The Vaca & Kirby Dental Team

Kristi had no idea as a young girl who was terribly afraid of the dentist, that she would one day become a world-class dental hygienist. One of her favorite things about her profession is the opportunity to help her patients build and keep their confidence with a healthy smile. She thrives on building meaningful relationships. This year she has been a WINO, a “Woman In Need of Off-time,” to spend with her graduating senior daughter. Her personal goal is to make sure all her patients feel safe and relaxed during their time in her chair and look forward to their next dental visit.

Kathryn has been part of the Vaca and Kirby team since August 2022. She and her husband Ryan live in Longview with their three dogs, Moose, Hank, and Mally. In her spare time, Kathryn enjoys fishing, being outdoors, and spending time with her family. Kathryn values hard work, honesty, and friendship. Her main goal as a dental hygienist is to make each of her patients feel comfortable and cared for. Kathryn loves educating her patients while placing value on their oral and overall health.

Angela is originally from Iowa, but has been a Texan for the past 24 years. She loves to use her dental gifts taking care of the less fortunate and hopes to soon do mission work. She has two handsome sons ages 17 and 19. She loves to travel and is passionate about salt water fishing. She has been a valued hygienist for our team the past 12 years and for most of those we have begged her to please not sing or hum in the patient’s ear! #needsvoicelessons!

Mary has been caring for dental patients since 1994. She is the feisty redhead of our team and patients love her. She enjoys meeting new patients and developing relationships with them. She feels they are an extension of her family. Mary is a proud mother of one daughter and blessed “Gigi” of two sweet granddaughters.

Alex is our fitness freak. She loves to work out and eat well, which includes lots of popcorn. She is the soccer mom of 2 darling boys that keep her busy. She is a dental assistant to both doctors and is planning to further her dental career as a hygienist. Alex’s goal is to use her dental skills to help others in need on mission trips. She is a music buff and loves to talk with patients about their favorite genres. She is very excited to be a new first-time home buyer.

Candy is our insurance specialist and has worked on our team for 16 years. Her oldest daughter teaches jiu-jitsu and is quite successful in mixed martial arts. Before becoming our insurance guru, Candy was a travel agent for over 20 years, which is a built-in perk for our staff. She has an extreme obsession with shoes. If you don’t see Candy at her desk, she is probably out shoe shopping!

Laci is a registered dental assistant and has been in dentistry for 25 years. She is one of the many friendly faces of our front office. She has been married 14 years and has 5 sons and 3 grandchildren she absolutely adores. She loves spending time at the lake and her fantasy is to retire somewhere with her toes in the sand. Laci is a happy camper when she has a Venti-sized cup of Starbucks and chocolate to start her day! Laci loves helping our patients feel welcome.

Amy Sims is back as our Hygiene Coordinator. She has worked in the dental field for over thirty years. She worked for Vaca and Kirby Dental for ten of those, took a four-year vacation, and is back in action helping our patients! Amy has three sons and four beautiful grandchildren. She loves going to all of their events from baseball, to ballet, to putting a worm on their fishing pole. Life is good!

Ciarra is the baby of the office, who is a dental assistant to both Dr. Vaca & Dr. Kirby. She is a dog mom to 5 fur babies. What she loves most about her job is building relationships with her patients, helping them get the smile they always wanted & easing fears & anxieties about coming to the dentist’s office. Ciarra plans to go back to school someday to study dental hygiene & because a hygienist.