How can we help you?
At the Vinton, VA dental office of Dr. Zachary Law, we strive to keep our patients educated and informed about the importance of proper oral health habits. We've found that patients who are well-informed and feel confident in their knowledge about their oral health have better outcomes, and we know that you want the best results possible from your dental care.
Your questions are important to us, and no question is ever too small. We are happy to answer your questions about our practice, the services we provide, your home-care routine, or dentistry in general.
We will take the time to explain the benefits of our services to help you make appropriate decisions about your oral health care. For your convenience, we've listed a few of the questions we hear most often from our patients, but please don't hesitate to contact our office at (540) 342-4945 if your question isn't listed here or you would like more information. A helpful member of our team will be happy to help you get the answers you need.
We are here to help, and we look forward to hearing from you!
Kids' Dentistry
Yes, we see children of any age. Our whole team enjoys working with children and making sure that they get off to a positive start with their dental care. We know that kids are not “little adults” and that they need to be treated with gentle care and understanding.
We recommend that you schedule your child’s first visit to our office around the age of two or three, or when all their baby teeth have come in. We will do a visual exam at that time, but the main purpose of the first visit is to get your child used to being around our team and to experience being in our office environment.
As your child gets older, we recommend that you schedule regular appointments so that we can make sure their teeth are developing properly. Scheduling regular dental exams and cleanings also helps to get your child used to the idea that visiting the dentist is not something to be afraid of.
As parents, you should also feel confident knowing that your kids are getting the highest-quality care available. We will always discuss any recommended treatment with you and answer your questions so that you know exactly what to expect.
It is very important to preserve your child’s baby teeth whenever possible. This may come as a surprise since you know the teeth will eventually be lost anyway.
Of course, baby teeth help your child speak and chew properly, but they are also essential for the proper development of your child’s permanent teeth. If a cavity develops in a baby tooth, we need to fill it to keep it healthy until the tooth falls out naturally.
Think of baby teeth as placeholders that hold a space in the gum so that permanent teeth can develop properly. So, losing a baby tooth before it’s time can affect permanent teeth that are already growing in the gums.
When the tooth is gone, surrounding baby teeth will begin to drift into the empty space. You can imagine that when this occurs, the second teeth have nowhere to erupt properly. This can lead to misaligned or crowded teeth, and the potential for costly orthodontic treatment in the future.
The best approach is to make sure your child has a healthy diet and to schedule exams at our Vinton dental office as soon as your child has all their baby teeth. That way we can keep an eye on their development and detect problems while they’re still easy to fix.
Fluoride is essential for helping to protect your child’s teeth and keeping them healthy. While fluoride treatments alone are not enough to provide your child with complete protection from cavities, they are an important part of the service we provide at our dental office in Vinton.
Most of us get enough fluoride from public water supplies and the foods we eat. But sometimes the amounts available are not sufficient to protect your child’s teeth from decay. Only Dr. Law or one of our hygienists can determine if your child needs additional fluoride treatments.
It is very important to be proactive with your child’s oral health care. Baby teeth are critical for the development of healthy permanent teeth, and we need to do everything we can to protect them. If your child loses a tooth too early, it can affect the development of permanent teeth.
That is why we recommend regular dental visits, even when your child only has their baby teeth. After all, what better gift can you give your child than a head start on a lifetime of good oral health?
We’re here to help make sure that happens, and we look forward to working with your child. Dr. Law and our team are parents, too, and you can be sure we will keep your child feeling happy and secure during treatment. Please phone our dental office in Vinton to arrange a convenient appointment for your child.
We recommend that you bring your child’s first visit to our Vinton dental office occur by age three, or as soon as they have all their baby teeth.
It is critical to your child’s future oral health that we start them off with regular dental visits. We want your child to have a positive feeling about seeing the dentist, and the purpose of the first few visits is to allow your child get used to us and their new surroundings.
Once we’ve established a friendly relationship with your child, we will start to perform more in-depth exams. This lets us monitor the progress of their development and also helps us detect any small problems. The sooner we catch and correct these problems, the better your child’s chance of having healthy teeth.
We know that your child’s dental visits can be stressful as you worry about how they’re going to respond. You can rest assured that Dr. Law and our entire dental team are sensitive to your child’s unique needs. We will do everything possible to put you and your child both at ease during your visit.
If you would like to get your child started on the road to excellent oral health, please contact our Vinton dental office. We will be happy to help you schedule that all-important first visit.
We recommend scheduling your child’s first visit to our Vinton dental office as soon as their baby teeth start to erupt, on or before their first birthday. If this seems too soon to you, you should know that the reason is that we need to start their oral health care as soon as possible to avoid problems in the future.
Your children’s baby teeth may not seem very important since they will lose them eventually anyway. But it’s their first teeth act as placeholders for the child’s permanent teeth. It is essential to your child’s oral health that baby teeth are strong and healthy.
If your child does develop a cavity in a baby tooth, Dr. Law needs to fill it as soon as possible to prevent further decay and possible tooth loss. Losing a baby tooth prematurely can put your child’s future oral health at risk because the proper development of their permanent teeth depends on healthy baby teeth.
Dr. Law knows that your child needs specialized care, and will do everything necessary to put you and your child at ease. It’s important that your child learn to view dental visits as a positive event. We want your child to learn to enjoy dental visits so that they feel good about seeing the dentist and taking care of their teeth.
Please contact our Vinton dental office, and a member of our caring professional team will be happy to make an appointment for your child’s very important first visit!
When treating children at our dental office in Vinton, Dr. Law’s goal is to use every preventive treatment at his disposal to protect their teeth from decay. Dental sealants are one of the important services we offer that help us make sure that your child’s teeth start off healthy and stay that way.
A dental sealant is a thin coating of plastic that is applied to the chewing surfaces of your child’s teeth. Sealants are predominantly used on molars or teeth that have deep pits, grooves, and fissures (small cracks.) The sealant acts as a protective barrier from bacteria that can collect on your child’s teeth and cause cavities.
We need to be proactive with your child’s oral health from an early age. This is the best way to help them enjoy the benefit of strong, healthy teeth that last a lifetime. Our kids are truly lucky to have been born at a time when we can combine our wealth of knowledge with dental treatments that prevent serious oral health problems from developing in the future.
If you would like more information about the benefits of dental sealants or other preventive treatments, please contact our Vinton dental office to arrange a convenient appointment.