Today I’m speaking with my biological dentist, Dr. Sanda Moldovan.

If you want to watch more on how I am optimizing my oral health, watch my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UeMyNoWVdA&t=1s

Dr. Moldovan is an expert in oral health and longevity. In this episode, we dive into the fascinating connections between oral care and overall health, exploring how maintaining a healthy mouth can contribute to a longer, more vibrant life. Dr. Moldovan shares valuable insights on the latest research and practical tips for optimizing oral hygiene as part of a holistic approach to wellness.

Dr. Sanda Moldovan is a renowned periodontist, nutritionist, and an internationally recognized expert in oral health and wellness. With a focus on integrating holistic health principles into dental care, Dr. Moldovan emphasizes the vital role that oral health plays in overall well-being. She is also a published author, speaker, and frequent media contributor, known for her innovative approaches to longevity and preventive care through oral health.

Follow Her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsanda/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Biological Dentistry

02:48 Understanding the Oral Microbiome

06:02 The Link Between Oral Health and Systemic Diseases

08:47 Optimal Oral Health Routine

11:50 The Role of Advanced Techniques in Oral Health

15:12 Fluoride and Its Controversies

17:55 Mercury Fillings and Safe Removal

20:46 Cavitations and Their Impact on Health

24:05 Oral Longevity and Aging

26:52 Sleep and Oral Health

30:10 Conclusion and Resources for Biological Dentistry

Transcript

[00:00:00.600] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Welcome to the Longevity Optimization podcast, where we discuss longevity, optimal health, nutrition, peak performance, cognitive excellence, and so much more.

[00:00:10.990] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Dr. Sanda, it's such a pleasure to have you here with me today.

[00:00:14.270] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Thank you, Kayla. I'm excited to be here.

[00:00:16.140] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

We are going to be talking all things biological dentistry and my optimal oral health routine. I'm so excited.

[00:00:23.810] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes. I can't wait.

[00:00:25.570] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

So first, what is biological dentistry?

[00:00:28.140] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

I'm glad you're asking me that, because so many people have that question and you're going to get different answers, but biological. And that's the kind of in the name we choose materials that are compatible with our biology, that will not make us toxic. And then we also take into consideration the whole body, not just the hole in the mouth.

[00:00:52.910] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Doesn't that seem like something that all dentistry should be?

[00:00:55.960] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes, I agree with you. It should be all like that because the mouth is not separate from the rest of the body. But in school, and I went to dental school at the Ohio State University, we're really very much focused on the mouth alone.

[00:01:12.380] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah, well, I love that. I mean, it makes so much sense, but unfortunately, it's just not where everyone is at. Um, I always call it the functional medicine of dentistry. I don't know if that's a good analogy, but there's so many different levels. Right. When you see a, let's say a doctor or a provider of some sort, there's such a vast discrepancy. You know, some people might just immediately prescribe, and then some people want you to do advanced labs and really get to the root cause of what's happening. And that's what you do. And I love it. I mean, I came in and I had like a full assessment. How long are your initial new patient assessments and what are you looking for?

[00:01:51.250] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah, great question. And by the way, I do like the analogy to functional medicine because you're right, we, we personalize a level of care. So the first assessment for a new patient can be up to three hours.

[00:02:06.050] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:02:06.570] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And the reason is we're trying to assess the oral microbiome. That's the first step for which we do a test. That test is a salivary test. And after that we take a three dimensional CT scan because we want to see, look for potential inflammation in the jawbone. We want to look at the health of the sinuses. We also want to look at the back of the throat to see the airway, the breathing, and evaluate how well someone sleeps at night. And then, of course, we also evaluate for cavities, we evaluate the bite to make sure the TMJ is in the proper position.

[00:02:41.390] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Most, if not all, of which you would not typically have assessed at a normal dentist appointment. Unfortunately, that's true.

[00:02:48.140] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

You're right.

[00:02:48.700] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I mean, there's an interesting link even between, like, the. The width of our mouth. And it's so much more complex, basically, than we're being told. I think the oral cavity, the oral microbiome, it's true.

[00:03:00.840] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Some people actually don't have even enough room for all the teeth, or the mouth is too small, the tongue is all the way in the back. They cannot breathe properly, and then the whole posture is affected. So there's so much more to oral health than just oral health. It affects the whole body.

[00:03:19.580] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Can you talk about what you see when it comes to the oral microbiome? Like, what are you testing for, what are you finding? And why is the oral microbiome so important?

[00:03:29.240] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Being a periodontist by training, I always was interested in, like, the oral microbiome. And we've learned so much more since 20 years ago when I graduated from UCLA periodontal program. Today, we look at the bacterial fingerprint in the mouth. The reason why is because certain microbes that cause bleeding gums also affect the way we think. It can create brain fog. It can affect the unborn baby, it can affect the joints. There are certain microbes that are correlated with rheumatoid arthritis, let's say. So by treating the bleeding gums, we can help someone with their overall health. So that's why it's so important to test for the oral microbiome. And this is one of my missions to educate dentists out there to test more of the oral microbiome.

[00:04:27.820] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. Is there, like, a common pathogen that you see? More so than others?

[00:04:33.460] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah. So from the oral saliva test that I do, called the oral DNA test, we look at 11 different types of pathogens that are contributing not only to gum disease, but to overall health issues.

[00:04:47.020] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:04:47.870] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Out of those 11, four of them we call aggressive, and they are linked to systemic health problems and some of them even to cancers.

[00:04:58.320] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Interesting.

[00:04:59.560] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So if somebody has one of the four aggressive periodontal pathogens, we do an oral microbiome reset or a full mouth disinfection in order to reset that balance that maybe they've carried with them since they were kids, perhaps from their parents, they inherited a not so optimum microbiome.

[00:05:23.000] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

And how can you explain more about the link? Because I think the link between cardiovascular disease and some of these bacterias in the mouth has been pretty well established. But how is that mechanism working? Why is something your mouth affecting your cardiovascular system or your brain?

[00:05:39.580] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

One of the bacteria that's related to heart attacks, called aa, from the Actinomyces species, has been found lodged in heart valves. So what happens is we. And we call it more aggressive because as your gums bleed, it can get inside the blood vessel and it catches a ride and it goes. And the immune system doesn't necessarily see it. And then it lodges itself in different parts of the body and also on the walls of the blood vessels. So when that happens, it creates an inflammatory reaction which actually causes these blood clots to occur.

[00:06:28.070] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:06:28.750] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

From rupturing a plaque and inflammation.

[00:06:31.720] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:06:32.430] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And that's the link. So inside the plaque of the blood vessel walls, we have found periodontal bacteria. So we know there's that association. There's also been cadaver studies looking at inside the heart after they passed away, and they found aa, for example, the section of myce, species of bacteria lodged on the heart valves.

[00:06:55.280] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:06:55.920] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So we know that periodontal pathogens or people suffering from gum disease have two to three times more of a risk of cardiovascular problems.

[00:07:05.150] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow. That is very significant. Yeah.

[00:07:07.630] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And it can be preventable. That's the amazing thing. With an easy procedure, it doesn't have to be surgery. I always say, as a periodontist, I rarely do gum surgeries anymore. We're more turning over the microbiome, and we're seeing that when we create the right environment in the mouth, people heal.

[00:07:26.970] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:07:27.450] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

I think the worst time to do surgeries when the gums are inflamed, because you're just opening now the pathway for all this bacteria to drive deeper into your body.

[00:07:35.870] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, wow. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Is it the same situation with the brain? So it's essentially entering the blood and then moving to the brain?

[00:07:44.520] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes. One particular bacteria called Porphyromona gingivalis or P. Gingivalis, has been written about even by, let's say, Dale Bredesen, who wrote the book the end of Alzheimer's. Dr. Perlmutter talks about this particular bacteria because it's been found in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. So it does cross the blood brain barrier. And it's. We call it a more of a stealth type of behavior from this bacteria because it can hide itself from the immune system.

[00:08:15.580] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

How is it hiding itself?

[00:08:17.230] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

It becomes invisible. It's got somehow a layer that basically our immune cells just don't see it.

[00:08:23.550] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:08:24.290] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So it lodges not in the joints, but in the brain. And I would say 20 to 30% of the saliva samples that I take from patients. I do see P. Gingivalis being present. Usually those are also the patients that say, you know what? I have brain fog.

[00:08:42.090] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow, that is very interesting and important. What would you say is like an optimal oral health routine in the morning? I mean, I feel like a lot of people just kind of wake up and like haphazardly brush probably with like, I don't know, some crest, hopefully. You know, I think listeners of this podcast probably have moved on to, you know, healthier toothpaste. But what would you say is an optimal morning oral routine?

[00:09:08.610] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Great question. And because I'm so passionate about the oral microbiome, I really have three steps.

[00:09:16.890] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay.

[00:09:18.300] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And full disclosure, I have a natural oral product company called Orasana. Based on natural oral products. We need to avoid harsh chemicals, number one, when we're brushing our teeth. But step number one, brush with a calcium hydroxyapatite, tooth powder or toothpaste and small circles. Second, water floss or floss, whichever one people want. The problem is a lot of times people don't floss correctly. So I recommend using a water flosser. Once, twice a day, two minutes twice a day, ideally. And thirdly, pop in a chewable probiotic, especially for people that build more plaque, people that are prone to cavities, people that have a dry mouth and then kind of spread it around, especially as a last thing before you go to bed.

[00:10:14.730] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I love that I'm taking your oral probiotic or. And I love it. What do you think about tongue scraping? Is that important? And what do you think about oil pulling?

[00:10:25.180] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Tongue scraping is hugely important. And I always advise people to do an oral self exam at home. It's essential. And what to look for, you know, as you're looking around, stick out your tongue and look at the color of the tongue surface. Is it whitish? That's usually a digestive issues. Maybe some yeast overgrowth on the surface of the tongue, some dead skin cells. 60% about of the bacteria from the mouth can reside on the tongue. Especially for people that have bad breath, you know, maybe the taste of food has changed. Highly recommend that you check in with your tongue. If it's nice and pink, don't scrape it. But if you have that coating on your tongue, a little whitish coating, definitely. With a tongue scraper, it's hugely important to clean that. Usually from the back to the front.

[00:11:15.130] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

What if you don't have the pl. The buildup but you just want to make sure you never get it? Is Tongue scraping still.

[00:11:20.710] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Okay, yes, you can do it, but you don't need to.

[00:11:25.780] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay.

[00:11:26.210] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

It's interesting is my acupuncturist always says the tongue is a reflection of your digestion. And I always have this debate with her. She's like, well, yeah, if your digestion is good and you're eating nice fibrous foods, your tongue should be kind of sucked. Self cleaning in a way. But I still think it's good to do tongue scraping. So for me, I always scrape it. Usually when I see a film on.

[00:11:46.590] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

It that makes sense. What about oil pulling?

[00:11:50.610] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

I actually looked into oil pulling and I looked at the studies that are out there and a lot of them come from India because we know oil pulling is an. Comes from India. It's originated from there from. It's an ayurvedic practice that started with sesame oil. And why would sesame oil. Because that's the only thing they had 6,000 years ago.

[00:12:08.130] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:12:09.010] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

It was inexpensive and available. Some of the studies were done at the university at dental school in India and they looked basically to see how it compares with a mouthwash and an antiseptic mouthwash. And it was comparative. So it does help to get rid of bleeding. It's helpful for people with gingivitis, meaning bleeding of the gums in conjunction with brushing. If you have gum disease, it's not going to get rid of gum disease. So it's a good adjunct, we call it, to your regular routine. A couple of the articles were actually talking about older patients that ended up with droplets of oil in their lungs.

[00:12:56.610] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, no.

[00:12:57.620] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And they ended up with pneumonia because of the bacteria from the mouth. Now was living deeper. So it depends. You know, these patients obviously had gum disease as well. So we have to be careful just not to inhale the droplets because the correct way to waterfall or to oil pool is 20 minutes.

[00:13:17.140] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. So long.

[00:13:18.490] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

It's a long time. And why? Because it takes 20 minutes for the oil to turn into a soap. That's what happens when you swish it back and forth.

[00:13:29.730] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Interesting.

[00:13:30.460] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah. So that's why to do it correctly does take that long.

[00:13:34.750] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

What do you think about some of the. I have like a red light device that you can put in the mouth or a blue light. What are your thoughts on those?

[00:13:44.700] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

I'm always cautious with blue light. I did my master's in oral biology at UCLA studying cells and blue light distorts the DNA or damages the DNA.

[00:13:58.780] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

That makes sense.

[00:13:59.850] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So I wouldn't overdo it. And we know it's antibacterial. But I also say, do we really want to kill all the bacteria in the mouth or just keep it, you know, balanced? So I like red light, though. Red light is healing. It has a healing frequency. In our practice we use red light therapy after healing and especially it helps with the lymphatic drainage and it helps to bring vascularity to an area where we're working, decrease inflammation. So it is beneficial.

[00:14:34.710] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I love that. What about traditional, we'll call them, I don't know, conventional mouthwashes? I mean, this is like for me a hard no. What is it? I don't even know. The blue one.

[00:14:46.680] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Great. It's a hard no for me too.

[00:14:48.330] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. Okay, good. What is the blue one again?

[00:14:50.660] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Listerine.

[00:14:51.730] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh yeah, Listerine.

[00:14:53.100] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So, you know, before I got married, I had plenty of time on my hands, so I was playing around with a lot of like ph meters. And let me see the PH of this mouthwash. It's very interesting that a lot of mouthwashes on the market are acidic and especially Listerine. When I measured it, it had a ph of 3.5. That's basically the same ph as wine.

[00:15:17.410] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. Wow.

[00:15:18.270] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

But, and then, and then the recommendation is to swish it back and forth for a minute. Do we really want to swish acid on our teeth for a minute? No. I mean, what that does to enamel, it really creates porosities in the enamel and in an acidic environment, the teeth wear down faster. And what I find people with sensitive teeth, when they, once they start stopping, swishing with Listerine, they actually feel better.

[00:15:47.790] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, wow.

[00:15:49.020] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So very important to find a mouthwash that's not acidic if somebody likes it. So why would you use a mouthwash? Right. It's mostly for flavor.

[00:16:00.570] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:16:01.220] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

I personally am not a fan of mouthwashes. There are some mouthwashes out there that are homeopathic, let's say for people with dry mouth or some people that have sensitivity in their gum that's okay to use in our practice. We also have aloe vera based mouthwashes that help with certain conditions with healing after surgery, for example. But as an everyday mouthwash are not necessary.

[00:16:25.770] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah, I love that. Because you don't want to be wiping out all the good bacterias also. Right, Exactly. Yeah. Makes a lot of sense.

[00:16:31.590] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah.

[00:16:33.070] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

What about the great debate of fluoride?

[00:16:35.420] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Right now I'm glad that we're more and more people are asking questions about what's really happening within our water. So fluoride, if we look at the science, there's really hasn't been any articles to prove that fluoride in the water actually prevents cavities.

[00:16:55.660] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. Right.

[00:16:57.430] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So how did it end up in the waters, really, as a agricultural byproduct? And fluoride itself is a toxin. It used to be, unfortunately, given to children to strengthen their teeth as a tablet.

[00:17:13.870] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, we don't.

[00:17:14.780] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

We don't do that anymore. Thank God. This was about 20 years ago.

[00:17:17.930] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

That's horrible. That's like a mega dose.

[00:17:19.860] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Exactly. And what it actually does, we know there are studies to show that it lowers the IQ in children. And topically we have better options. Yeah, my. My favorite topical to strengthen teeth is calcium hydroxyapatite in nano format. It goes into the pores of the enamel, and basically it's biologically sound. It mimics the mineral that comes out of the enamel. And we know it works because of the X rays we can take and see the strengthening of the teeth.

[00:17:55.740] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Would you say that people. Because of the lack of minerals in our soil and then subsequently our food, is that showing up in people's teeth these days?

[00:18:05.250] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

That's a great question. There's definitely a lack of minerals. Magnesium and calcium. These are all necessary things. Yes, definitely. The soil is affecting our oral health just like it is our overall health. And because I think the pesticides that are in the soil, it's really affected a lot of digestions around the world. A lot of people have digestive problems. And with that comes an inability absorb minerals.

[00:18:35.620] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:18:36.470] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And now we see a weakening of teeth from that as well.

[00:18:40.800] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow. I mean, it makes a lot of sense to me. Yeah. To give a quick recap on the fluoride situation, can you just give an overview? I mean, from what I understand, it was essentially brought, you know, as an issue. I'm not. I'm not sure exactly to who, but you probably know more. And didn't it take, like, a very long time, continual testing. Then the tests were presented, and they showed that the fluoride was not proven to be safe. And. And finally, it sounds like we're at a place where they're now saying that it's not safe. Is that right?

[00:19:12.860] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

There was just a ruling, actually, at the Supreme Court level that the EPA finally admitted that, yes, fluoride is not safe. And these attorneys, actually, they did a presentation for us at IAOMT earlier this year, and I was so impressed with them because they've been out of this for a few years, and they showed the testimonial from the EPA officers while they were being questioned, and they finally admitted that. Yeah, from the studies we have we know fluoride is not safe, but yet it's in the water. And I'm curious to see how long is it going to take to take it out of the water now.

[00:19:54.570] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah, I mean, that's. They give themselves ridiculous amounts of time. Like, no, this is immediate. It should have never happened. And you should be taking swiftness and aggressive action when you find things like that out. And, and also, I mean, it's a whole other conversation. But the fact that it's clear that they knew and they just kept. I mean, I think that there was even stories circling around that people wanted to keep upping the fluoride. You know, there was a story about this. Like everyone called him a hero, this man somewhere in the middle of the country and he was turning down the fluoride, I guess, in the water. And everyone was so excited. Um, yeah, it's just, it's really, truly amazing. The spot that we're in. We were just talking about. I was in Switzerland and the regulations around, you know, our food, probably dentistry. Are the regulations around dentistry more strict in other countries?

[00:20:45.950] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes. And actually a lot of the dental products that we use in our office come from Germany and Switzerland.

[00:20:53.270] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. I mean, this should really be a no brainer. We won't go into the whole, like, I'm super passionate about this topic, but yeah, things that we buy in the shelves should just probably be tested for safety because people are consuming them at such high levels.

[00:21:10.390] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

I agree. But I think, you know, we're at a good time at this moment for things are coming out to the surface. Like the fluoride debate. Definitely. And you know, we have the mercury debate that's also very hot right now. And you know, the European Union is actually banning the use of amalgam mercury fillings starting January, but it's not yet banned in our country.

[00:21:36.460] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Well, I mean, this probably should have been banned many years ago. Right. So talk about the process of how you have to remove mercury fillings if someone has them and obviously you don't do them.

[00:21:48.560] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes. I want to start by telling you my story. I grew up in Romania and in Romania, in communist Romania at the time, I ate a lot of sugar. I didn't know what floss was. I ended up with 16 large mercury fillings in my mouth over the period of like three years.

[00:22:08.260] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:22:09.340] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And I remember taking a fork and putting it up against my tooth and give me a zinger.

[00:22:14.090] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh my God.

[00:22:14.620] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

What is this? Have you had any mercury fillings in your mouth?

[00:22:18.100] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

No.

[00:22:18.530] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah. So it's an interesting feeling And I didn't realize till later on when I was in school, this was actually, actually a current that was running through from work to my teeth into my system.

[00:22:29.400] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:22:30.250] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Because anytime we have different metals in the mouth in a moist environment, it creates a battery.

[00:22:36.590] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:22:37.500] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And that battery, I mean, I was not feeling well and I thought that was normal. You know, I had headaches. I was always tired because this battery was stealing electrons from the rest of my cells. And.

[00:22:47.830] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:22:48.960] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So I decided. Okay, well, I came to my periodontal residency at ucla. I was in Hollywood. I didn't want this metal in my mouth, so I asked one of my friends to remove them. Well, I didn't know anything about biological dentistry at the time, so he removed them. And I started to feel sick, nauseous, like I had brain fog. I couldn't do my hikes that I normally do in la.

[00:23:17.530] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:23:17.990] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And I went to a naturopath. I was. My mercury levels were off the charts because I had the fillings removed unsafely.

[00:23:26.290] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:23:27.760] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

The mercury fillings or amalgam fillings are about 50% mercury. And when we drill into them, there's so many vapors that come off the tooth of mercury. And that doesn't have a smell, it doesn't have a taste. And we inhale it and it goes into our body. It's about a thousand times when we drill into our tooth, into any mercury tooth, a thousand times the levels that the EPA allows in the atmosphere.

[00:23:55.330] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:23:55.710] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yet all the dentists and the assistants are breathing this in.

[00:23:59.600] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:24:00.850] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

The smart way to remove it. That's a technique named for safe mercury removal. Protects the patient by having a little dam around the tooth and a big suction that suctions out the vapors and a nose piece on the patient. And basically the dentist and the assistant are wearing gas masks. It's that toxic when we remove it.

[00:24:23.570] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

But why did they ever think if it's that toxic, it can go in the mouth?

[00:24:27.510] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Exactly.

[00:24:28.140] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

This is totally ridiculous.

[00:24:30.370] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes. I don't know why they thought it was a good idea 100 years ago. This is when it started.

[00:24:37.170] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:24:38.290] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And for me, the other problem was mercury fillings expand with time.

[00:24:44.690] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay.

[00:24:45.540] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And they crack teeth. So it cracked one of my teeth. I now have an implant.

[00:24:50.520] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, my goodness.

[00:24:51.400] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes. Because I didn't know. I just, like, had these really, really big fillings.

[00:24:56.450] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:24:57.220] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So it's so important. I think if anybody's looking at replacing or they look in their mouth through their self exam, they say, anything silver there to go, get that taken out because that's toxic.

[00:25:11.480] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. But taken out the right way.

[00:25:12.960] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

The right way is this. This smart technique is a technique that's validated by the International association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. And we know that when we use this technique, we don't increase someone's level of mercury in their body.

[00:25:29.220] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I mean, on the topic of finding the right way to do things, you know, I had a wisdom tooth that I needed to get out for. I mean, I was aware of it for several years. I used to have a biological dentist back in Ohio. But I was really looking for an amazing one when I came here to LA because I knew I needed this wisdom tooth out. And there's so many things that I was aware of that could go wrong. So, I mean, my biggest fear was a cavitation. I mean, from what I understand, if you remove a wisdom tooth improperly and you don't treat it, so you did the ozone in the prf, which kind of filled it and it healed beautifully. But I have heard of so many experiences of people getting cavitations. And you can talk more about what that is with improper wisdom tooth removal.

[00:26:12.880] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes. This is another big thing that affects people's health. Cavitations. So just like a cavity is in a tooth, a cavitation is a hole in the jawbone also caused by microbes. So what happens when somebody has a tooth removed? A hole is left open. The mouth is full of trillions of microbes. Bacteria, fungus, pathogens, sometimes parasites. And as it heals, these microbes can go inside the jawbone. Some of them don't need oxygen to survive, so they can thrive just fine. Especially they have nutrients inside the jawbone coming from the blood that's there and the gum closes over the top of them.

[00:27:02.640] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, no.

[00:27:03.420] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

The bone takes about six months to heal. The gums really take a week to heal. So in that process of healing, the microbes that are caught inside, especially for those people that maybe have had wisdom teeth removed and they remember getting a dry socket.

[00:27:20.140] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, yeah, dry socket.

[00:27:21.450] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

That's basically an infection of the jawbone.

[00:27:23.710] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

That's horrible.

[00:27:24.740] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah. And what's normally being told to patients. Oh, you have a dry socket. Okay, well, here's a little syringe. Fill it up with water and irrigate the bone until the gum closes on top. And that's really not a good solution.

[00:27:40.960] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:27:41.570] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Number one, through the use of prf, which is platelet rich fibrin, which we prepare by drawing blood and spinning it down in a centrifuge. It's 100% natural. There's no additives to it.

[00:27:55.420] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:27:56.310] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

It almost. It forms a little jelly and that little jelly plug, we put it inside where the tooth comes out of, and it really prevents dry sockets and bacteria from going inside.

[00:28:06.520] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Well, it definitely worked.

[00:28:08.100] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah.

[00:28:08.550] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

That's exciting.

[00:28:09.450] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah.

[00:28:10.190] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

To move on to, like, let's say, oral longevity. I'm just throwing all these terms that I've decided here at you. So we did something. We did a little bit of PRF in my gums. Right. So you, of course, did an assessment. We did imaging. And what begins to happen with our teeth and our oral health as we age, and how can we start to combat that?

[00:28:35.440] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Great question. Now we live longer. Right. Our life expectancy is longer. And through having a healthy diet, we eat more fiber.

[00:28:49.210] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:28:51.100] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

That fiber can be harder on our teeth, actually, because the fiber itself is great for the jawbone structure, because it helps the jawbone develop better.

[00:29:02.110] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:29:03.220] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

This is Western price studies he looked at in the 1920s, how, you know, in the Amazon tribes of the jawbones were developed a lot better than the Westerners who were eating processed foods.

[00:29:13.100] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah, exactly.

[00:29:14.700] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

But the fiber itself can wear down the enamel faster, Especially, you know, I'm noticing especially my two upper front teeth, they're starting to become thinner at the edge.

[00:29:25.010] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:29:25.570] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So one of the things that we do for prevention, which I'm due to do, that is actually add some bonding to kind of biomimetically fill, kind of restore that tooth structure so I don't have more of my own enamel wearing down.

[00:29:39.270] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:29:39.990] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And really preserving the tooth structure. And also with the fibrous foods, we also have more gum recession because it's harder on the gums. Also, you know, brushing too hard can cause gum recession. Clenching. And, you know, today's day and age, with all the changes going on in the world, clenching comes with it because it's just the internal stress that happens at night. Clenching or grinding.

[00:30:05.720] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. I had a little bit of, you know, my. We. I feel like we got ahead of it, but it could have been moving in that direction. So we did PRF injections.

[00:30:14.380] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

That's right, exactly. To help rejuvenate the gum tissue, to add the growth factors to keep the gum tissues from receding. Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah, these are the things for longevity of oral health, or oral health optimization, as you like to call it. It's really important to look, okay, how do we strengthen the enamel and keep our teeth as long as possible? It's really through use of calcium hydroxyapatite, making sure. Looking at the thinning of the enamel and try to restore it in the least invasive way. And then we look at gum health. Okay, how can we optimize the microbiome to make sure gums are not bleeding or receding by just doing these preventive little things?

[00:30:57.900] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Hi, we're taking a short break from the podcast to discuss a new community that I have launched. I want to preface this by saying that I will continue to post content on my social platforms and conduct interviews on this podcast that are both free and applicable to both sexes. But as a woman I have unique insights and perspectives on female health. I recently launched my first ever paid offering and this is a female only health optimization and longevity community. If you are a male you can skip. Let me redo that part. If you are a male you can skip this portion of the podcast or you can forward this information to a female that you think would be interested I set out to create the most valuable longevity optimization community for women. I have spent over the last decade dedicating my life to human optimization and have dived deep into the female specific optimization and protocols. This is the place I want you to learn everything you need to know about optimizing your health, longevity and mindset. I made this a community only for women because I wanted us to be able to be open, which I didn't feel could be done in the comment section of my Instagram.

[00:32:08.550] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I also love the idea of women sharing protocols of what's working best and everybody within the community can offer valuable insights to each other and support members. Get weekly and bi weekly ask me anythings exclusive content and protocols like articles, videos and a whole host of courses and you'll receive up to date female longevity science. You'll also get community and connection with like minded women. Access to virtual and in person events with me and your membership will help support female human studies in the very near future. You can learn more about this membership on my website.

[00:32:48.070] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Kayla barnes.com I am obviously looking at everything from biomarkers. I have no makeup on today because I did I'm doing a skin longevity protocol where I've been doing these lasers and exosomes and prp. It's like I want to address the mouth the same way that I'm taking action on all of these other fronts and I feel like that should. You know it's exciting because you're thinking of it that way but I think most dentists unfortunately or maybe not so I am also going to do I'm excited about this so I have a little bit of a small mouth just genetically I Suppose so we're going to do some aligners and my teeth are relatively straight, but we're going to make them perfectly straight. And you said it could even like pull out the teeth a little bit, which in a good way you can explain more because that probably sounded.

[00:33:39.790] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah, you explained it great, actually. But one of the things we always look at, the way the teeth come together, we call that the bite. How the teeth come together is important because it really allows you to wear your teeth more evenly throughout life. And if your bite is optimized now, you're not going to wear more side versus the other. And also one of the things we see, if your bite is optimized, you don't get the recession also that you might be getting if you have too much pressure, let's say, in the premolar sites.

[00:34:14.900] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah, that makes sense.

[00:34:16.180] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah. So with the digital technology that exists today, when we do the clear aligners, we can actually look to see where your bite is going to end up and we can make tweaks and also look to see at the wear patterns, you know, over the years by just taking photos and look at the wear patterns of also the gum. Like, how is the gum wearing down as well?

[00:34:39.760] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I love that. Well, we have a full YouTube video on step one, part one of my oral optimization. We kind of went through just a little bit of the consultation that we had. We. I was prepping for my wisdom tooth removal that day, which honestly was so easy, and I'm so excited that it's out. And. Yeah, so you can review the YouTube video if you're interested. And we're going to do another one whenever we get to the aligners. I can't wait to feel like my bite is a little bit wider and more balanced, so I'm not wearing. Wearing anything down unnecessarily.

[00:35:16.020] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah. I'm excited that you're sharing this with everybody because if you would have gone, let's say to a traditional dentist, they would have looked and said, you look fine.

[00:35:28.380] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I know.

[00:35:28.850] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Go home.

[00:35:29.430] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I know, I know.

[00:35:30.670] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

I.

[00:35:30.950] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Trust me, I know. Well, first, if I went to a traditional dentist, I probably would have gotten a dry socket and then I would have some infection. You know, sorry for dentists that may be listening, but if you are a dentist listening, you should maybe consider biological dentistry.

[00:35:43.510] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

But yes. And. And one of the things that I'm starting for the community also, Kayla, is some courses.

[00:35:50.570] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Lovely.

[00:35:51.070] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Because now that I practiced for 20 years and I'm going to continue to practice, I. I want to. I really was thinking about What's. What kind of legacy do I want to leave behind? And I feel like, you know, after 20 years of experience, I look at things maybe differently and really I'm able to put everything together in a way that might be easier for the younger generation of dentists to pick this up. Yeah. Plus, you know, I actually gave a lecture a week ago to a dental community. It was about nutrition and wellness and oral health, and we had a great turnout. And the sad part is, is how many dentists came up to me telling me they're not feeling well.

[00:36:29.800] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:36:30.200] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

That they're sick because they're inhaling all the toxins, you know, from the dental office, and they don't know what to do. A lot of autoimmune issues, brain fog, Parkinson's, from the heavy metal. So, geez, I think I'm not surprised. Yeah. So all the dentists listening to this is not, you know, for your patients, but it's for yourself. You know, just have be healthier and learn and just be more conscious about the things that you choose.

[00:36:54.520] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Absolutely. When it comes to nutrition, I would guess avoid sugar. It's probably good for your teeth. Right. Excess sugar, at least.

[00:37:02.880] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah, that's true. But, you know, you can indulge in a little sugar ones and especially the natural everything, you know, on limitation, like, if you want to have, like, some dark chocolate, it's okay. But yes, the problem with sugar is it's also the form that it comes in. Let's say sticky things. So actually, let's say having some honey or like a sweetened drink is actually not as bad as cookies and crackers that stick to your teeth. That actually will feed the biofilm that's naturally present on the teeth to cause cavities and this acidity in the mouth that can lose. Cause loss of enamel.

[00:37:45.360] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow. I heard something about, though, because I would always brush my teeth right after I finish eating. But I heard something about the enamel is slightly softer after eating, and you should wait. Is there any truth to this?

[00:37:56.280] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

There is some truth to it, but there's only certain foods.

[00:37:58.930] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay. Like, is it like cakes and crackers?

[00:38:02.950] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Cakes and crackers? No, you can actually, if you brush right away, it's the best.

[00:38:06.980] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay.

[00:38:07.400] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Get the sticky food off your teeth the soonest you can.

[00:38:10.470] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah.

[00:38:11.330] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Either, you know, if you're at a restaurant, you can't get up and brush your teeth. You can just take a drink of water and swish it rapidly in the mouth and swallow it. You can do that. But wine, for example, you know, I like to have A glass of red wine once in a while.

[00:38:28.000] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

And not me, but okay.

[00:38:29.930] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah.

[00:38:30.280] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

So.

[00:38:30.710] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So those people out there who actually drink anything acidic, or it could be lemon water. Do not brush your teeth after drinking lemon water for at least 30 minutes.

[00:38:42.950] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

What about steak and vegetables? What if you eat steak?

[00:38:45.410] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Steak and vegetables are no problem.

[00:38:47.110] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay, good.

[00:38:48.060] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes.

[00:38:48.310] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I worried that I was hurting my enamel.

[00:38:51.540] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yeah, no, that's no problem. It's the acidic things. Lemon, limes, fruits, you know, pineapple, for example, or any kind of acidic drinks are a problem. They acidify the mouth or temporarily. The saliva comes in in the next 30 minutes to calm down the acid and remineralize the teeth. For people with dry mouth, they should wait even longer or actually even avoid.

[00:39:20.840] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:39:21.560] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Lemons and limes.

[00:39:22.820] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay.

[00:39:23.450] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Because they don't have the saliva to remineralize the teeth. And who. The people with dry mouth or people from that have some autoimmune issues, like Sjogren's syndrome, for example. Sometimes even as we age, our mouth can get drier. So in order to preserve the teeth, just stay out of the acidic food families.

[00:39:47.540] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Do you have anything else that people need to know about oral health? This is. I mean, this will be an ongoing conversation as we continue to optimize my oral health for longevity. But do you have anything else that you want to add?

[00:40:00.660] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes, I do want to add one thing about sleep optimization.

[00:40:03.990] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Okay, good. I love that.

[00:40:07.150] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Because as we have the CT scans that we do now for as an initial patient exam, we're looking at airway. Airway health and people with sleep apnea. What happens is if you have sleep apnea, you don't get enough oxygen to the brain, and that has a 47% risk of mortality.

[00:40:30.190] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. Wow.

[00:40:31.920] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Good news is your dentist that's doing airway health can help with this. One of the best tools we have today is this night lace treatment that actually treated my mom with. She had moderate sleep apnea. It doesn't involve numbing. This dentist from Florida who's amazing, he developed this technique about eight, nine years ago using a laser. It helps to reshape the back of the throat.

[00:40:57.540] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Wow.

[00:40:58.350] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And people actually sleep better. It opens up the airway with no numbing and no downtime.

[00:41:04.800] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

That's amazing.

[00:41:05.670] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Yes.

[00:41:06.240] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

That's a game changer.

[00:41:07.380] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

It is. Total game changer. I've been using this laser now for a year, and I'm seeing really amazing results. And prior to this, I mean, people wear like, a cpap, which is this mask that goes on, which I think it just brings so Many pathogens, you know, bacteria grows inside of it. So there are some recalls on these CPAP masks and.

[00:41:26.790] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Oh, wow.

[00:41:27.510] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Or the other option would be a surgery to cut out the back of the throat, which is very invasive.

[00:41:34.590] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

That is. Well, that's a game changer. I feel like a. Probably a decent amount of people listening have CPAP or have sleep apnea or know someone that does. So, I mean, so if you're in LA area or California, I mean, Beverly Hills, Dental health and wellness is where I'm going. I just absolutely love coming. It's also, your office is great. You get like ozone water and it's like very, you know, you just feel amazing when you leave.

[00:41:58.180] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

So that's our goal, to get you to feel good and.

[00:42:02.420] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yes.

[00:42:03.070] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

And healthier.

[00:42:03.960] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Yeah. Well, thank you so much for being on.

[00:42:06.590] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

Thank you. Kayla, you remember, the mouth is the gateway to your health.

[00:42:09.730] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

I know it is. So I hope everyone prioritizes that. And yeah, if you're in LA area, then definitely see Dr. Sanda. What is the website that if people are outside of the. Outside of California and they're trying to find a biological dentist.

[00:42:25.880] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

If you're in any state or even outside of the state, there's IAOMT. It's an international association of oral medicine and toxicology. IAOMT.org and you can find a biological dentist in your area.

[00:42:43.890] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

Thank you for sharing that and thank you for being here.

[00:42:46.430] - DR. SANDA MOLDOVAN

My pleasure. Thank you for having me.

[00:42:48.040] - KAYLA BARNES-LENTZ

This podcast is for informational purposes only, and views expressed on this podcast are not medical advice. This podcast, including Kayla Barnes, does not accept responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of the information contained herein. Opinions of their guests are their own, and this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guest qualifications or credibility. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to herein. If you think you have a medical issue, consult a licensed physician.