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Family First Health

A community health care center

Our Mobile School Dentist Program ensures healthy smiles for Columbia school students

 

This year Family First Health is highlighting our Mobile School Dentist Program in Columbia during the Extra Give day of giving. Your support ensures that we are able to provide needed oral health care to children in the Columbia community directly in their schools.

In August 2020, Family First Health opened its dental location at 430 Walnut Street in Columbia. This bricks-and-mortar site offers comprehensive dental care, including cleanings, exams, x-rays, extractions, dentures, fillings, root canals, fluoride treatment, and sealants for patients of all ages.

Knowing that good oral health is especially important for pediatric patients, Family First Health launched its mobile school dentist program in the Columbia schools, bringing services directly to the children during the school day in their schools. With three visits per year, the dental team sees each student multiple times through the year. Services include state mandated school screenings and preventative care.

The dental team sets up a mobile dentist office inside the school, usually in a gym, cafeteria, or library. The team serves students from all ages in Columbia, from Kindergarten through 12th grade. School nurses support the program by serving as point-person for the visits, and distribute and collect signed registration forms and coordinate communication with the dental team. Once treated by the Mobile School Dentist Program, the student becomes a dental patient at FFH, giving them a dental home. Students receive the following care:

  • Visual screening with mirror and explorer
  • Dental exam
  • X-rays
  • Cleanings 
  • Oral hygiene instruction 
  • Fluoride
  • Sealants.

Parents receive a report card after each visit so they can learn about the care their child received and if they require follow up care for an issue, such as a filling for a cavity. For dental needs that cannot be met in the school setting, FFH offers appointments at the conveniently located bricks-and-mortar site in Columbia.

The parent’s insurance gets billed for the services that their child receives through this program. If a family does not have dental insurance, FFH insurance eligibility staff work to educate the student’s parents with potential insurance options and assist them with enrolling in a qualified insurance plan. Additionally, FFH has a sliding fee scale to support families without insurance, so they are able to afford the dental care for their child.

This program benefits students because they are ensured regular oral health care throughout their school years. Because they are treated in a familiar setting within their school, some anxiety that rises when entering a traditional dental office can be reduced. Parents benefit because of a decreased need to take time off work or transport their child to a dentist, which could mean time out of school for the student.

Family First Health is proud to offer this service to students in the Columbia School District. This video details more information about this innovative program and how it benefits the community. Our team looks forward to continuing this partnership into the future, ensuring healthy smiles for Columbia students!

Kids Dental Care: Teaching Good Dental Habits

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National Children’s Dental Health Month wraps up today, which is the perfect time to explore the importance of kids dental care. As adults, we know the importance of visiting a dentist every six months for an exam and cleaning, but for children it is important to remember that developing teeth need very specific attention. The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics note that every child should visit the dentist no later than 12 months of age, or as soon as their first tooth appears. This first visit is especially helpful for parents and guardians because it can serve as a tool to educate parents on how to care for their child’s teeth and what to expect as the child grows. Dr. LaJuan Mountain states, “It is best to start a relationship with the dentist before a dental problem develops. This allows for a focus on development of positive dental habits and prevention of dental caries.”

As of 1998, about 1 in 5 preschool children in the United States experienced dental disease in the form of early childhood caries, or cavities. Studies have shown that children who have early cavities in life are much more likely to continue to have dental problems into adulthood. What can we do? It is important to remember that parents and guardians are both role models and the drivers of healthcare for their children. So as a parent or guardian remember to model good behavior by brushing and flossing your own teeth regularly, visiting the dentist yourself, and monitoring your children’s daily dental hygiene as well. You may even want to consider taking your child with you when you have a dental visit to show them it is not a frightening experience.

Below are some great tips to follow for kids dental care from the American Dental Association:

  • Start brushing with fluoride toothpaste as soon as teeth first appear.
  • If your child is 3 or younger, you only need a smear of toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice. For children 3 or older, a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste will do.
  • As soon as your child has two teeth that touch, it is time to start flossing!
  • Don’t put your child to bed with a bottle. Baby bottle tooth decay most often occurs in the upper front teeth (but other teeth may also be affected). This can happen when the baby is put to bed with a bottle, or when a bottle is used as a pacifier for a fussy baby.
  • Water is the best beverage to offer, especially if it has fluoride! Drinking water with fluoride has been shown to reduce cavities by 25%.
  • Talk to your dentist about sealants! Sealants form an extra barrier between cavity-causing bacteria and your child’s teeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and ADA’s Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry, sealants have been shown to reduce the risk of decay by nearly 80% in molars.

We should all follow Dr. Mountain’s advice, “Regular dental visits, brushing and flossing should be a part of every child’s daily hygiene habits.  As parents, we ensure that our kids are clean daily; this attention must be applied to our kids’ dental care as well.” The sooner we commit to kids dental care, the happier and healthier they will be in the long run.

The Nuts and Bolts of Interprofessional Care

Last month, we traveled to Meadville, Pennsylvania, to give a presentation to a group of rural health centers titled The Nuts and Bolts of InterProfessional Care.

The goal of this presentation was to present the importance of medical and dental collaboration and the inclusion of oral health during medical visits.

This presentation was part of our role as dental faculty for a Penn State/DentaQuest collaborative titled More Care. The goal of the collaborative is to strengthen the connection between dental providers and medical providers to allow for more integrated care to be delivered to mutually shared patients.

How does tooth decay happen?

Tooth decay is 100% preventable.
You can prevent this health problem by visiting with your dentist several times a year for an exam and cleaning.  At home, you should be brushing twice a day, flossing once a day and using a fluoridated mouth wash.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, tooth decay is one of the most chronic health conditions affecting people younger than 18.
At your next dental visit ask your dentist how healthy are your teeth?

Patients tell us how we did

Our Quality Improvement team is always looking for ways to better serve our patients and one of the ways they do that is by asking patients for input. Let’s take a look at some of the key points from the most recent survey.

  • Of the 4,588 people who responded – 41% of them came to our George Street Center for medical services and about 50% also came to George Street for dental.
  • We asked about your experience with our staff while receiving care and waiting. The three most high-rated categories were convenience of office location, office hours and how quickly an appointment could be scheduled.
  • Comparing all of our sites, patients overall had a positive experience. Hannah Penn patients were particularly pleased with how quickly they got appointments and the office location.
  • When it comes to staff, patient experience ranks extremely positive. Hannah Penn had a slightly higher rating, which could be attributed to patient flow there. Hannah Penn doesn’t see quite as many patients as others which means they have more time to spend with each one!

As always, we welcomed any comments from patients. Here’s some of what you had to say.

  • Every time I come to this facility, I know that I’m in good care. (Aww, shucks. We like caring for you, too!)
  • Need a way to prioritize calls. On hold for too long.
  • Hand out stickers to kids. (We love stickers!)
  • Later dental hours so kids don’t have to be pulled out of school.
  • Saturday office hours?
  • Have separate “sick” appointments
  • Get a diaper changing station in the bathroom.
  • I have no suggestion – FFH is great and I’ve advised family and friends to come here. (Thanks!)

Bacteria: The bad, the gross and the preventable

Last time we talked about bad bacteria in our mouths. Let’s talk about that a little more.

We all have bacteria in our mouths some are good and some are bad. We begin to have dental problems when we allow the bad bacteria to get out of control.

Bad bacteria are the cause of all the dental conditions you never want to hear coming out of your dentist’s mouth. Plaque, calculus, gingivitis, gum disease (periodontitis), cavities, pulpitis (irritation of the area where the blood vessels and nerves of the tooth are located), infection, or abscess. These conditions are treatable, but they are also PREVENTABLE.

I know all of these conditions make you think Ugggggghhhhh, because they sound gross or painful, and that is because they are gross and can be very painful. But just think, you can stop this from ever happening  by brushing twice daily, flossing once a day and using the right mouthwash.

Get more tips for great oral care from our friends at Colgate.

Why come to the dentist office? We’ll tell you.

We have been introducing you to our dentists and now we would like to introduce and welcome you to our offices — which are open to anyone seeking dental health.

What does oral health mean? It means limiting or controlling the bad bacteria we all have in our mouths. You — the patient — play the most important role in limiting this bacteria, but we are here to support you in this fight.

There are things we can do in our office that you cannot do at home like:

  • Take X-rays to see what is going on between your teeth
  • Take important bone measurements
  • Diagnose areas that need treatment
  • Fill cavities
  • Perform specialized cleanings

What you can do at home is the most important thing. That means brush two times a day, floss one time daily, and use a mouthwash that kills bacteria and contains fluoride. Most people brush daily but do not floss.

As our dental director, Dr. LaJuan Mountain always says:

“Brushing but not flossing is just like showering, but not washing your armpits. You have to floss to clean in between your teeth because it can be the smelliest part of your mouth if left untouched.”

So it is important that you do your job at home and you see a dentist on a regular basis to allow them to do their job — which is helping you get or keep your dental health.

Meet the staff: Dr. Terrence Walker

Terrence-Walker-DDSDr. Terrence Walker joined Family First Health in August 2015 — seeing patients at our George Street and Hanover centers. He remembers exactly the month when it puts it into context that it was around the time he injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball and needed surgery. Since then, he’s hung up his basketball shorts.

He received his Bachelor of Science from Hampton University. He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. After doing a residency in Tennessee, teaching back at his dental school and doing another residency in Connecticut, Walker decided it was time to come home to York.

Terrence Walker was born and raised here, going to St. Patrick’s, York Catholic and York Suburban for school. It was at Suburban where he discovered his love of dentistry. A high school teacher told them to choose an occupation, shadow someone and do a report. The teacher suggested they choose something they were strong in — and for Walker that was science and art. So Walker decided to shadow his own dentist — Dr. Charles Stein in East York. From there, he knew he wanted to be a dentist.

His favorite part of being a dentist is interacting with patients. “Everyone’s different,” he said. And he works to “connect with patients as people.” It’s been fun along the way when patients come in and say they know his grandparents or aunt. “It’s cool to see how small the unit is,” he said.

When he’s not working in York or Hanover, Terrence Walker loves to travel. Mostly, he goes to Atlanta to see his fiancee (they’re getting married this October). The two met while doing their residencies in Tennessee. They’ll be doing their first big trip together after the wedding, when they head to Aruba for the honeymoon.

He loves comedy —too many comedians to pick, though Chris Tucker and Larry the Cable Guy come to mind (he blames living in the South). When it comes to sports — it’s Penn State football, the Philadelphia Eagles and North Carolina Tar Heels basketball. But he’s a giant Penn State fan.

His favorite food is anything Italian – mainly lasagna and pizza. And then it comes to his favorite dental procedures, he admits it’s got to be the restorative and aesthetic work. There’s just something about seeing the immediate turnaround on a patient’s smile and how that makes them feel.

Meet the staff: Alexander McKinley

mckinleyWe want you to get to know your staff at Family First Health in and out of the doctor’s office. It’s a daunting task, but we’re starting with some of our newer providers.
Meet Alexander McKinley — one of our dentists working in the Hanover and Gettysburg centers.

Alexander McKinley is a graduate of the Temple University Dental School Class of 2015 and joined us here at Family First Health after graduation. He’s also recently engaged!

Why did he decide to pursue a career in dentistry? “I wanted to help people achieve their best oral health and alleviate any problems that may arise with their oral conditions,” he said.

And at Family First Health, he believes our “open and welcoming atmosphere” emphasizes “putting the needs and well-being of the patients ahead of profit margins.”

When he’s not here working on your teeth, Dr. Alexander McKinley likes to go on hikes, read books, learn new languages — he’s learning Spanish and Mandarin — and cook.

He’s a New York Giants and Philadelphia 76ers fan and when it comes to eating and drinking, his favorites are sriracha and egg sandwiches and unsweetened ice tea.