A private, doctor-owned practice on Truck House Road. Four dentists, thirteen staff, and most of a working lifetime spent looking after the same Severna Park families.
years in the same town, treating the children of the children we started with.
Since 1978 we have been a private, doctor-owned group practice. That is not a detail of company structure. It is why nobody here is working to somebody else’s quota.
How this practice works
None of them are equipment. Any practice can buy a scanner. These are the parts that took five decades to build.
The problem: dentistry sold as a series of repairs.
We focus on prevention, education and a patient-first policy. Cleanings, routine examinations and oral cancer screening are the appointments that stop the other ones from ever being needed. Digital X-rays cut the radiation of traditional film by more than half, so checking costs you almost nothing.
The problem: practices that quietly specialise in whoever pays best.
As a family practice we take all of it, from a child’s first visit to a full-arch reconstruction. Our doctors and staff live in this area and have watched patients grow up and bring in their own families. Treating the new generation is the part of the job they talk about.
The problem: modern equipment, and nobody trained to use it well.
A state-of-the-art sterilisation centre, digital imaging, soft tissue lasers, and continuing education courses and study groups that the doctors keep attending. Experience and trust have defined us over the years and will continue to.
Dentistry in Severna Park, MD
General, restorative and cosmetic dentistry under one roof, which is the difference between a referral and a conversation across the hallway.
Cleaning, routine examinations, oral cancer screening, sleep devices and mouth guards.
ZOOM in the chair and KoR to take home, for your whitest smile.
Tooth-coloured composite, or silver if you prefer it.
More than 50 percent less radiation than traditional film radiography.
Single or multiple teeth, implant-retained dentures, and teeth-in-a-day cases.
Rebuilding a tooth, spanning a gap, or replacing a full arch.
Shape, colour and alignment addressed together rather than one tooth at a time.
Seeing the plan on screen before anything is done to a tooth.
Root canal treatment, to keep a tooth that would otherwise come out.
Gum disease, caught and controlled. It is the most common reason adults lose teeth.
Pain, a break, or a crown that has come off. Call rather than email, and outside opening hours our patients can reach the answering service.
Cosmetic work
Veneers, bonding, and ZOOM or KoR whitening. What most people actually need is less than what they arrive expecting, and we will tell you that before we quote for it.
Meet your dentists
You will usually see the same dentist each visit, but the four of them share one record and one plan for you, so a question asked on a Tuesday does not need asking again on a Friday. All four took their doctorates at the University of Maryland.
University of Maryland, 1995
Grew up here: Severna Park High School in 1986, and living in the town since 1978. She took her doctorate at the University of Maryland in Baltimore in 1995 after a degree in medical technology, and completed her clerkship in comprehensive care the same year.
Travels with her husband Pete and their boys Wade, Mitch, Will and Quinn. Photography, boating on the river, hiking in Western Maryland.
ADA · AACDS · MSDA · AGD
University of Maryland Dental School
Took an oral surgery clerkship during dental school, then a year-long general practice residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, working on medically compromised patients and complicated treatment plans. He was in private practice in Pasadena before joining us.
His own family were patients here long before he was a dentist here, which is the reason he gives for the standard he holds himself to. Outdoors, wood-working, family.
ADA · AACDS · MSDA
University of Maryland, 2010
Doctorate from the University of Maryland in 2010, then a general practice residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital Network in 2011. She practised in Baltimore until 2013, when she joined this practice on Dr. Cheskis' retirement. Before dentistry: a research laboratory, and a master's in biotechnology at Johns Hopkins.
A native of Connecticut, in Maryland since 2001 and in Severna Park with her husband, their son Harrison and daughter Augusta. Running, reading, travelling.
ADA · AACDS · MSDA · AGD
University of Maryland, 2007
Doctorate from the University of Maryland in 2007 with an oral surgery clerkship, followed by a year-long residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry. He practised in Athens, Georgia for three years and in Catonsville for six before joining the practice in 2017.
A native New Yorker, now in Arnold with his wife and three daughters. Most weekends he is on the sideline of one of their games.
ADA · AACDS · MSDA
The practice has been here since 1978 because three dentists spent their careers making it worth keeping.
The rest of the practice
Most of your time here is not spent with a dentist. It is spent with these three groups, and several of them have been here long enough to remember your last address.
Mary, Kathleen, Sarah and Cindy
The voices on the phone, and the people who sort out your insurance before you ever sit down.
Emily, Christy, Christina and Katrina
Most of your time here is with them. Several have been cleaning the same families' teeth for over a decade.
Adrienne, Heather, Robin and Zenda
Chairside for every procedure, and the reason a long appointment does not feel like one.
Recognition
We are proud to have been named in What’s Up? Annapolis best dentists, Capital Newspapers best dentists and Chesapeake Family best dentists.
In the community
Over the years we have given time and resources to the organisations our own children grew up in.
Happy patients
Reproduced word for word, from the practice’s own site and from Yelp.
★★★★★They aren't even slightly arrogant, and I'm confident they always have my best interest at heart. They made sure every single question I had was answered. It's always bugged me when other dentists I've visited didn't take the time to really examine my teeth. I didn't encounter that here at all. I'm never nervous about starting a procedure.Lydia U.Patient review
★★★★★I had a large filling fall out. My dentist, who I have had for many years, was unable to fit me into his schedule for a week. I called The Tooth Place and they fit me in the next day. They quickly and painlessly put a temporary filling on my tooth. I would recommend The Tooth Place to everyone.Andrea L.Patient review
★★★★★They've never pressured me to get dental procedures I don't need. The doctors are always up to date on the newest procedures and do not hesitate to refer a patient if that may be best for them. Every time I come here they remember me by name, even if it's been months since my last appointment.SabarkiePatient review
★★★★★They were one of the kindest, most caring staff I've ever dealt with. It didn't matter how many times I called with a question or concern, they were always happy to help me. They are so warm and professional, and make the whole experience that much better.ostara1Patient review
★★★★★Dr. Stacey Russell is the best dentist I have experienced. She is very competent, up on latest dental issues, thorough but gentle and treats the whole patient.Hbwoolly W.Yelp review, January 2017
New patients, and emergencies
Print the two forms below and fill them in before you come, and the first appointment starts on time. If something has broken or hurts, call rather than email and we will find you a slot.
After-hours emergency numbers for our patients are available through the answering service.
Print, complete and sign. Bring them with you on the first visit.
These open as PDFs. You will need a PDF reader to fill them in on screen.
Settle an invoice without calling the office or posting a cheque.
Make a PaymentInsurance
We accept the majority of PPO and conventional dental insurance plans. We do not accept HMOs or DMOs. A partial list of the carriers we accept is below. If yours is not on it, call us and we will check.
Not sure what your plan covers? Call (410) 647-4269 with your card and we will find out before you book.
Common questions
We accept the majority of PPO and conventional dental plans, and we file the claim for you. We do not accept HMOs or DMOs. Because plans differ even within one carrier, the honest answer needs your specific policy, so call the office with your card and we will check it before you book.
No, and it is more common than you would think. Tell us when you call. The first visit is an examination and a conversation, not a lecture and not treatment.
A full examination, digital X-rays where they change the plan, an oral cancer screening and a look at your gums. Bring the consent form and medical history filled in and it saves you fifteen minutes in the waiting room.
We are open until 7:00 pm on Wednesday. For anything urgent outside opening hours, our patients can reach after-hours emergency numbers through the answering service.
Yes. This is a family practice and always has been. A lot of our patients first came in as children and now bring their own.
Online through our payment portal, or at the desk on your way out. The office policies form sets out how billing and cancellations work.
Visit us
We reply the same working day. If it is urgent, please phone (410) 647-4269 instead.