Plan for Preventive Family Healthcare
The summer can get busy, especially for parents trying to balance their careers and the demands of raising children. Getting kids to swimming lessons, day camps, summer school programs, and trips to the water park can be pretty overwhelming. Further, summer recreation for the whole family is time-consuming too. And with such a jam-packed activity calendar, it can be easy to put family healthcare in the backseat and miss necessary appointments such as preventive health and dental care.
General dentists and family dentists recommend that you make a trip to the dental clinic every six months. This twice-a-year frequency is for a good reason. These regular dental check-ups are essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. In particular, when you see a dentist every six months, your dentist can help you prevent plaque build-up and tooth decay, stop gum disease, save you money, and improve your smile.
So how can parents make sure that they can manage their careers and get the kids where they need to go without jeopardizing trips to the doctor or dentist? We’ve put together some helpful tips to help you organize your family member’s healthcare.
5 Tips to Organize Your Family Member’s Healthcare Visits
1. Make a file folder for medical and dental receipts and important paperwork.
Though this might sound a bit old school, there are several benefits to keeping necessary medical and dental paperwork for future use. Not only that but having these essential papers so well organized can make things easier when it comes to tax time at the end of each calendar year. So, whether you decide to organize your important papers in folders or electronically, be sure to keep the following:
- All of your family dentists’ and doctors’ names, telephone numbers, and physical office addresses
- Records of every doctor or hospital visit for each member of the family
- Records of every family dental visit for each member of the family
- Medical and dental test results
- Pharmacy printouts with medication side effect details and purchase receipts
- Health insurance forms showing provider, coverage, and any other relevant details
- Any other documents you receive from your doctor or insurance company
2. Make a list of specialists, doctors, dentists, and other appointments you anticipate needing this summer and throughout the next school year
Though not everyone is a list maker, lists can be extremely beneficial. And with today’s modern technology, you don’t need to carry around a notebook and pen to keep track of where you need to be and when. Even Alexa can help you create a list or keep track of all of your necessary appointments. And calendarizing on your mobile device has never been easier.
3. Schedule what you can online and make the rest of the appointments all at once, so you have them set and don’t have to scramble.
Just as with using the calendar app on your mobile device, today’s websites have features and functions that make it easy to help you stay organized. For example, if you live in the Buxton, Maine area and need to make an appointment with Tory Hill Dental, you can request an appointment right on the website. Input what you need and one of our friendly team members will get back to you. This process saves you valuable time and you can stay on top of those important family member healthcare appointments.
4. Sync calendars to alert family members of important health appointments and reminders.
When scheduling appointments on your computer, be sure to either sync your family calendars or add other family members to the electronic invitation so that all applicable calendars are appropriately blocked. This can help improve communication amongst busy family members by helping everyone know where they need to be and when.
5. Pay attention to prescriptions and keep your medicine cabinet up to date.
When we catch a cold, we buy cold medicine. If we have a cough, we buy cough syrup. When we have a headache, we buy ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If we get heartburn, we buy an acid reliever. But did you know that all of these over-the-counter medicines have an expiration date? Even sunscreens expire and become less effective over time. And some drugs can be dangerous to take once they are past their effective date or expiration date.
This means that it’s essential to check through your medicine cabinet every six months to dispose of expired medicines and treatments. But don’t dump old pills down the toilet. Instead, check with your doctor, dentist, or local police department for medication disposal guidelines.
Overdue for a trip to the family dentist?
If you are in the Buxton, Maine area and you or a family member are overdue for a dental cleaning, now is the time to get your family member’s healthcare organized. Start by requesting an appointment at Tory Hill Dental so that you can catch up and take care of those beautiful pearly whites. We work hard to make our patients’ experience the best. So, request an appointment online, and while you’re at the next dental visit for you or your child, be sure to schedule appointments for the rest of the family. This is the perfect way to get off to a good start for summer and ensure that your oral health remains a priority.