{"id":13734,"date":"2022-07-23T08:27:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-23T14:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=13734"},"modified":"2022-07-21T10:28:49","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T16:28:49","slug":"students-receiving-hands-on-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=13734","title":{"rendered":"Students Receiving Hands-on Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TSTC Dental Hygiene Students Elevate Their Training in Program\u2019s On-Site Clinic<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(HARLINGEN, Texas) \u2013 The Dental Hygiene program at Texas State Technical College\u2019s Harlingen campus has produced many dental hygienists through the utilization of its on-site clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Raquel Rico, a TSTC Dental Hygiene instructor, said the clinic has been beneficial in the students\u2019 growth since it first opened in 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cIt is necessary that students practice on \u2018real patients\u2019 and not solely on manikins,\u201d Rico said. \u201cThe beauty of working with a patient allows our students to learn from real-life scenarios and develop their hands-on training. With a real patient, students get to examine on such things as calculus (known as dental tartar). The community\u2019s contribution to the clinic by arriving for their appointments allows our clinic to continue operating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The on-site clinic has been open to the community for preventative dental services. These include dental X-rays, dental cleanings, deep scaling, root planing, and placing sealants. In addition, individuals are educated about that services such as oral hygiene instructions, blood pressure screenings, diabetes screening, instructional counseling, and tobacco cessation counseling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Nadia Garcia, a Dental Hygiene student, recently provided a service to a member of the community.
\u201c(David) Izaguirre was scheduled for a deep cleaning,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cIt was his second visit to the clinic. He was very pleased with my efforts and was compliant. I also educated him about various ways to maintain healthy teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Izaguirre, of Edinburg, said his experience with Garcia was knowledgeable.
\u201cOne of the biggest factors about oral health I learned was about calculus,\u201d he said. \u201cI was informed that my teeth had a layer of calculus. It is a hard-calcified deposit that forms and coats the teeth and gums. It acts as a barrier, but it is also bad. This is what makes a person\u2019s mouth smell, even after they brush their teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Saul Cantu, another Dental Hygiene student, also provided deep cleaning to a member of the community.
\u201cThis was (Rafael) Ozul\u2019s first visit to our dental hygiene clinic,\u201d Cantu said. \u201cI do my best to ensure every patient feels welcome and I develop that bond. Mr. Ozul was very happy with the work that I provided.\u201d
Ozul, of McAllen, said he was appreciative that Cantu inquired about his concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cMy experiences at other dental offices have not been what I hoped for,\u201d Ozul said. \u201cCantu worked on the service I requested and more. The manner in which these instructors train their students is exceptional.\u201d
How has the Dental Hygiene clinic impacted the students\u2019 hands-on training?<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Now in her third semester, Garcia said it has been an incredible resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cMy skills have improved such as in adaptation,\u201d she said. \u201cWith ergonomics in dentistry, I have to position myself a certain way when placing the instruments inside a patient\u2019s mouth. Then how effectively I am removing calculus. All that has helped with the hands-on training I have received in the dental hygiene clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Cantu, also in his third semester, said the clinic has been a positive experience in multiple facets.
\u201cI have improved by repeating the skills, to the instructors correcting my adaptation, and improving my speed,\u201d he said. \u201cThe opportunities I am given to work on real-life patients is a key attribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Rico added that individuals from across the Rio Grande Valley have said many positive things about TSTC\u2019s students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cSome of the compliments have been about their skills and their professionalism,\u201d she said. \u201cStudents are interested in this field because they get to work directly with patients and build rapport. When they enter the workforce, their duty is to provide treatment to a patient under the supervision of a dentist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


TSTC\u2019s dental hygiene clinic is open to the community for the summer 2022 semester. The cost is $20 for a regular cleaning and $40 for a deep scaling. The cost for an X-ray will vary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., except for holidays. Contact 956-364-4696 to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


According to onetonline.org, the need for dental hygienists in Texas is expected to grow 35% by 2028.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene at the Harlingen campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Registration for the fall semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TSTC Dental Hygiene Students Elevate Their Training in Program\u2019s On-Site Clinic (HARLINGEN, Texas) \u2013 The Dental Hygiene program at Texas State Technical College\u2019s Harlingen campus has produced many dental hygienists through the utilization of its on-site clinic. Raquel Rico, a TSTC Dental Hygiene instructor, said the clinic has been beneficial in the students\u2019 growth since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":13735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1,14],"tags":[67,9,113],"class_list":["post-13734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news","category-valley","tag-featured","tag-latest","tag-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13736,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13734\/revisions\/13736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}