By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
To say that Dental Health Solutions in Fulton is a “family practice” means more than the demographics of patients the office serves. Dentists and spouses Yamilka Serrano and Juan Lopez-Rosario are family.
“We want to be a destination for families,” Lopez-Rosario said. “That’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed a lot.”
The couple met in dental school at the University of Puerto Rico in 2000 and moved to the United States in 2004.
Since Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, their credentials are considered the same as if they had been earned at any dental school America.
In 2007, Lopez-Rosario began working at the office that dentist Michael Botty had founded in 1985. Lopez-Rosario became a partner and eventually took the reins when Botty retired in 2015, bringing on Serrano at that point.
“Once I became full owner, as the current owner was cutting back and selling the business to me, it was a perfect opportunity to join back again as a team,” Lopez-Rosario said.
He and Serrano had studied together in dental school and they have enjoyed working together. The dental practice employs the two dentists, four administrators, four hygienists and three dental assistants.
Lopez-Rosario said that he enjoys the interactions with the patients, along with “being able to be there for them to navigate their oral health needs. Any inquiries and situations they have, it’s a joy to help people.”
Some families he has known for 12 years through the practice, treating some children from early childhood into their teen years.
Lopez-Rosario said that his penchant for helping others drew him to a career in healthcare. Once he learned more about the dental field while in college, he realized that’s what he wanted to do.
Helping others “is definitely our office culture,” Lopez-Rosario said. “We’re a patient-oriented practice where our goal is meeting the needs of the patient and trying to guide them through their needs and dental care.
Though he doesn’t draw a lot of Spanish-speaking patients, some do come to his office because he and his wife are bilingual.
The office provides a range of services that includes restorative work, surgery, cosmetic dentistry and pediatrics. The practice accepts several kinds of insurance and offers an annual membership that gives patients a discount for paying in advance. The membership includes two hygiene appointments, X-rays and a 15% discount for services, regardless of how patients pay.
Lopez-Rosario said that the membership helps patients stay more faithful to keeping up with their dental care because it helps them keep costs down.
“It’s been well received by a lot of patients who don’t have insurance,” Lopez-Rosario said.
Patients who pay by cash or check can obtain a discount, too.
The office has invested in technology that allows the providers to take digital impressions and a cone beam imaging system that allows them to provide implant services digitally.
“We want to become the prime destination for dental care in the county,” Lopez-Rosario said. “I’d say this is a place that’s recognized as being patient -driven.”
As a part of developing close ties with the community, the office donates to organizations such as Friends of Fulton Parks, supports community sports teams and donates to teachers who need school supplies.
The couple has a 7-year-old son, Diego.