BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar Institute of Technology is offering affordable dental care and giving dental hygiene students the training they need.
Money can be a factor that stops people from keeping up with their oral hygiene and for just $25 or less, you can get all the services LIT students offer.
LIT dental hygiene student Morghan Doucet has spent 2 years learning how to clean the smiles of Southeast Texas.
"Really an rewarding career to be in, to be able to give back, and help the community," she said.
She's attending school while also being a first time mom.
"I just kind of wanted to be an inspiration to him and my family," said Doucet.
To cross the stage she needs patients to volunteer so she can have hands on experience.
"We have to find all these patients and if we don't have a patient for a particular day. Or our patients are canceling on us we acquire a cancellation time. And if that accumulates so much then we may not have time to finish the requirements," Doucet told 12News.
Doucet's instructor, Kristina Mendoza, D.D.S. was once an international student at LIT.
"I was told that I should get out of my shell. So I started walking around LU, LIT campus to find patients, and when I established a friendship with one of my patients, she supplied me with all my patients during clinic," Mendoza said.
LIT offers services like dental exams, cleanings, x-rays, oral cancer exams, fluoride treatments, sealants and polishing.
All student's work is monitored closely by an instructor.
"They're really not practicing on their patients. Because they really know how to work on patients once they reach their spring semester of their first year," said Mendoza.
Doucet and her classmates need volunteer's help to graduate.
“I’m excited to finally be done, and be able to start my career, and just get to do the thing that I’ve studied so hard for, and worked so hard for. And just finally have that accomplishment, and that degree with my name on it," Doucet said.
The prices for volunteers getting dental work done by LIT students are:
- Government Assistant $10
- Senior Citizen $15
- College Student $15
- General Public $25
You can find information about LIT's Dental Hygiene Clinic at their website.
For information about getting free dental work check here.