Dental Hygiene Tips with Dr. Liangkai Weng and Dr. Nina-Cecilia Santos from Dental Designs of White Marsh

The two doctors from Dental Designs of White Marsh share their personal routine for taking care of their teeth and explain how they make their practice stand out in a competitive field.

P: Tell us a little bit about yourself

Dr. Santos: I was born in the Philippines and immigrated with my parents and my older sister when I was just 5 years old. I attended Joppa View Elementary, Perry Hall Middle, and Perry Hall High school before finishing college at University of Maryland College Park. I finished my graduate degree at UMBC in Biotechnology before heading to University of Maryland School of Dentistry for my doctorate degree. In my spare time I enjoy traveling, arts/crafts, crossfit, workouts and trying new foods.

Dr. Weng: I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA where I lived until I finished high school. I moved to Maryland to attend University of Maryland College Park, going on to attend University of Maryland School of Dentistry immediately thereafter. Having spent so many years in Maryland, I decided that I loved it too much to move back, so here I am! I enjoy weight lifting, trying new craft beers, watching football, and spending time with my dog Oscar.

P: What is your morning routine?

Dr. Santos: I generally like to workout most mornings, so I’ll have a banana and a cup of water, then head straight to the gym. After a quick shower, I head over to the office. Usually, I find myself being a speedy gonzalez because my commute to work is 40min and I have to beat the traffic!

Dr. Weng: I tend to stay up pretty late, so I generally cherish those last few minutes of zzzs I get in the morning. As a bit of a health nut, every morning I make myself a protein shake with peanut butter, flaxseed, and hemp hearts. Then I’ll pack lunch for Oscar and I, then bring him to doggie day care on most days of the week.

P: How are you involved in the community?

Dr. Santos: Both Dr. Weng and I grew up in the Perry Hall/White Marsh area. I myself spent most of my time in school here. When I was younger I was in the Perry Hall Marching Band, we participated in a lot of the community events for holiday parades. Now that we’ve both started working in the area we participate actively with the community by writing for The Avenue, our articles with the patch of course, and you’ll find us at the Town fair this November 14th at the Crossroads of 95. We both hold several causes dear to our hearts and volunteer at events for TeamSmile and Mission of Mercy, which provides free dental care for underserved children and adults, support domestic violence awareness, and participate with the Leukemia and Lymphoma society for annual fundraisers. Currently we are partnering up with Operation Gratitude to do a Halloween candy buy back! The candy that gets donated to our office gets placed in care packages for our troops overseas, with toothbrushes of course!

P: If you had to recommend three books what would they be and why?

Dr. Santos: I would have to say A Purpose Driven Life, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and Pride and Prejudice. I enjoyed A Purpose Driven Life because it allowed me to take a spiritual journey of my own, giving me a blueprint and a focus for living my life day to day. Lord of the Rings Trilogy because who doesn’t enjoy a fantasy read? Especially ones that teach the importance of friendship, loyalty, and honesty. Lastly, Pride and Prejudice, because everyone needs a good romance novel!

Dr. Weng: These days I stick mostly to online publications. I like to catch up on the news and with the upcoming election, there’s always plenty to read. If I had to pick a few favorite books, they would be Wind-up Bird Chronicle from Haruki Murakami, 2666 from Roberto Bolano, and House of Leaves from Mark Z. Danielewski.

P: What foods or drinks should people avoid to avoid tooth decay?

There are really 5 main categories of foods you want to stay away from!

-Hard or chewy candies that stay in your mouth for an extended period of time

-Refined carbohydrates like pastas, breads, crackers, or chips

-Carbonated soda drinks, especially the full sugar versions

-Fruit juices

-Acidic foods like lemons or other citrus fruits

P: What is your own routine for taking care of your teeth?

Both of us follow an identical procedure that we’ve determined through many years of trial and error, as well as sampling many of the products our vendors send us. We both brush twice a day using a Sonicare Diamond Clean electric brush with Colgate Total, we use Oral-B Glide ribbon floss, and follow up with a fluoridated mouthwash once a week. After a heavy lunch we’ll often freshen up with Listerine or BreathRX mouthwash.

P: What made you want to pursue a career in dentistry?

Dr. Santos: My parents for years suffered from lack of quality dental care coming from the Philippines. Both of them are in the medical field, my father a doctor and my mother a nurse. I always knew from a young age I would be going into a healthcare field. During college I took my MCAT thinking I wanted to go into medicine, but I shadowed at a dental practice and then worked as a dental assistant during the time I was in my graduate program. I fell in love with the field. I can’t think of many careers that combine healthcare, artistry, and engineering, with a strong social aspect. I like to get to know my patients and have them become part of my family, dentistry is a career that allows me to do that.

Dr. Weng: I’ve always had a love for automobiles and wanted to be a mechanic initially, most of my friends from my early years were gearheads and we’d love to wrench on our Civics and Corrolla’s when we were young. I had always liked working with my hands. Like Dr. Santos, both my parents are in healthcare as well, and they encouraged me to pursue a career in that direction. And in many ways, dentistry is very similar to working on cars. There are a lot of small parts that you have to get working together. It’s like solving a puzzle everyday, and it is exciting! It’s tough to find a career that can keep you engaged as much as dentistry does for me.

P: What services does your practice offer?

We offer a full assortment of family and cosmetic dental services. All minor and major restorative work can be done here, as well as beautiful porcelain cosmetic cases, and routine hygiene appointments with our fantastic hygienists Janet Zeller RDH and Aileen Sweren RDH. Being that this is a new practice, we also have CEREC single-visit crowns, botox and dermafiller, sedation dentistry, and in-house implant placements on the horizon.

P: You’re not the only person in this business. How do you distinguish yourself from the others?

We started Dental Designs of White Marsh to give the community a brand new dental experience, with our aim to treat people the way they would want to be treated.

We believe that patient education is the foundation to all aspects of the dental experience. From providing our patients with a variety of amenities to make their visit more pleasant, to being dedicated to spending time with every patient to explore their wants and needs. We want to nurture a compassionate and trusting environment for each and every person that steps in our door.

Just like no two people are alike, no two dental treatments are alike. We value our patients’ input in creating a personalized plan for their health. We think this focus on patient centered care helps to build trust and understanding with our patients, two of the most important things in successful dentistry.

P: What are the top three things readers can do to help protect their teeth?

1. Brush at least 2x a day for 2 minutes with a fluoridated toothpaste and floss at least 1x a day
2. Reduce the intake of high carbohydrate and sugary foods
3. See your dentist for regular hygiene appointments and x-rays every 6months!

P: How can readers contact you?

We try to be as accessible as possible. You can reach us by calling the office at 410-931-9400 or through our website at www.dentaldesignsofwhitemarsh.com.

We also encourage our patients to like us on Facebook to be eligible for exclusive contests, coupons, and news about the latest happenings at the practice.