A native of Daleville, VA, Dr. Ben McDonald earned his BS from the College of William and Mary, majoring in kinesiology and health sciences and minoring in biochemistry. Seeking a career that would allow him the opportunity to work with his hands and solve problems, he went on to earn his DDS from the VCU School of Dentistry.

To further his knowledge and stay on top of developments in dental technology and techniques, he holds memberships in the American Dental Association, the Virginia Dental Association, the Roanoke Valley Dental Society, and the Christian Medical and Dental Association.

I love getting the chance to wake up every day and help people have a healthier smile. I enjoy getting to know each patient and tailoring their treatment according to their needs and goals. Everyone is different, and we all have different ideas of what our ideal smile is. Dr. Ben McDonald

Dr. Kate McDonald was born in Illinois in the suburbs of Chicago before moving to Apex, NC, where she was raised. She attended Virginia Tech, earning a BS in biological sciences, a Minor in Music, and was a member of the band, the Marching Virginians. Dentistry called to her with its opportunities for patient interaction, relationship building, and artistry, leading her to earn her DDS from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry.

Continuing education is important to Dr. Kate, and her professional memberships help her deliver up-to-date dentistry to the people in her care. These memberships include the American Dental Association, the Virginia Dental Association, the Roanoke Valley Dental Society, and the Christian Medical and Dental Association.

Outside of the office, Dr. Kate enjoys hiking, biking, sewing, cooking, and relaxing with her cat, Zoey. She is also learning how to golf and makes trips to Blacksburg for Hokie football games with her family and friends.

'When looking for a new dentist I was hoping to find someone who was gentle and knowledgeable. Dr. Kate McDonald is the perfect match for my family. She gently and thoroughly cleans my teeth while carefully looking for any problems. Dr. McDonald also quickly established a trusting relationship with my daughter at one year old and has continued to care and clean for her teeth ever since. We feel confident in the dental care we receive in this office!'

These are a selection of some common questions that patients have. If your question isn't answered here, please contact our office. It's important to us that our patients understand their dental care.

Even with excellent hygiene habits, it's easy to miss small areas of your teeth. Over time, the missed plaque will harden into tartar, which can only be removed with a dental hygienist's tools. When tartar accumulates beneath the gumline, the end result is red, puffy, inflamed gums the beginnings of periodontal disease.

Examinations are an important opportunity for us to check in with you, see how you are doing, and make sure that your teeth are healthy. We want to catch problems when they are small and can be treated easily. This allows for more comfortable and less costly dentistry for you.

X-rays are a dentist's most important diagnostic tool. Often, problems start inside your teeth or beneath the gumline. By the time the problem is visible to the naked eye, it can be painful and more difficult to treat. Using x-rays taken on a regular basis, we can catch problems early and treat them quickly and comfortably.

A dental bridge is a solution for filling the space left by a missing tooth. It is basically a single dental restoration that usually includes two dental crowns and a replacement tooth (pontic) that fills the empty space. The dental crowns are secured to adjacent teeth on either side of the empty space and provide support for the artificial tooth.

Modern dental materials and technology have dramatically improved the appearance of dental crowns and bridges. The porcelain used in todays crowns and bridges can be color-matched to blend perfectly with the shade of your natural teeth.

Dental bonding is one of the most affordable cosmetic treatments available. Because it is non-invasive, requires less prep work on your tooth, and eliminates the need for a dental lab, it is often a great choice for many of our patients.

At first, your dentist may recommend that you wear your dentures to sleep. This will speed up your mouths adjustment to the dentures and allow you to quickly detect and correct any spots where the fit is uncomfortable. After your mouth has adjusted to the dentures, they may be worn throughout the day and removed while you sleep.

When you first get your dentures, you will need to start with soft foods and slowly introduce harder foods as you get used to biting and chewing with the dentures in. Chew gently and take smaller bites to avoid loosening the dentures as you eat.

It will take your mouth some time to get used to the feel of dentures. After a few months, however, you will feel comfortable eating and talking with your dentures in and experience little to no soreness or discomfort. If you ever do experience soreness or if your dentures arent fitting right, please let us know.

Many of our health-conscious patients are curious about the necessity of dental x-rays because they are concerned about radiation exposure. We understand, and we are here to help you make the best choices for your smile.

Digital dental x-rays are extremely safe andreduce radiation emission by up to 80 percent over traditional dental x-rays. That may mean little to you at first, but it may help to know that dental x-rays have always emitted considerably less radiation than nearly all other types of medical x-rays.

Digital dental x-rays are also superior because they are more convenient we have an instant image that appears on our treatment room monitors for immediate evaluation by our dentist. We store these images securely in your digital chart and can access them quickly to monitor oral health changes that occur over time.

While our dentists can diagnose many conditions with a visual exam, we cannot always see what is happening beneath your protective tooth enamel or below your gumline. Digital dental x-rays make this possible and allow us to make an earlier diagnosis, potentially saving you time and money and allowing us to treat conditions before they become critical or painful.

By offering digital dental x-rays, we have significantly improved the safety of the care we provide. Digital dental x-rays emit up to 80 percent less radiation than traditional x-rays and give us instant access to high-resolution images for proper diagnosis of conditions such as bone loss, decay, and infection.

The cost of dental x-rays is low compared to complex restorative dentistry, making them a good investment in your oral health and the appearance of your smile. Without them, we would only have part of the story when it comes to your health, and the rest would be left to chance.

As with all dental treatment, we personalize your dentistry to meet your health needs and will make recommendations designed to keep you healthy and comfortable. According to the ADA, for most patients, yearly x-rays are enough to evaluate your teeth, bone, and gums and identify any conditions that put your oral health at risk.

If you suffer from gum disease (periodontal disease) or you have a history of losing teeth, we may recommend x-rays more frequently. Conversely, if you do not have significant dentistry or a history of tooth decay, we may be able to schedule x-rays every two years if you remain healthy.

Every patient is different, and the timelines listed above are a generalization based on averages. We will adjust your x-ray recall schedule to ensure you always have up-to-date information regarding your oral health.

We are in the business of protecting teeth. When we recommend a dental extraction, it is only because no other option exists and we need to remove your tooth to relieve symptoms or to protect your oral health.

A dental extraction is not the end of the world, though it does create some concerns for our patients. We are here to help. While you may have some anxiety about your dental extraction, we always strive to provide gentle, comfortable treatment by using appropriate levels of anesthetic to make sure you dont feel any pain.

Dental extractions are sometimes avoidable with preventive and restorative dentistry. If you notice something is wrong or if you feel any symptoms, including pain or swelling, contact us right away. Acting fast will often give us the opportunity to save your tooth.

A dental extraction poses many questions regarding the future of your smile and your oral health. Unless you have a wisdom tooth extracted, we recommend replacing a missing tooth. This will prevent your teeth from shifting and causing additional problems with your oral health. When your teeth shift, it can expose roots and cause problems with your bite. When you replace a missing tooth, you prevent the shifting that occurs with tooth loss.

Partial denture If you are missing multiple teeth, we can replace multiple teeth at once with a partial denture. Partial dentures come in either a metal base or a lightweight acrylic base. We will discuss which option will work best for you.

Complete denture If you are facing dental extractions of all of your teeth on your upper or lower arch, a complete denture will replace all of your teeth at once. Our dentures are highly esthetic and fit comfortably.

One of the priorities in our dental office is to provide comfortable, gentle dentistry for our patients. Dental extraction treatment is no different. Before we begin, we will discuss your history with dental care. If you have difficulty getting numb, let us know. We can take some extra time anesthetizing your tooth to make sure you have a comfortable experience. Gentle care is important to us and since each patient is different, we will discuss any concerns you may have before we even begin.

It is normal to have some discomfort and swelling following a dental extraction. Typically, this can be addressed with over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen. We will talk to you about dosing recommendations and what to expect as you recover. Fortunately, the human mouth heals fairly quickly, as long as you avoid certain behaviors such as smoking and drinking through a straw following treatment.

You will likely feel dramatic improvement in a couple of days and will feel completely healed within a week or two. We will schedule a follow-up exam to monitor your healing and make sure that everything is on track. We will be here with you every step of the way.

All members of the family are welcome and of all ages. The dental team at McDonald Family Dentistry focuses on providing the highest quality family-focused experience. One of the best things about having a family dentist is the convenience of taking care of all your dental needs for the whole family in one place.

Scheduling a trip to the dentist for cleanings can be done in groups. With our flexible scheduling, it might be possible to get the whole family taken care of in one day, making it easier to fit everyone's smile needs into busy family schedules. In addition, our familiar, family-oriented environment of friendly faces creates a comfortable atmosphere that becomes familiar and welcoming from the moment you walk through our doors.

McDonald Family Dentistry proudly serves the Roanoke, VA area and is a family dentist first. Founded and run by husband and wife, dentist duo Ben McDonald DDS and Kate McDonald DDS, let our family be the dentists you trust to take care of your loved ones' precious smiles.

We recommend that you brush your teeth at least twice daily using good technique. Our skilled dental hygienists will be happy to review your technique with you and give you pointers to help you improve so you can get the most out of your home-care routine.

As a general dentistry practice, we take care of most of the dental needs that arise on a day-to-day basis by supporting good oral health and wellness using preventive, restorative, and teeth replacement dentistry services. Dental exams, cleanings, x-rays, fillings, crowns, bridges, and dentures are all part of what we do here in our office.

Our goal is to help our patients maintain good overall health by promoting the health of their teeth and gums. We will let you know if we find any conditions that require treatment, so that you and your dentist can discuss which options will work best for you.

Like your primary care physician, your general dentist is your main point of contact for your oral health. General dentists provide most non-specialty services that patients of all ages need to stay healthy.

If you have a dental question, need help or advice, your general or family dentist will be able to make treatment recommendations for you. If you require a trip to a specialist, general dentists usually have specialists in their professional network that they know and trust.

Many people are more health conscious than ever and realize the value of maintaining good health instead of just waiting to treat problems as they arise. General dentistry provides most of the services that patients of all ages require to keep their teeth and gums free from disease.

Using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, brush your teeth for two full minutes using a small circular motion with the bristles gently angled toward your gumline. Using excessive force to brush will not clean your teeth more effectively and may damage delicate gum tissue.

Using 2-3 feet of floss, floss up and down each side of each of your teeth. Do not force the floss any further than it will comfortably go. Think of your floss as a squeegee that removes plaque. Dont miss flossing behind your back teeth.

Every patient is different. Follow your dentists recommended recall schedule to maintain healthy teeth and gums. For most patients this will require a visit every six months. For patients who suffer from gum disease, have some catching up to do, or who have reduced dexterity that makes home care difficult, we may recommend more frequent visits to maintain your oral health.

In its earliest stages, we can reverse gum disease by improving your hygiene routine and adding in an antimicrobial treatment. Once gum disease has progressed past a certain point, however, the disease is not reversible. We can still provide treatment that will stop the disease in its tracks and prevent further deterioration of your gum and bone tissue.

Coming in for regular cleanings with one of our excellent dental hygienists will help keep your gums in great shape, but what you do at home matters as well. Brush twice daily and floss every evening. Our hygienists will be happy to show you good brushing and flossing technique.

The appropriate treatment for your gum disease will vary depending on how far your disease has progressed and any contributing factors such as hygiene and other health conditions. Some of the treatments recommended for gum disease include:

Composite fillings bond directly to your tooth, which results in the removal of less healthy tooth structure. Amalgam fillings require additional sculpting of the tooth to provide anchors for the solid amalgam. Composite fillings are not as hard and inflexible as amalgam fillings, which means stresses caused from biting and chewing can be distributed more naturally and reduce the risk of your tooth cracking.

Yes. Unlike amalgam fillings, tooth-colored fillings are a custom-mixed resin composite. The composite mixture is matched to your tooth color and bonded directly to the tooth. This usually results in a filling that is nearly indistinguishable from your natural tooth.

Most insurance companies will cover composite fillings up to the cost of a silver amalgam filling. You may be responsible for the difference in cost between the more expensive composite filling and the amalgam filling. Our office will happily review your insurance coverage and discuss your financial options with you.