10 Under 10: Pediatric dentist pieces together life experiences to build meaningful career

Brianna Muñoz, D.M.D., loved going to the dentist as a child and had a positive relationship with her own pediatric dentist, a relationship that would be an important piece of her professional dental puzzle.

“I always looked forward to visiting the dentist. I was one of the few children who couldn’t wait to get braces,” said Dr. Muñoz, a recipient of a 2024 ADA 10 Under 10 Award.

That orthodontic experience between the ages of 11-13 wasn’t the catalyst for her decision to become a dentist, but it was one of the many pieces of the puzzle that got her to where she is today. She understood that people’s smiles directly impact their self-esteem and self-confidence.

“I took my orthodontic treatment very seriously. I even carried a toothbrush with me to school, and my teacher knew after lunch every day I would be brushing my teeth in the girls’ lavatory,” she said.

 

Dr. Muñoz was already collecting pieces of different experiences for her future professional puzzle. Her interests were varied. She loved chemistry, the humanities and dance, which had been part of her life since she was 2 years old. She also knew she wanted to work with children.

“At one point or another, I considered being a pediatrician, a psychiatrist or an attorney,” Dr. Muñoz said. “I just needed to discover which career path would be the best fit, but I was always certain that I wanted to help children.”

A big piece of the puzzle came together the summer before her freshman year of college.

“I was at my grandfather’s 80th birthday party. We were sitting outside under a tent, and a very close family friend jokingly said, ‘Hey, you have a great smile — why don’t you become a dentist?’” Dr. Muñoz said. “I reflected to myself, ‘I love going to the dentist!  Why haven’t I thought of this?’ That was the moment when I stopped to really consider dentistry as a career option, and everything clicked.”

Now that Dr. Muñoz knew dentistry was in her future, she volunteered with her pediatric dentist during summers in college for some firsthand professional exposure.

“I was able to sit down chairside and learn so much. I assisted with sealants and changed orthodontic elastics,” she said. “I also really admired the rapport that he built with his patients long term with a focus on prevention. It made sense to me. The more I learned about dentistry, the more I loved it.”

That summer, Dr. Muñoz had an important realization.

“Dentistry is the perfect combination of science and art,” she said.

 

Dr. Muñoz was a double major in chemistry and biology with a minor in dance at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. Her curiosity for science and passion for dance resulted in a rigorous class schedule as she prepared for dental school.

A new piece of her professional puzzle was uncovered when she took a required Western civilization course that integrated philosophy, theology, art and literature throughout the course of history.

“As someone who was a chemistry and biology double major, it added a different worldview that provided me with a well-rounded curriculum,” Dr. Muñoz said. “I didn’t know it then, but my interest in public health stemmed from my appreciation of the humanities. It really shaped the lens through which I see my patients today. Now, I’m not just treating teeth. I’m connecting to my patients on a deeper level with the realization that these teeth are connected to people, and these people are inexorably bound to their community.”

Dr. Muñoz made the most of summers off from school to shadow her own pediatric dentist at home in Massachusetts, participate in the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey — now part of Rutgers University — and conduct research through the Health Careers Opportunity Program at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Dr. Muñoz said she took it upon herself to further her education and search for more opportunities in the field to ensure that dentistry was the right career path for her. As a rising senior in college, her summer research experience at the UConn Health Center influenced her decision to attend dental school there. She was able to see the campus, meet faculty and begin making mentorship connections. 

 

The University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine provided her with the opportunity to take classes alongside medical students in an integrated way, so she learned about the entire human body, not just the head and neck.

Throughout dental school, Dr. Muñoz was active in the community and volunteered for many organizations, including the Connecticut Mission of Mercy, Give Kids A Smile with the American Student Dental Association, South Park Inn homeless shelter, Hartford Health Education and the Special Smiles discipline of the Healthy Athletes program at Special Olympics Connecticut.    

The real transformative moment came during a dental school service trip to Neltume, Chile, where she worked on a team to provide comprehensive oral care to the Indigenous Huilo-Huilo community. This experience opened her eyes to oral health care disparities and ultimately changed the trajectory of her career.  

“While service trips provide an opportunity to deliver a wide array of dental treatment to a large volume of patients in need of care, I found myself less interested in counting the number of restorations placed and more interested in asking questions to better understand the socioecological causes of the problem,” Dr. Muñoz said. “Why were these patients suffering from such severe dental disease, and how was the system failing? I heard the same recurring story that pointed to one theme:  access to care.”  

At the end of the experience, Dr. Muñoz returned to dental school with a new piece of her puzzle: a passion for public health.

That passion played a big role in her decision to stay at UConn for her pediatric dentistry residency program. Her strong relationships with faculty and support from the university enabled her to pursue a certificate in pediatric dentistry, master’s degree in public health and certificate of interdisciplinary disability studies in public health at the same time through a dual-degree training program from the University of Connecticut and Health Resources and Services Administration.

 

Completing a dual-degree residency and master’s program required Dr. Muñoz to do a lot of multitasking, but she felt like it added value to where she wanted to go professionally. As she learned about social determinants of health and oral health literacy, she looked for ways to incorporate these theories into her clinical practice. In pediatric dentistry, she was able to directly apply a multigenerational approach to oral health, which helped her see clinical dentistry through a different lens and relate to her patients in new ways.

As she wrapped up her residency program and prepared to receive her master’s degree and certificate, Dr. Muñoz had a very clear vision for her future that included both dentistry and public policy.

“A lot of people didn’t understand the vision I had, but I stayed true to my passion and trusted that it would take me where I needed to be,” she said.

In 2019, Dr. Muñoz was at a crossroads and needed to decide what the next step would be. She knew she wanted to use her public health degree and continue cultivating the community partnerships that she worked hard to develop over the years.  

 

During her last semester, she interned with the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, a nonprofit organization that advocates for expanded access, improved quality of care and increased oral health equity. Through this internship, she led an advocacy campaign and testified in support of legislation to expand the period in which Connecticut youth may retain dental insurance coverage on a parent’s policy to age 26.  

"I delivered testimony at the legislative office building and found it to be such a rewarding experience,” Dr. Muñoz said. “I knew at that moment this is what I was meant to do."

Based on the role she played in the advocacy campaign, Dr. Muñoz was presented with the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative Oral Health Champion Award in 2020 and appointed president of the organization’s board of directors in 2022.  

Upon graduating with her master’s in 2019, Dr. Muñoz was also offered the position of Connecticut public policy advocate for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. The opportunity to advocate on behalf of oral health equity with the academy at the federal level and the initiative at the state level was the driving force that motivated her to stay in Connecticut.  

“With the AAPD, I travel to D.C. every year and train residents on different oral health advocacy issues. It’s something that I’m really passionate about,” she said.

 

When COVID-19 settled in across the U.S. in 2020, Dr. Muñoz was only about six months into her first job as an associate in a private practice and found herself in a variety of challenging situations related to navigating a leadership role during an uncertain time. The experience she gained during the early time of the pandemic provided her with a roadmap for how to navigate leading her own practice, which she opened in late 2023.

“I’m not the person who went into dental school knowing that I wanted to open my own practice, but it happened organically based upon my life experiences,” Dr. Muñoz said. “Challenging times can be uncomfortable, but they present an opportunity for growth and redirection. That’s when you’re forced to make tough decisions that show your character. I had a clear vision of the work environment and practice philosophy that I wanted. I just realized that I needed to create it.”

Twinkle Tooth Pediatric Dentistry in Avon, Connecticut, is the culmination of Dr. Muñoz’s professional puzzle to this point.

“This practice is the reflection of myself. I put my heart and soul into it,” she said.

From the glitter she painted on the walls to the sensory toys she placed in each operatory, Dr. Muñoz has sought to create a warm, child-friendly environment that cultivates trust and prioritizes patient care. By aiming to establish a dental home by age 1 for her patients, she can build relationships with families and teach them healthy habits that will last a lifetime.  

“My mission trip to Chile was definitely the most transformative experience of my career, but starting my own business was certainly the most challenging and rewarding,” she said. “Seeing my vision come to fruition made all of the hard work and sleepless nights worth it.”

 

Although her practice keeps her busy, Dr. Muñoz says dance is still a big part of her life. She worked as an NFL cheerleader for the New England Patriots during the 2011-12 and 2021-22 seasons. She was a senior at Providence College for her rookie season with the team and was accepted into dental school right before the playoffs.  

Exactly 10 years later, she rejoined the squad while working full time as a pediatric dentist. Although she has turned in her poms, she continues to bring dance to dentistry by using it to connect with patients and motivate her staff to work together as a team. Her dental dance videos are posted on her practice’s Instagram page, @twinkle_tooth_ped_dentistry.

“It’s more than just dance, it brings joy to people’s lives,” she said.

Learn more about the 10 Under 10 Awards program at ADA.org/10Under10 and get inspired at SmileCon's Changemakers Celebration, which will recognize this year’s 10 Under 10 Award winners and other award recipients.