Dr. Sanda Moldovan is an award-winning periodontist, nutritionist, and world-renowned oral health and wellness expert. In addition to being double board-certified in periodontics and nutrition, she is recognized as a leading authority on natural and safe anti-aging solutions. She tirelessly advocates non-narcotic alternatives for healing, which is the subject of her book, Heal Up! Seven Ways to Faster Healing and Optimum Health.
Dr. Sanda is the Founder of Beverly Hills Health and Dental Wellness, which has expanded to locations across Los Angeles and New York, as well as the Developer of Orasana, a line of probiotic supplements and home dental care products for adults and childrens’ teeth and gums.
FWM: How is the mouth the gateway to our health?
Whatever we introduce into the mouth, affects the rest of the body. Whatever food we eat—that we chew, affects the rest of the body. The mouth is the number one source of infections – Whatever we introduce in terms of dental material also goes beyond the mouth, to the rest of our body. The very nature of dental work involves foreign materials that we’re introducing, and with say, root canals going bad from previous dental work—bacteria has an opportunity to be stuck inside the jawbone. And people get sick. How we treat our mouth and how we take care of it influences the health of the body, and so the mouth to body connection is very important in achieving optimum overall wellness.
FWM: Tell us about the Beverly Hills Health and Dental Wellness. What makes your practice unique?
My Beverly Hills Dental Health and Wellness practices in Beverly Hills and Encino are multi-specialty, biological/holistic dental destinations. In biological dentistry, we identify toxins and eliminate them. People get healthier. For example, we are a no mercury filling practice. Mercury toxins can affect the brain, giving way for people to suffer headaches and depression. We safely eliminate mercury.
We go several steps beyond the foundational improvements in everyone’s oral health. For instance, we know that pregnancy takes a toll on a woman’s body, and gingivitis during pregnancy affects 60 – 75 percent of women. Expectant mothers with gum disease are three times more likely to have pre-term, low weight babies, than women with healthy gums. So, we identify the bacteria that’s in their saliva and we eliminate those bacteria. Before getting pregnant women should get a full oral checkup.
What makes us unique is that we look at the mouth like a bacterial fingerprint, assessing how to help the rest the body function We want to treat illness before it becomes disease. There are many in a person’s mouth warning of serious issues ahead, which require referrals to the appropriate specialists for early treatment. Typically, when you go to a dentist, they look at teeth and do not connect them with the rest of the body. But we go by the theory of meridians. We know each tooth is connected to a meridian in the body. For example: lower molars are connected to the digestive meridian. Should there be an infection there my thinking goes to, Hmmm…leaky gums, leaky gut? I’m rarely wrong here because the symptoms are clear. When somebody gets gum disease treatment in our office, we also support the digestive tract.
We personalize dental treatments—not just aesthetically. We also test patients for the dental materials are compatible with their own bodies. We do not provide cookie cutter dentistry, focusing solely on the mouth
With my nutritional background I provide food plan suggestions for and awareness about supplements that are customized I find not only my patients, but people whom I encounter in my personal life are often confused about what supplements are beneficial to them, such as how many probiotic strains do they need daily. So, I designed my own line called Orasana™ which offers scientifically formulated therapies.
During the pandemic I designed specific programs for detoxing the mouth from the ill effects such as anxiety and what I call mask mouth, which causes bad breath and dry mouth which is detrimental to healthy gums and teeth. I have patients who have confessed they skipped out on the minimum of twice-daily brushing and flossing, and only brushed before bedtime because they figured, “Nah, no need to brush, I’m wearing a mask out today,” That is horrifying!
Many people skipped their twice-yearly dental cleanings and exams due to lockdown, fears about going to their dentist. It’s not like virtual exams with a doctor’s office. We must look inside the mouth, so there has to be physical contact. Early on when we learned of the pandemic and were allowed by the government to reopen— we of course set up the appropriate, protective protocols. Our entire staff wear masks, we make sure when patients walk in that they are wearing masks, and we are not shy about asking them to put their mask on if they are not already. We check temperatures upon their arrival, socially distance seating in the waiting room—-and circulate anti-bacterial ozone air throughout the practice. Our dental practitioners wear protective clothing and facial coverings similar to the type worn in hospital emergency rooms, especially important during surgical procedures, which we have always done. We even offer COVID 19 testing. We continue to want our patients to be and feel safe.
FWM: What is holistic dentistry?
For me, holistic dentistry means encompassing the ‘whole,’ not just the ‘hole,’ as in a tooth. Through investigation, a preventative plan is designed combining dental, nutritional, and supplemental therapies, where among other things we can provide treatment for inflammatory illnesses before they have an opportunity to become a disease! We offer an experience unlike any other that I have found in my over twenty years of practicing integrative dentistry.
FWM: You are a nutritionist and wellness expert seen frequently on the Emmy-award winning syndicated daytime television series “The Doctors” and have become a go-to oral health and wellness source for top tier media including Inside Edition, ABC News, FOX News among others. What are some of the trends you are seeing?
More people are looking for biological and holistic dentists. It’s taken a long time, but there is a greater public understanding about the dangers of chemicals in the mouth. There is an increased awareness how inhaling vapors from mercury fillings. I’m very happy when my patients are their own advocates for their oral health. I believe people are hungry for a natural approach to bodily health care which also includes natural oral health therapies. Probiotics for improved oral health in children and adults is catching up with the increasing consumer demand for all other types of probiotics.
My practices are renowned for state-of-the art technology. Multi-dimensional X-ray equipment which allows us to see deeper into the teeth and gums, enabling us to spot infections all the way to the jawbone. Our digital impressions of teeth are much more comfortable for a patient’s experience, replacing the goop-y, even distasteful impression trays we all grew up with. We also have digital design capabilities which make it possible to create a crown in one day, saving time and multiple trips to the office.
Our use of lasers for gum surgeries and other procedures are less invasive and painful than what people are accustomed to elsewhere, and we can trace microbiome bacterias. We have lasers for pain therapy for TMJ issues, and teeth whitening. We have a number of energetic devices with laser specific treatment and microcurrent therapy that help the body reset the right frequency in the tissues that are healing.
Our teeth cleanings are done with AirFlow® therapy which eliminates the need for the dreaded noisy and painful, smelly scrapings. We provide a cleaner, more refreshing experience in less time than the traditional cleaning methods. We use ozone water. Ozone has been around for many years as a natural antibacterial agent, long before modern day antibiotics. It breaks up the biofilm in the mouth gently and effectively, and it also primes the immune system. It actually activates the immune system to better control the infection and to regenerate the surrounding gum areas. It has amazing healing properties.
I’m an exhaustive researcher and attend numerous conferences throughout the year to make sure we are on the cutting edge of safe and healthy dentistry.
FWM: What are your thoughts on string floss?
Let’s face It, people hate to floss! And most people who floss with string do a lousy job. I actually see physical cuts on gums of patients who floss incorrectly, which is damaging. I prefer water irrigation flossing such as my own Waterjet. It’s lightweight and not only cleans in between the teeth, but it cleans 360 degrees around the teeth, and it can go six millimeters under the gum! I see people being a lot more effective in reducing plaque, bleeding, and inflammation by flossing their teeth with a handheld water device, and they can do it in the shower. Of course, I prefer the Orasana Waterjet, but there are many other brands on the market to choose from. Whatever water flosser you choose, you are not only are you getting a cleaner mouth, saving money over time with this investment, but you are keeping string from dumped in landfills. With water flossing we are saving the environment, as a recent study showed the average person flossing with string goes through eighteen inches of floss in a year!
FWM: How can we better take care of our mouth daily?
Basically, there are three simple steps: Brush, water floss, and take probiotics, preferably chewable ones. Just like your skincare: where you wash your face, apply toner and moisturizer– it’s just that easy of a habit to take care of your mouth.
FWM: Tell us about your book, Heal Up! Seven Ways to Faster Healing and Optimum Health.
I saw a need for my book, in the same way I do all my projects, listening to my patients: “Is there a pill I can take to heal my gum disease?” “Is there I a pill I can take to heal faster?” Sadly, it’s our culture that many people have become reliant on taking pills for quick fixes. And there’s never such a ‘miracle’ pill. There’s always a system of therapies, a holistic way of healing. I’m not a dentist who prescribes prescription painkillers for every procedure, just because I can! They are many times not necessary, and the propensity for addiction is too dangerous. Traditional pharmaceuticals or western medicinal treatments have a place, but there are a multitude of natural remedies that can promote optimum healing from pain and inflammation, without the harmful side effects.
In Heal Up! I explore how we incorporate the right foods to support healing, the importance of sleep, supplements, breath work, yoga, meditation, and the purification of the air we breathe. Getting enough water is so crucial, because as human beings we are made up of 70 per cent water. I recommend ozone and alkaline waters, which have great healing properties that do not include toxins.
I write about receiving healing from light and energy sources, which Mother Nature has freely given us. Sunlight gives us Vitamin D, and endorphins that make us happier. Focusing on putting our feet to the ground. When we spend too much time indoors, we get depressed. Studies have shown that walking barefoot outside, or in the grass at home we connect back to the Earth, where we came from. So that negative energy (negative energy as in a battery) is so important for us to feel grounded, happy, and connected. All of these things, and more,which I explain in a very personal way in my book.
Can people without insurance visit the Beverly Hills Health and Dental Wellness practices in Beverly Hills and Encino, California.
Yes, we accept insurance, and we have our own membership plan. It’s our own in-house insurance, which can save them more money annually, than many of the dental insurances available
Tell us about the Smile Fairies.
Every night millions of Americans go to bed hungry and in pain due to their inability to chew food properly from loss of teeth. Many are our country’s disabled, seniors, children, military vets, prisoners of war, survivors of domestic abuse and those suffering from alcoholism, addiction, cancers, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other debilitating diseases. Many are productive citizens who have retreated from society due to missing teeth. They simply can’t afford the costs of the urgent dental care they need to improve basic chewing functions to live their daily live. For a number of people whose life’s challenges have rendered them powerless over the state of their mouths., Smile Fairies provide pro bono critical dental care.
What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2021?
2020 & 2021 have been challenging years for many and there are oral and physical health manifestations. Weight gain is one area that’s alarming for the potential chronic illnesses and diseases extra pounds can bring on. People traded in eating good, nutritious meals in favor of processed foods and too many sugary desserts, as comfort treats to alleviate their stress. Overall, it can be overwhelming and people tell me they are experiencing negative feelings as they take back their physical and oral health, pursuing all of the preventative exams they missed during lockdown So I’ll be creating greater public awareness abou new Orasana pandemic detoxification products.
My heart goes out to the many who have lost their jobs due to COVID 19. Sadly, when forced to choose between putting food on the tables for their families, people were forced to sacrifice their oral health care, as well as other medical care. Smile Fairies is donating a special Christmas ‘dental day’ gift to several local and regional people who have been forced due to unemployment to neglect their teeth cleanings and dental work. During the holidays we will be announcing on our website’s Smile Fairies page how to submit video applications before the end of the year.
In the Fall, which is just around the corner I will be opening my Beverly Hills Dental Health and Wellness Lounge which has been under construction for over a year. It’s expansion of our practice currently on a separate floor of the building on the lobby level of our Roxbury Drive location in Beverly Hills. Nutrition education, combined with mouth hygiene and anti-inflammatory treatments utilizing ozone and glycine. This expansion offers numerous anti-aging therapies which include dramatic teeth whitening treatments. It’s so conveniently located right in front, that you can literally walk in the door during your lunch hour without having to go up to my 4th floor dental offices and be out with a brighter smile before it’s time to go back to work. It’s a relaxing and healing place that is a wellness model, not an illness model. We have an app. You can click here for Apple, since I’m talking about it now, It’s all the essential information presently, but we will add much more in the coming weeks.
A Heal Up! Workbook is being published in 2021. I’m making it public here! It’s designed to help people have a deeper connection to my initial book. It’s proven we only retain a small part of what we see, read and hear, so putting pen to paper or typing on I-pads improves our memory.
I am launching my YouTube “Compassionate Healers” series in 2021— where I talk to other like-minded health care experts. My husband and Andy and I are turning our mutual love for gardening and cooking into our own healthy lifestyle channel.
Last, but not least, next year I will introduce holistic oral health online courses. It’s for dentists and other oral health practitioners, especially younger men and women I feel I feel it’s a duty to offer this to the upcoming generation of dentists, who won’t get this opportunity in dental schools or during their first few years in practice I’ll be giving dental professionals and students too busy to attend conferences an online experience. I strongly believe we can have a much greater impact in dentistry together.
Wow! Now, that I’m living all of this in one place, with it all looking at back me squarely in the face, I guess I really am a formidable woman, so I’m honored to join others whom you’ve chosen to present. Thank you! In great health, Dr. Sanda Moldovan.
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