Summer Scheduling

from Right at HOME Video e=Magazine August 2023

Leo the Lionhearted

Prioritize Your Family's Oral Health Before School Starts!

By Amy Morgan

Summer days once seemed to stretch forever, but now the clock is counting down to the return of school and schedules. Take advantage of a less crowded calendar to catch your family up on their dental checkups and cleanings. And don’t forget college students. Now is the perfect time to take care of their oral health, including wisdom teeth removal, before they head out of town. Starting orthodontia? Get initial appointments out of the way and make sure your teen is accustomed to the bands before donning a mouthguard for their fall sports season.

The professionals at 7to7 Dental & Orthodontics know how difficult it can be to find time for appointments during the school year, so they created extra space to accommodate families this summer, said Elyse Ramos, 7to7 Dental’s Director of Treatment Coordinators. In her three years with 7to7, Elyse has risen from new hire to being in charge of recruiting and training 25 advocates who work one-on-one with patients helping guide them through their dental experience.

Treatment coordinators serve as “dental translators,” making sure patients understand a doctor’s recommendation for their oral health plan. They also help find the most affordable option to cover any outof-pocket cost.

“The biggest part of the coordinator’s job is to educate the patient about why the doctor’s recommendation is needed,” Elyse said. “What are the benefits? What will happen if we continue to put something off? Right now, we’re encouraging parents to get their kids’ comprehensive exams in, so if there’s anything else they need to have done like a filling or orthodontia, we have time to do that before school gets busy.”

No matter what the need, Elyse or one of her coordinators can help a patient discern the best solution. 7to7 Dental partners with a number of third-party financers to help a patient make a plan that allows them to take care of their oral health without breaking their budget.

“Financing and credit are scary words. I love to offer our partner company options,” Elyse said. “We can break the cost into monthly payments, often with 0% deferred interest. Even if you don’t have the best credit, it will never affect you negatively to see if you qualify. I always tell them there’s no harm in trying.”

Elyse reminds patients not to delay scheduling an appointment if their insurance covers two cleanings a year. It would be a shame to miss out on the benefits they’ve worked hard for! For those without coverage, 7to7 Dental created their own membership plan to make sure dental care would be affordable for the entire family. See below for details.

The professionals at 7to7 Dental & Orthodontics care about your oral health and are available 7 a.m.- 7 p.m., seven days a week, for dentistry for the whole family and emergencies. 7to7 Dental is a local business grown in 15 years from the practice of one dentist and six staff, which now employs 300 San Antonio community members. Co-Owners Tiffany Winburn, D.M.D., and Justin Coke live in Stone Oak with their families and are part of the community.

By Amy Morgan

Whether you’re a weekend warrior playing a pick-up game or a student-athlete starting a new season, an unexpected injury can put a kibosh on the competition. When you need medical attention quickly, the professionals at Physicians Premier free-standing emergency room are prepared and ready to help, no matter the hour.

Physicians Premier, located west on Highway 46 near the HEB Plus, is staffed 24/7 by boardcertified emergency room doctors, unlike many urgent care facilities. Nurses with years of emergency training immediately triage each arrival. The facility can handle any type of traumatic injury or illness, both pediatric and adult, and offers on-site X-rays, CAT scans, a full laboratory and ultrasound. Rather than spending time waiting, patients are seen, treated, and on their way.

Medical Director Zack Baum, M.D., experienced the capability of Physicians Premier last winter himself. When Dr. Baum unexpectedly twisted his ankle playing basketball, colleague Lonnie Schwirtlich, M.D., drew from his 43 years of emergency room experience as well as images from on-site X-Ray and sonogram to diagnose Dr. Baum’s Achilles tendon rupture. Dr. Baum was placed in a boot and referred to an orthopedic surgeon for further follow-up, a typical treatment path for many sports injuries seen at Physicians Premier.

“We have a wide range of tools at our disposal to understand what’s happened in an injury,” Dr. Baum said. “We diagnose lacerations, sprains, fractures, torn ligaments and tendons and create a plan for the patient’s next step.” Physicians Premier offers immediate, comprehensive treatment including stitches, splinting, and sedation and reduction of dislocations.

In addition to sprains and fractures, concussions are a common concern. Dr. Baum tells parents to bring their child in if they are concerned something is off after a head injury. “Diagnosis of concussion is based on symptoms: coordination, memory or vision changes, nausea or vomiting, headache or loss of consciousness,” he said. “The patient doesn’t always need a full CAT scan work-up, but we have experience and evidence-based medicine to decide after evaluation if an injury warrants further investigation to rule out a fracture of the skull or internal bleeding in the brain.”

Dr. Baum added, “If someone’s worried, they just need a doctor who has years of training to decide what to do. I tell them they can relax, take the responsibility off their shoulders and put it on mine.” No matter the diagnosis, the professionals will provide instruction about next steps and facilitate future follow-up.

Physicians Premier has been a good neighbor to the community. The professionals maintain close ties with local school athletic departments, Dr. Baum said, and in the past have traveled to Smithson Valley High School to provide physicals to members of the sports teams, JROTC and band. The doctors can still accommodate last-minute sports physicals for student athletes.

The physician-owned and operated facility accepts all insurances and commits to work with patients to make sure charges are billed appropriately with the least amount of out-of-pocket expense. They also offer a discounted selfpay rate. Physicians Premier offers all the capabilities of a hospital emergency room without the wait or the crowd. Find them at MDpremier.com.