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For more than 50 years, Virginia Family Dentistry has been helping Central Virginia smile with confidence.
Founded in 1974 by Dr. Baxter Perkinson, what began as a single-practioner dental office has grown into a dentist-owned, multi-specialty dental practice with 17 locations and more than 70 dentists and specialists across the Greater Richmond area.
Our growth is rooted in a simple philosophy: put the patient first. Every decision we make supports our mission to deliver exceptional, comprehensive dental care in a comfortable, compassionate environment.
Our Core Values
- Never compromise quality care
- Treat everyone with respect and appreciation
- Communicate clearly, openly, and honestly
- Be positive, dependable, and efficient
- Take the time to train everyone
- Lead by example
These values guide everything we do, ensuring that every Virginia Family Dentistry patient experiences trusted, coordinated care for a lifetime.
Our History
Take a look at Virginia Family Dentistry’s history since our founding in 1974. View the full timeline in vertical format.
1974
Founded in Bon Air
Baxter Perkinson and his business partner and friend, Gilly Roberts, started this practice with a staff of 4 people at 7834 Forest Hill Avenue. This location would later go on to be our current Huguenot-Bon Air location at 1612 Huguenot
Road.
1979
A Passion for Watercolor
Baxter Perkinson began painting when his wife, Elaine, suggested painting as one of their “date nights.” He has created thousands of pieces of artwork, none of which he has sold for profit. His art can be found throughout all of our offices.
1981
Baxter Perkinson & Associates Incorporates, Our 2nd Location Ironbridge Opens, & Our First Computer
As our patient base grew, so did we.
We opened our second location on Meadowdale Boulevard. This office later moved to 6441 Iron Bridge Road and became known as our Ironbridge location.
We added our first computer in the office to use with the Dentamedic Bookkeeping System.
1985
3rd Location: West End & First Office Trip
We expanded our practice across the river at 1129 Gaskins Road in the West End. This location relocated to 2200 Pump Road in 1993, and finally settled at 12390 Three Chopt Road in 2002. Another change happened in 2017 when General Dentistry was relocated to our Short Pump building, leaving the Three Chopt building to serve Pediatric and Orthodontic patients.
An annual tradition began in 1985 when the practice took our first office trip to Nassau, Bahamas. This tradition has been an annual team bonding event for our employees for the past 29 years, with a break during COVID.
1992
Orthodontics Added & 4th Location: Mechanicsville
Orthodontics was added to better serve our patients when Orthodontist Dr. Dale Rogers joined the practice. Today, our patients can see any of our five orthodontists throughout ten locations for braces, Invisalign, expanders, or retainers.
Our original Mechanicsville location opened
at 7039 Mechanicsville Turnpike then moved
to 7415 Lee Davis Road in 1996. Since 2004, this location has been serving patients at 6353 Mechanicsville Turnpike.
1994
Periodontics & 5th Location: Brandermill
Periodontist Dr. Mary Keiter joined the practice in 1994, giving our patients the benefit of in-house treatment for gum disease.
Our original Brandermill location opened on 10134 Hull Street Road, and a year later moved to 6500 Harbour View Court. In 2001, we moved to our current location at 6510 Harbour View Court.
1998
6th Location: Atlee
We opened our Atlee location at 9541 Kings Charter Drive, and two years later, we moved to our current location at 10500 Atlee Station Road.
2000
7th Location: Powhatan
The practice expanded west to Powhatan in 2000. Within a few years, this office moved to our current location at 2625 Anderson Highway.
2006
8th Location: Staples Mill
Our Staples Mill location opened in the Crossridge Shopping Center in 2006. In 2023 this location moved to a freestanding building at 10140 Staples Mill Road.
2008
Digital X-Rays Introduced & 9th Location: Midlothian
Our Midlothian location opened in the Ivymont Shopping Center on Midlothian Turnpike in 2008. A few years later, this office moved to the current location, 14001 Charter Park Drive.
2011
Digital Charting Introduced & 10th & 11th Locations Opened: Tri-Cities & Chester
2011 was the end of paper charts for the practice. Patient files were digitized beginning in 2011.
Both the Tri-Cities and Chester locations opened in 2011.
Our Tri-Cities location opened at 207 Temple Avenue in Colonial Heights in 2011. About two years later, it moved to 4710 Puddledock Road in Prince George.
The Chester location opened in the Breckenridge Shopping Center in Chester before moving down the road to 2601 Swiftrun Road.
2012
i-CAT CBCT Imaging & iTero Scanners
Better digital diagnostic imaging was added in 2012 with CBCT machines. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) produces 3-D images of teeth, soft tissues, nerve pathways, and bone.
iTero Scanners were added to our Orthodontic offices in 2012 to allow for digital impressions when starting Invisalign treatment.
2014
In-House Lab
With our patients in mind, we built our own in-house dental lab with the Midlothian location.
Our lab technicians work closely with our dentists daily to provide restorations customized to each patient. This open line of communication allows for precise fit and better turnaround times.
2016
12th Location: Patterson & Pediatric Dentistry Added
Our Patterson location opened within the Beverly Hills Shopping Center at 8516 Patterson Ave in February 2016.
Pediatric dentistry was added to the practice to serve our littlest patients, and pediatric dentist Dr. Jeff Laughlin was added to the practice in late 2016. Pediatric Dentists specialize in the treatment of dental disease in children and see patients beginning at age 1.
2018
15th Location: Huguenot Specialty Center
The Huguenot Specialty Center was built just across the road from our existing Huguenot location. This office houses both Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics.
2022
16th Location: Mechanicsville Specialty Center
The Mechanicsville Specialty Center was built across the parking lot from our existing Mechanicsville location to give our Orthodontic team more space.
2024
17th Location: Atlee Specialty Center
The Atlee Specialty Center was built across the parking lot from our existing Atlee location to give our Pediatric and Orthodontic teams more space.
Awards
We’re grateful to have been recognized by our patients and peers as a top dental and orthodontic practice year after year. View the full list of awards we have won, organized by year.
