. So it is important that — and it’s a hard area to keep clean. So it’s — that and also we have our salivary glands on the tops of back teeth, get a little – more build up as well. So –

Trish Howser: Glad, I learned something else.

Joyce Kasunich: So you don’t miss those right?

Trish Howser: My husband will have something to learn boy in the bathroom now. I will be in there early – what the hell are you doing in the bathroom? Well, I got these glands got it all. My teeth will look good. Not a problem. But I also wanted to ask you about – you had said about the different people in your office. Like I know I have all these people come in and out, there’s people to help you when you do things and then there is Misty –

Joyce Kasunich: Well there’s a whole group of people that –

Trish Howser: Well I know it’s to help us as a crew but when I’m in there like what –

Joyce Kasunich: I have an assistant. Each doctor has a dental assistant. And in our office each one of the girls are our expanded function. They went on to more schooling for dental assisting.

Trish Howser: And Jane’s with you?

Joyce Kasunich: Jane is my assistant.

Trish Howser: Yes, I always, I like to buy – her son is a Boys Scout and they have the best popcorn.

Joyce Kasunich: Yes that’s it, that’s it. You got it. That’s Jane.

Trish Howser: So if you need Boys Scout popcorn, Jane at your office. What Jane does other than – Boys Scout?

Joyce Kasunich: Kind of grab – yes, she has been with me for — since day one thirteen years ago. She continued on after a few years working with me but I can’t remember exactly where she went, it was a place up in Harrisburg kind of like a HACC again or your technical school, she went on Saturdays and sometimes some evenings for a year or two and what she learned there is she can now place fillings, silver ones or composite ones. She always could — they make temporaries for crowns or caps. They can polish your teeth now for cleaning if I use the instruments, she can come in now and polish everything up. So anytime that there is something new that’s out there, it’s nice to see that they are wanting to learn and learn more. So – but Jane is my right hand man. I don’t want to do without her. So – then we have the hygienists. They go onto schooling for – everyone’s different since I’ve been back during the ‘80’s,I think it’s a two year program. I am not exactly sure what Harrisburg HACC program is but it usually is two years. And then you can go on for four years to get a masters and then you will be able to teach at schools and things that way. And the front desk girls, I mean they’re the ones who take the brunt of all the phone calls, and billing and that’s – and the office manager, they take — she takes on a boatload of that as well. And I tell you what we really do have a great group of people we work with.

Trish Howser: I always enjoy and they’ve always been very helpful. I also went there to say congratulations because they will see the initials behind your name. It’s a little more than the average dentists. So you were out in California and you got your — the fellowship.

Joyce Kasunich: The fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry.

Trish Howser: Yes.

Joyce Kasunich: And so it’s known for continuing education. After you graduate from dental school, again we have to board license just like anybody like, if they take so many credits in two years –

Trish Howser: It has to be in that two-year period?

Joyce Kasunich: That’s a two year period. I think 30 credits but all of us in the office, including the assistants and hygienists, you have to keep learning and keep up with the education because things are changing. We just take so much CE and I think we’re so proud of that in the office. But after you’d have so many hours of CE you can then — you have to take a test and pass the test and after that then you are part of the Academy of General Dentistry in the fellowship group.

Trish Howser: Wow, congratulations.

Joyce Kasunich: Thank you.

Trish Howser: That’s very impressive and you enjoyed California?

Joyce Kasunich: Had a great time. I was – you got a couple years ahead to see where the meetings are, the annual meetings and that was one of my goals is to get out there for San Diego, I’ve never been. So had a great time. Dr. Kruth just got his last year in Philly. So he got his fellowship and Dr. Pugliese has his, and I believe Dr. Walker has his. So –

Trish Howser: Congratulations. And that takes a lot of time, personal time.

Joyce Kasunich: It does.

Trish Howser: Weekends.

Joyce Kasunich: Like again you have to keep up with it.

Trish Howser: That’s good. And you do some forensic dentistry too?

Joyce Kasunich: A little. A little bit, yes. I get called in every now and then for certain issue. There was an accident, one time we had to take some bite marks on a person to match them up to the victim. And another time there was – I was called down to the hospital for a burned victim, yeah, that’s a whole another area of dentistry that’s out there.

Trish Howser: CSI, and I see it in a TV show.

Joyce Kasunich: No, it’s one of that, Dr. gee, medical, no, it’s okay.

Trish Howser: And this might sound stupid but I mean is it hard to tell the difference between a like dog obviously because of eye, teeth –

Joyce Kasunich: When it gets to something like that, you’ve heard that they match him if we have a victim with dental X-rays. We get X-rays from the dentists and we match them to the victim. And that’s one way of identifying if it’s a burn victim.

Trish Howser: Okay. Now dog bite, dogs, their teeth obviously are different than ours. But I mean if someone says my dog. Actually I will give you an example. I know someone that they didn’t want their dogs to get in trouble for biting the kid. And they were saying something about someone else did them, instead of the dog. You know how – I guess if you got in the emergency room and you have a dog bite. Do they put the dog –

Joyce Kasunich: Well, I don’t — I’m not sure.

Trish Howser: I don’t know what they do with the dog. Do they quarantine in and that sort of thing? You can definitely tell the difference between a dog bite and human — there’s no (inaudible) buts, is that? So if you get called in on that one?

Joyce Kasunich: You can tell.

Trish Howser: And you have the most adorable little dog, Katie.

Joyce Kasunich: Yeah, Katie. She is awesome, twelve years old now. High maintenance just like her owner. She’s a good dog.

Trish Howser: I wanted to give her some kudos. Because she is very cute. Now anything you do with her teeth?

Joyce Kasunich: No, I tried it, she was a puppy, she would never let me. [To be joke to that] I go in and I have to pay to get her teeth cleaned when I can do it myself. She goes under some anesthesia and then they get in there and clean that up and every two years I take her. So — but yeah, she’s a little trachea problem. So I don’t do it too often. But last time we just had it done in January maybe the last time because I just don’t want to do any more damage to the trachea. So –

Trish Howser: Speaking of, what all kinds of like laughing gas –

Joyce Kasunich: Nitrous, yeah, at the office Dr. Kruth does the nitrous in the office. So there’s patients that — if they want that, we let it available to them. We do implants, a lot of dental implants in the office. We try to keep everything in-house. Dr. Pugliese does implants as well. Dr. Walker does some grafts that need to be done in certain situations. And the hygienists are up with the periodontal disease, keeping everything under maintenance. So unfortunately sometimes we would have to refer them to a specialist but if we can keep them here in the office and maintain, that’s what we try to do, we try to keep it non-surgical because sometimes when you have to send them to the specialist, patients have to some surgery done. So – and unfortunately sometimes that’s merely option.

Trish Howser: Now someone is coming into you and they’re scared to death of the drill and all that, which I think from when I was younger to now it’s really not that bad with all the Novocaine and everything like that. But can you give them a mild sedative?

Joyce Kasunich: You can. You have to be very careful on what you prescribe. But really most patients really don’t need a lot.

Trish Howser: I’d say when I was a kid, the dentist, I was like scared to death. And I don’t know why because it was doctor — he was the nicest gentleman. And he gave me this red, I would come early and there was this red stuff I’d drink out of the office. And I would sit there and look at highlights, but I don’t even know what that – what was that red stuff?

Joyce Kasunich: It was like a disclosing solution, it used to be tablets or liquid. We still use it especially with kids. They’ll come in and if we disclose – when we are cleaning their teeth and they are missing certain areas. We haven’t just rinsed with that and it makes the plaque red and became apparent, we can show them the areas of where they’re missing. And you can brush it. Yeah, we used to get them in school. Did you do that in school?

Trish Howser: Yes I do and – I had the liquid and I used to (inaudible) that’s true, about a month. So is there anything else that you need to let everyone know that they really need?

Joyce Kasunich: Well, there’s one thing I could think off the top my head we hear a lot about it at the office is X-rays, radiation, radiation this and radiation that, I don’t want any X-rays because of the radiation. Just to let patients now that’s out there, digital X-rays which we have is a lot less radiation. In fact, there’s times it’s so minimal, that patients really don’t need to worry anymore of getting – and it’s so important to get X-rays because we can’t as dentists see in between your teeth and that’s where the X-rays come in. And patients keep refusing and refusing for whatever reason and then all of a sudden they have a problem and then it’s a little too late. And it goes back to where it could be to the nerve and then you have the root canal or whichever. So –

Trish Howser: Expense is greater.

Joyce Kasunich: The snowball effect, right, the expense is greater. Prevention is the best medicine.

Trish Howser: Someone once told me, it was actually a X-ray radiologist –

Joyce Kasunich: In your chemistry class too?

Trish Howser: Actually it was Dr. [Totem] and he said that you get as much radiation from the sun reflection like off of brick or of the paint or something, as you do in some of these scenarios.

Joyce Kasunich: It’s very, very minimal. I mean people lay out on the sun all day.

Trish Howser: That’s what he said.

Joyce Kasunich: Or they go to the tanning bed, things that way. It’s so minimal. But I mean it’s –

Trish Howser: So it’s nothing really, no.

Joyce Kasunich: Yeah.

Trish Howser: And like I said i always enjoy seeing my X-rays because you can see them up there so quickly and it’s –

Joyce Kasunich: (inaudible) It’s convenience, in ten seconds it’s right there in front of you, you don’t have to wait to have them developed anymore. So yeah, that’s what’s out there too.

Trish Howser: Well, Joyce, I just want to thank you for all your insights sharing about the teeth –

Joyce Kasunich: Any time.

Trish Howser: I do know just a quick, I heard somewhere that – someone actually wrote a book on Spit, so if you’re interested maybe Google Spit, you can find out about the slide of the mouth that is good according to the person.

So Joyce, Dr. Joyce Kasunich, thank you.

Joyce Kasunich: You’re welcome and thanks for joining us Trish Howser with Illusions.