Preventive Dentistry Owings Mills

Dental Checkups & Cleanings

Here’s an easy question: what’s the simplest yet probably most important aspect of your dental care at Diamond Dental of Owings Mills? That’s right—the routine dental checkup and cleaning. Why? With these regularly scheduled appointments, Dr. Monica Mattson and her dedicated team of dental hygienists and dental assistants can closely monitor your oral health and quickly react to any concerning changes.

In keeping with the recommendation of the American Dental Association, we’d like to see you and each member of your family twice a year. When you come to our office for the dental checkup Owings Mills trusts most, we’ll begin by talking to you. A vital part of a checkup is hearing from you; we can learn a lot from what you tell us about your oral health and overall well-being. From there, we’ll get to work cleaning, polishing, assessing, and screening. Our dental hygienists will thoroughly clean each one of your teeth, taking great care to give attention to all of the surfaces.

In addition, we will assess the health of your gums. Periodontitis, or gum disease, is a common and serious condition. The signs include:

• Red, sensitive, and swollen gums
• Bleeding gums
• Bad breath
• Loose teeth, or teeth that have shifted away from their usual place

Left untreated, this bacterial infection can ultimately lead to tooth loss, as well as other bodily ailments that can jeopardize your overall health, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and even premature birth. Therefore, the need to find and arrest the advance of gum disease is a critical part of a checkup.

A precursor of gum disease is plaque, that sticky film that builds up on your teeth and easily traps bacteria. So, in addition to giving your teeth a good cleaning, a dental hygienist will also carefully remove this plaque as well as any tartar, which is plaque that has hardened.

Nightguards for Bruxism

When we’re examining your smile, we may find that your teeth have been flattened and that your enamel is more worn down than it should be. These symptoms can often be a result of bruxism, a condition that causes you to grind and clench your teeth at night. Fortunately, we can help you protect your smile from further bruxism-related damage by giving you a protective nightguard, which will ensure that the upper and lower rows of teeth won’t make direct contact with each other while you’re slumbering.

Nitrous Oxide

We know that plenty of people are nervous when they first step foot in a dental office, and we want to help you put any worries you might have to rest so that they don’t get in the way of important treatments. As such, we encourage anxious patients to ask about having nitrous oxide sedation administered. Nitrous oxide keeps you in a relaxed state, and it will wear off quickly once your treatment is complete, so you will be able to drive yourself home.

Learn More About Nitrous Oxide

Sleep Apnea Treatment

Snoring can be a nuisance for others, but it can also be a warning sign for sleep apnea, which is a dangerous disorder where your breathing repeatedly stops and restarts while you’re asleep. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, we may be able to help you reduce your symptoms with a Silent Nite oral appliance. When you wear this appliance at night, it will move your lower jaw forward, which lowers the risk of the airway collapsing and interrupting your breathing.

Learn More About Sleep Apnea Treatment