Dr. Derek Cheng earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After completion of this Doctor of Medicine degree from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1996, Dr. Cheng received his Masters of Science Orthodontic specialty degree from Marquette University in 1998. Dr. Cheng is also a board certified orthodontist requiring more rigorous testing.
Dr. Cheng continues to advance his education by attending the American Association of Orthodontists meeting annually. For the benefit of our patients he has also completed the Roth-Williams 2 year advanced orthodontic continuing education course focusing on the relationship of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), teeth and masticatory muscles.
Dr. Cheng has been practicing orthodontics for more than 25 years and is a member of the American Association of Orthodontics, World Federation of Orthodontics, Illinois Society of Orthodontics, Winnebago County Dental and American Dental Association. Dr. Cheng also served as the President of the Winnebago County Dental Association in 2017-2018. He is also a member of the Spear study club where he meets with other dentists and specialists in the area on a monthly basis to discuss cases.
Dr Cheng is married and has 2 children. In his spare time, he enjoys playing all sports especially tennis and table tennis. Dr Cheng is a proud supporter of many of our patient's sports teams and partners with many local organizations to raise money for The northern Illinois food bank and the Mission of Mercy providing free dental care yearly.
Dr. Cheng is married to Pam and has 2 children. In his spare time he enjoys playing any sport but especially tennis and table tennis. Dr. Cheng loves to support many of Winnebago county schools and their teams.
Dr. Ito grew up in Naperville, IL and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Illinoisat Urbana-Champaign in 2014. He then received his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2019 from Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Downers Grove, IL, graduating #1 in his class. He then continued his education by obtaining his Master of Science degree in Orthodontics at Marquette University in 2021 (which is where Dr Cheng was trained as well!)
Dr. Ito lives in Rockford with his girlfriend Ashley and in his free time loves spending time with family, playing soccer and golf, cheering all Chicago sport teams, traveling,trying new foods and attempting to cook. During his orthodontic residency, he completed clinical research on accelerated orthodontic tooth movement and bone biology during orthodontic retention. He is currently a member of the AAO and ISO, and the Winnebago County Dental Society.
She is a graduate of Augustana College and our insurance and financial coordinator. She is married to Scott and mom to Leni and Lawson. She enjoys spending time family and friends any chance she gets! Summertime is her favorite season to be outdoors and is always up for a dance party too! Her favorite part of coming to work each day is her coworkers and seeing all of the confidence gained in each patient's new smile! We are so happy to have Arianna on our team, she takes great care of all our patients!
Brandi Andrus- Brandi was born and raised in Rockford. She has a strong desire to help her community and others which makes her a perfect fit for our team. She is a proud mom of Landon and enjoys watching him play hockey in the winter and enjoys summer nights at the Rockford Speedway.
Erin's caring nature inspired her to pursue a career path allowing her to assist others in anyway she can. Her background in healthcare, corporate finance and assisting children with special needs makes her a great asset to the Cheng Ortho team. She values family most and enjoys frequent adventures with her son, husband, family and friends to Walt Disney World and Kalahari waterpark In the Dells.Fun fact: Erin is an avid Disney fan! Feel free to chat her up with trivia she has a vast knowledge of all things Disney!
Rachel Helgerson has been in the dental field from a very young age. She has both dental assisting and front office experience which is very helpful in our office. Rachel adores children and loves to watch them grow while they are patients in our office. She has a great sense of humor and brings added laughter and fun to our office. Rachel is married to Nate and they have 2 children. She stays busy playing volleyball, boating, snowmobiling, camping and spending any free time with her family and friends!
Beca Aguilar is a graduate of Rock Valley's dental assisting program and has worked with our office for many years. She enjoys playing soccer and hanging out with her husband and 2 children. Being around kids makes Beca smile and she loves to laugh! She enjoys getting to know our families and help them achieve a beautiful smile!
Maria is a graduate of the Rock Valley College Dental Assisting Program and has been in the dental field for many years. She enjoys everything about dental especially connecting with patients as they pursue their journey to a beautiful smile! In her free time, she enjoys taking her Jack Russell for walks and spending time with family and friends.
Miranda has worked with kids her whole life, starting as a gymnastics coach and then assisting with our office for many years now. Kids adore her and she just loves them too! Her great personality and love for life is evident everyday and always finds the positives in every situation. In her free time she enjoys being with her family and doing anything outdoors. She is an assistant by day and a ninja at night, often training in mixed martial arts and american ninja warrier.
Hardworking, dependable and so much fun would be how to describe Ada! She enjoys getting to know all of our patients and seeing their beautiful smiles when their treatment is completed. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her 2 daughters playing soccer and watching them from the sidelines. She loves to travel and visit her family and friends any chance she gets. We are blessed to have her with us!
Alison enjoys making patients feel welcome and confident in their journey to a beautiful smile! She loves having a front row seat to help each patient reach their goal. She is always up to learning new procedures to better serve the parents and patients at Cheng Ortho. Every patient loves her easy going, cheerful attitude. Much of her time away from the office is spent at home in Belvidere with her daughter Ophelia crafting, books and movies. We are so blessed to have Alison as part of our team and she looks forward to helping you at your next visit!
Emma grew up in Northern Illinois and lives in Rockford with her daughter Avianna. Although she is newer to the dental field, she is enjoying the journey and thrives on learning each and every day with her team. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking for her daughter, traveling and visiting her family in the South. She loves coming to work every day and being a part of each of our patient's transformation into a beautiful, healthy smile!
Deb Sandwick is our hardworking laboratory technician who makes all of our appliances for our patients. Deb is multi-talented and is a registered dental hygienist at a pediatric dental office as well! She has been in the dentistry field for 30 years. Deb is married and has 3 children, two boys and a girl. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Orthodontic care is often a long term relationship between the patient and the orthodontic team. At Cheng Orthodontics, we understand the importance of selecting the ideal office to provide the best orthodontic care for you and your family.
Dr. Cheng graduated top 3 percent of his dental school class at Temple University before he was selected from one of the best clinical orthodontic program in the United States (Marquette University). Dr. Cheng has also completed an additional 2 year post-orthodontic specialty program that focuses on the relationship of temporomandibular joints, teeth, and masticatory muscles.
Dr. Cheng and his staff strive to stay current on the latest in technological advances by regularly attending continuing education courses.Dr. Cheng continues to advance his education by attending the American Association of Orthodontists meeting every year. For the benefit of our patients, Dr. Cheng has completed the Roth-Williams 2 year advanced orthodontic continuing education course focusing on the relationships of temporomandibular joints, teeth, and masticatory muscles.
Dr. Cheng has been practicing orthodontics for more than 25 years. Dr. Cheng is a member of the American Association of Orthodontics, World Federation of Orthodontics, Illinois Society of Orthodontics, Winnebago Dental Society and the American Dental Association. Dr. Cheng served as President of the Winnebago County Dental Society for 2017-2018 and is one of the only Board Certified Orthodontist in the Rockford area.
Although our office takes our work seriously, we pride ourselves in providing a friendly, fun, and upbeat atmosphere for our patients. We frequently evaluate and look for ways to further improve on the level of customer service in all aspects of our daily routines, even if it is just a quick phone call. Our goal is to make your whole orthodontic experience in our office to be an exceptional one.
We select the most advanced orthodontic appliances and equipment that are available to provide the highest standard of care for our patients. This allows us to obtain the best treatment results possible.