Patient StoriesImpact Stories
Patient Stories
School-Based Screenings to Specialized Care: How AltaMed Helps Triplets Build a Healthy Relationship with the Dentist
For busy parents like Lorena, the AltaMed School-Based Dental Program helps her stay on top of her sons' dental health. Through early detection, they quickly connected her boys to compassionate care at AltaMed Dental Group — Santa Ana, Sunflower.
As a mom of six boys, Lorena has a lot on her plate — especially with her youngest triplets, Gabriel, Rafael and Michael. The boys love playing sports, climbing, building with Legos and, above all, working together and getting into a little mischief.
Keeping up with everyone's medical and dental appointments isn't always easy. Fortunately, Lorena and her family have access to dental care at her sons' school through the AltaMed School-Based Dental Program.
AltaMed's school-based program is one of the largest in Southern California, providing dental services at no cost to students across Los Angeles and Orange counties.
At school, the mobile dental teams set up in a spare classroom and offer comprehensive dental exams, cleanings, X-rays, preventive treatments, oral hygiene education, and care coordination. When a child needs additional care, AltaMed helps connect the family to a clinic for treatment.
Young patients with urgent dental needs are seen within 72 hours, while those with nonurgent needs are connected within 10 days.
The pathway from school-based care to the clinic helps ensure dental concerns are taken care of without another appointment for parents to coordinate or another barrier to overcome.
184
schools served across O.C. and L.A. County
4,071
Children reached through the School-Based Dental program
$0
cost to families for school dental services
Compassionate Care for all Needs
For Lorena, finding a care team that could accommodate her sons’ individual needs was essential. Because they can be especially sensitive to changes in their environment and routine, general anesthesia was recommended to make their dental treatment more comfortable and minimize potential stress.
"My biggest concern going into treatment was that the boys were going to fear coming to the dentist,” says Lorena. “The last thing I want is for them to not want to come back. I want them to know that everything will be okay."
Finding that kind of care was not easy.
"It was hard to find a doctor," she says. "Our [non-AltaMed] clinic offered anesthesia, but they said it was something I would have to pay out of pocket for. They would only cover light sedation. He would still be able to hear and see everything, and that kind of worried me."
Through AltaMed, Lorena’s sons were able to receive the recommended treatment and anesthesia and have it covered by her insurance — giving her peace of mind that they could get the care they needed without adding another financial burden.
It's programs like this that help parents, especially a single mother like myself, be able to coordinate and get my kids the treatment that they need on time and not have to worry about paying bills or paying for treatment.
Lorena
Mom
For Lorena, Gabriel, Michael, and Rafael, the experience has helped build trust in their care team and feel more comfortable at the dentist.
Lorena says, "My experience with AltaMed has been wonderful. Every staff member and doctor has kept me informed, kept the kids informed and made them feel comfortable. They are excited to come back."
She's especially grateful that her boys are having positive experiences at the dentist and learning to take care of their health from an early age.
