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The Oral Health Clinic on the Texas Tech Health El Paso campus offers affordable dental care for patients of all ages. Photo by Texas Tech Health El Paso.\u00a0<\/p>\nSixty uninsured and underinsured adults from El Paso age 60 and older received free dental screenings and cleanings at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic during the annual WellMed Screen & Clean event, provided by dental students under the supervision of licensed dentists.<\/p>\n
The event in March connected older adults from across the Paso del Norte region with preventive dental care, imaging and faculty-reviewed treatment plans. It also gave students from Texas Tech Health El Paso\u2019s Hunt School of Dental Medicine hands-on clinical experience in a community setting.<\/p>\n
Maria, a Spanish-speaking patient living within walking distance of the clinic in Central El Paso, spent months quietly adjusting her meals because chewing had become painful. Her teeth were failing her, and she couldn\u2019t afford to get them fixed. So she stayed quiet at dinner and made do.<\/p>\n
Then one evening, her neighbor\u2019s husband, a custodian at the clinic, noticed she seemed withdrawn. After hearing Maria\u2019s story, he told her about the event and sent her a flyer and phone number via WhatsApp.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really thought it was incredible,\u201d Maria said. \u201cI said: No, that\u2019s not true. How could it be free? But yes, I called. And here I am on my way to have a beautiful smile.\u201d<\/p>\n
For older residents like Maria, who have long relied on dental care across the border in Mexico, the event offered more than a cleaning.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many years of me suffering with my oral health and having to travel to Mexico,\u201d she said, \u201cand all this time this clinic was here. Really, I can see it is a clinic made with love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dental students provided professional cleanings, screenings, fluoride applications and dental imaging during the event. Every patient left with a detailed treatment plan reviewed and approved by a faculty dentist, including Maria, who said she has now started a path of recovery for her oral health.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives me hope,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it will give all my neighbors hope too, because all my neighbors are also over 60.\u201d<\/p>\n
Timely treatment available nearby<\/p>\n
The Oral Health Clinic on the Texas Tech Health El Paso campus offers affordable dental care for patients of all ages. Photo by Texas Tech Health El Paso.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many older adults in the Borderplex delay dental care not only because of cost, but because they don\u2019t know low-cost options are available nearby. Routine cleanings and timely treatment can reduce pain, support nutrition and speech, and lower the risk of infections that worsen chronic conditions.<\/p>\n
The Screen & Clean events are supported by the WellMed Charitable Foundation, which has invested over $100 million since 2006 in community health initiatives in Texas and Florida. This support allows the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic to serve as a dental home for older adults who need it most.<\/p>\n
That gap between proximity and awareness, where a top-notch dental clinic is within walking distance of the people who need it most, is exactly the challenge these events aim to bridge. Opened in 2021, the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic has provided over 30,000 hours of affordable dental care to 18,000 patients.<\/p>\n
Maria left her appointment with a treatment plan, a reason to smile and a thank you from the bottom of her heart \u2014 not just to WellMed, but to everyone who showed up smiling that morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe smiles in the staff make the difference,\u201d she said. \u201cEverywhere you look, there are people here smiling. That\u2019s what makes you feel peaceful, and with the confidence that people here are going to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schedule an appointment at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic<\/p>\n