CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Affordable healthcare is becoming harder to find. It may cause families to postpone necessary medical appointments. Del Mar College is helping families in the Coastal Bend by offering free dental hygiene services like cleanings, x-rays, oral cancer screenings, and dental sealants.
Dental Clinic Coordinator Trey Alvarez is looking forward to students having hands-on experience this fall semester.
"We need the community to come over here and volunteer their time to be patients for these students," she said. "Because what they're doing within these two years is training from radiology, front desk, sterilization, scaling, deep skills and so they're getting trained hands on here at Del mar College. So when they go out into the real world, they need no training at all. It's second nature."
Alvarez says student enrollment for the college's dental clinic has remained high for years.
"We have over 100 applicants every single year and only 24 students get in," Alvarez said. "So it is very competitive, so these students are the top of the list."
All services are free to individuals after completing a screening or qualifying appointment.
"It's basically an hour, and what we do is we assess the patient," she said. "And we kind of put them on a scale and depending on what that student needs we'll pair them with the student."
Assistant Professor of Dental Hygiene Misty Wharton stresses the importance of people showing up to their appointments
"If the patient does not show up for the student, then they will not receive a grade," Wharton said. "So it is very important for the experience and the education for these students."
Shana Tuibeo is a second-year dental hygiene student.
"Dental care is very expensive here in the United States." Tuibeo said. "I think that the fulfillment is having them getting cleaned properly and having them leave with a smile."
If you would like to participate, appointments are required, including the eligibility screening. Call this number: 361-698-2854 or email: dentalclinic@delmar.edu.