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"I missed the Montana way of life," she says. Dr. Moore knew she wanted four-year-old Amelia and one-year-old Jacob to be raised in Montana, close to family. "It truly takes a village to raise a family and when you don't have them, you really miss out," she says. "I didn't want my kids to miss out on that." Kyle needed no convincing, and the Moores soon found themselves puing down roots in Great Falls. For Dr. Moore, it was a long-awaited homecoming. "Great Falls still has all those qualities of a traditional Montana town," she explains. "It is true to its roots." Homegrown Dental opened its doors in the Electric City on May 4. Dr. Moore says she "struck gold" with the assistant and dental hygienist she was able to add to the team, and Kyle is managing the entire practice both at the front desk and as the insurance coordinator. e practice booked to near-capacity almost immediately. "We have a great team," Dr. Moore says confidently. "We want patients to feel like family when they walk through the door. I don't want people to leave with any questions and we want people to have a great experience." She also wants her patients to know she is just like them. "I grew up here and I try to be down to earth. I'm a mom. I'm a wife," Dr. Moore says. "e beauty of dentistry is that I get to grow along with my patient's families. Hopefully that resonates with them." URBAN AFFAIRS INTRODUCING S MT TEXT BY HOLLY MATKIN PHOTOGRAPHER JENNY MATTHEWS D SiG MT 16 r. Heather Moore dreamed of becoming a dentist ever since she was eight years old. e Great Falls native grew up hearing her father's stories about her late great-uncle, Dr. Jerry Cady DDS, and those stories inspired her as a child to perform dentistry on her stuffed animals' "teeth" using her various art supplies as dental tools. ey also ultimately led to her earning her DDS at Creighton School of Dentistry in Omaha, Nebraska in 2014. She met her husband, Kyle, while they were both undergrads at Carroll College in Helena. "Kyle absolutely loves Montana," Dr. Moore says of her husband, who hails from Oregon. "Once you're here, it captures you. And when you're away, you realize what you had." Aer her graduating from dental school, Dr. Moore and her husband spent six years living and working in Spokane, Washington. She also became a mother – an experience that kick- started her new family's return to her hometown. Homegrown Care From a Hometown Dentist Dr. Heather Moore and her husband, Kyle, are grateful to be raising their children back in Heather's hometown of Great Falls. Dr. Moore provides expert-level patient care with a mother's touch.

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