A Smile Worth Waiting For

For months, Maria lived with untreated dental pain until a free dental event and a caring neighbor opened the door to a healthier future.

For months, Maria was quiet. When chewing became painful, she did what many older Borderplex residents do: She adjusted her meals and said nothing. She couldn’t afford to fix her teeth. Maria had made do with trips across the border to Mexico, but those had grown harder.

One evening, a neighbor noticed she seemed withdrawn. After listening to Maria’s story, he passed along a flyer advertising a free dental clinic for older adults at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic.

Maria was skeptical. “No, that’s not true. How could it be free?” she said. “But yes, I called. And here I am on my way to having a beautiful smile.”

She was among 60 uninsured and underinsured adults aged 60 and older who received free dental screenings, cleanings, fluoride applications and imaging at the annual WellMed Screen & Clean event in March at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic. Dental students provided care under the direct supervision of licensed faculty dentists, and each patient left with a detailed, faculty-reviewed treatment plan.

The WellMed Charitable Foundation has invested more than $100 million in community health initiatives across Texas and Florida since 2006. That support makes events like Screen & Clean possible and allows the clinic to function as a dental home for older adults who need it most. Since 2021, the clinic has provided more than 152,000 hours of affordable dental care to 18,000 patients across the Paso del Norte region.

Many older El Pasoans live with dental problems longer than they should, unaware that affordable care is nearby. Screen & Clean bridges that gap, expanding access to preventive care while reducing barriers such as cost.

Maria left with a treatment plan and something more. “It gives me hope,” she said. “And it will give all my neighbors hope, too — because all my neighbors are also over 60.”