By Laura Tayman,
“Suburban Scene” (Crofton, Odenton, Gambrills, MD), April 2009 
While many clients and professionals consider dentistry to be just “filling and drilling,” Dr. Olga Baczara considers her job to be that of detective and artist as well.
“We think of dentistry as art,” Dr. Baczara explained of her practice. “We craft beautiful and natural smiles, as well as restore health, self-confidence, and comfort.”
Dr. Baczara, a local resident, is moving into her new office in the Village at Waugh Chapel medical building this month. For her, it is her dream, to be surrounded by the latest technology that will enable her to provide the kinds of services that truly alleviate chronic dental problems instead of just providing “band-aid” solutions.
When she first graduated dental school, she began her practice as others do, fixing dental problems that are ongoing. That is until she began learning about the new research and techniques used by only a small percentage of dentists in the country who were making extraordinary strides toward providing chronic patients with complete dental health.
In many patients, the top and bottom rows of teeth do not fit together properly causing teeth to slide around and bang into each other during tooth grinding that results in protective muscle contraction and pain. As a result, not only does a person experience flattened, mobile, or sensitive teeth, but also receding gums, changes in the bite, jaw and neck, muscle tension, TMJ pain and pops, or even frequent headaches and depression. This is called occlusal disease.
In the past, dentists have only treated the broken damaged teeth and not addressed the bigger picture, which leads to more problems in the future that can also undermine the success of past dental treatment. However, some specially trained dentists across the country, including Dr. Baczara, now have the ability to diagnose, prevent, and treat those problems before they cause more damage and pain.
”When evaluating your dental health, we try to understand and investigate how the teeth evolved to their present condition,” Dr. Baczara explained. “This helps us to prevent dental work failure, since our goal is preventing a disease rather than waiting and treating it after it occurs.
” This effort can take weeks, months, perhaps even years. Dr. Baczara works together with trained orthodontists, oral surgeons, and periodontists to achieve the desired results.
“Sometimes we have to use braces, other times we have to change the shape or length of certain teeth, depending on each case,” she said. “I do whatever it takes to make sure the bite is cured.
” While the process can be expensive and usually not covered by dental insurance, Dr. Baczara said that, as in purchasing any item, you get what you pay for.
“Often damaged teeth are capped, removed and replaced, or refilled. But that’s usually only a quick fix. The problem still remains, so it’s only a matter of time before the teeth begin to deteriorate again. Then you’re back in the dentist’s chair getting another root canal or having a crown repaired,” she explained.
In the end, her goal is to alleviate your pain through ending the condition that causes the pain to continue.
“We devote ourselves to improving our client’s quality of life, self confidence, and health. We accomplish this through continued learning, on-going advanced training, and incorporating the latest technology in our practice,” she explained. “We believe in building relationships based on trust and mutual understanding. Our patients become our friends.”
“Sometimes we have to use braces, other times we have to change the shape or length of certain teeth, depending on each case,” she said. “I do whatever it takes to make sure my patients are comfortable and happy with their new beautiful smile.”