About Our Diagnostic Dental Procedures, Dental Exams and Services

Digital X-Rays

Your oral health can significantly affect your overall health. Likewise, your overall health can affect your teeth, gums and bone. We use a variety of diagnostic tools to ensure that we see the whole picture in order to give you the best clinical treatment possible. We are always looking for ways to improve our technology for the benefit of our patients. Our digital x-rays allow us to offer you up to 70% less radiation exposure compared with traditional x-rays, safeguarding your health and providing a better medium for viewing and accurate diagnosis. 

We can rotate the digital images, magnify them, adjust for contrast, and even color code your x-ray for educational and diagnostic purposes. Since we can save these digital images as a computer file, we can share them easily with specialists via email to maintain your privacy. Digital x-rays are also better for the environment because we have eliminated the film, chemicals and disposal fees associated with traditional x-rays. The most tangible benefit for our patients is that digital x-rays are not only safer, but enable immediate diagnostics, so you will know your findings before you finish your appointment!

Attention to detail and concern for her patients’ wellbeing is what makes Dr. Chincheck one of the best dentists Timonium has to offer.

ViziLite Plus Oral Cancer Detection

As part of our philosophy to provide complete health exams to our patients, we are proud to offer the industry leading VizLite Plus Oral Cancer Detection Exam. Combining an annual ViziLite Plus exam with a regular visual examination provides a comprehensive oral screening procedure for patients at increased risk for oral cancer. The ViziLite Plus exam is painless and fast, and could help save your life!

In the United States, one person dies every hour from oral cancer - a death rate that has remained virtually unchanged for more than 40 years. In fact, recent statistics published by the American Cancer Society indicate that although the incidence and death rates for cancers overall has decreased, the incidence of oral cancer has increased by 5.5% and the death rate has increased by 1.5%.

The reason for the high fatality rate of oral cancer is that many people neglect dental care, meaning the cancer remains undiscovered until it is in the late stages of development. Early detection and diagnosis can make a tremendous difference in life expectancy, as oral cancer is 90% curable when found in its early stages.

A ViziLite Plus exam takes only a few minutes when performed immediately following a regular visual examination, and is completely painless. The four-step procedure includes:
    * Rinsing with a cleansing solution
    * Dimming the overhead lighting
    * Examining your mouth using ViziLite Plus (a specially designed, 100% safe light technology)
    * Marking suspicious lesions (if any) with T-Blue630, a blue dye, and documenting them

Dr. Chincheck is one of the few Lutherville dentists currently offering this life-saving technology.

Preventive Hygiene

Your oral health can be kept at optimal level by maintaining a regular schedule of preventive hygiene appointments. Conservative estimates show that up to 80 percent of the American population has some form of gum disease. For most people, simply brushing and flossing at home is not enough to keep teeth and gums in excellent condition. Regular visits with our hygiene team (every 3, 4, or 6 months) are crucial to your dental health. We can keep you apprised of oral health updates, educate you on proper brushing and flossing techniques, and help you maintain ideal periodontal health.

However, your preventive hygiene appointment is much more than 'just a cleaning.' Removing plaque and calculus from above and below the gumline is just a small part of what your preventive hygiene appointment is designed to provide. Targeted and specific systemic diseases (including heart disease and diabetes) have signs and symptoms that appear in the mouth first. We monitor for evidence of these and other diseases and inform our patients quickly if we find suspicious conditions. This protects your health by serving as an early warning system if a condition begins to develop.

DIAGNOdent Early Cavity Detection

Finding out you have a cavity can really put a damper on your day - but the alternative is having a cavity that grows larger and being unaware! Our DIAGNOdent Early Cavity Detection system has become one of our most popular pieces of technology. Without taking an x-ray or scratching your tooth with a probe, we can "see" inside your tooth to determine (with 90% accuracy) if an early area of decay is forming.

While x-rays can reveal cavities located between teeth or on the roots, DIAGNOdent is capable of detecting caries on a tooth’s biting surface even before they are visible to the naked eye. The technology finds potential cavities in the very early stages of development by measuring the laser fluorescence within the tooth structure. Before this technology, an undetectable area of decay could easily destroy the tooth from the inside out, before the cavity was ever visible with x-rays.

With DIAGNOdent, even very small lesions are detected at the earliest stage, enabling us to eliminate decay and protect and preserve your teeth for a lifetime. Since the decay is detected early before much damage is done, the number of required dental procedures, the time spent at our office, and the cost incurred can all often be reduced. The DIAGNOdent is a great way to keep little problems from becoming big ones - and best of all, it’s completely painless!

Dr. Chincheck is a leader in providing this service to her patients.

Complete Health Exams

Since your oral health and your overall health are inextricably linked, we conduct complete health exams including an initial interview in our comfortable consultation room. Many of our patients are amazed that Dr. Chincheck takes so much time to talk with them about their health issues - in some cases, even longer than their personal doctor ever does! That’s because we believe that your overall health, medications, exercise and eating habits impact your dental health and vice versa. Knowing your whole ‘patient story’ as opposed to ‘just your teeth’ helps us deliver the best care possible!

Laser Dentistry

There is a lot of buzz about "drill-less" or "painless" dentistry, causing many patients to ask about these options and if they can be treated without drills or pain. These terms refer to the two most appreciated benefits of laser dentistry, which we perform in the comfort of our offices.  If you consider yourself an anxious dental patient and want both extreme safety and comfort, laser dentistry is for you. Some of the benefits of laser dentistry include:

• Certain laser dentistry procedures do not require anesthesia, making the laser particularly appealing for pediatric use.
• Laser dentistry minimizes bleeding for gum contouring procedures because the high-energy light beam aids in the clotting (coagulation) of exposed blood vessels, inhibiting blood loss
• The high-energy laser beam sterilizes the area being worked on
• Damage to surrounding tissue is minimized
• Affected areas heal faster and tissues can be regenerated
• Not using anesthesia can allow us to perform what used to be multi-visit procedures in just a single appointment

While laser dentistry may not be appropriate for every appointment, make sure you ask us how we can incorporate it into your next procedure.

Patient Care and Comfort (relaxing environment/patient amenities)

Our facility received a complete update in April of 2010. We take pride in the atmosphere our patients are treated in, and are committed to having office space and treatment rooms that present a relaxing, non-clinical environment. We have utilized warm earth tones, relaxing colors, natural lighting, smooth jazz music and understated, pleasant aromas to create a soothing, uncluttered environment.

The open layout of our reception area allows our staff to communicate and interact easily with our patients without the cold, impersonal feel of a glassed in sign in counter. Our private consultation room allows Dr. Chincheck to consult with patients in a non-clinical setting, and each treatment room is designed with a focus on patient relaxation and comfort to reduce anxiety. Patients are offered warm blankets during their visit, and warm towels and juice after their appointment.

For those who prefer a Lutherville female dentist, Dr. Chincheck is the obvious choice. Her gentle hands and advanced knowledge make even the most anxious of patients feel at ease.

Digital Impressions

One of the top things patients dislike about dental visits is impressions for their crown and veneer work. Dr. Chincheck uses a state of the art iTero digital impression system, meaning no more messy goop, putty or uncomfortable trays. The digital system allows patients to be more involved in understanding their treatment, and reduces the anxiety some experience with the traditional impression trays full of material. Digital impression scans take less time than traditional dental impressions, and deliver a higher quality end-product. Dr. Chincheck is one of the very few dentists in the region hat has invested in this digital technology and is thrilled with the results she delivers because of it. Why accept a compromised fit when you can have digital? Click to watch the video

Email and Text Reminders

We know you have a busy life, and worrying about remembering your next appointment can add unneeded stress. Our office provides reminders by email that allows you to confirm with the click of a mouse, or we can send you a convenient text message depending on your personal preference. Our patients love these high-tech reminders that they can access at their convenience.