Sixty 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.
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’s Hunt School of Dental Medicine hands-on clinical experience in a community setting.
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’t afford to get them fixed. So she stayed quiet at dinner and made do.