DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — During November, Northwest Florida State College’s Dental Assisting students have been helping to provide affordable dental care to DeFuniak Springs residents.
“Our students have been given a unique opportunity for on-the-job training while also helping to provide much needed affordable dental care to the DeFuniak Springs area,” said Julie Nelson, director of NWF State College's Dental Assisting Program. “When we were approached about this opportunity, I knew it was a great way for our students to learn while also giving back. This is a win-win.”
NWF Dental Assisting students are working alongside fourth-year dental students from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at their DeFuniak Springs offices.
At the LECOM Dental Offices, students work under licensed dentists' direct supervision and use the latest diagnostic tools, such as full mouth digital X-rays.
Each student has a treatment room where he or she will provide comprehensive, restorative dental care services. These include: cleanings, periodontal treatments, crowns, root canal therapy, extractions, dental restorations and full and partial dental prostheses.
LECOM is a Florida Medical Assistance provider. Fees at the LECOM School of Dental Medicine clinic are approximately 70 percent less than the customary rates of local area providers.
The LECOM Dental Offices first opened its doors to students and patients in May 2015.
Students will work in two shifts at the patient clinic — 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Each year, a new class of dental students will move to the area to complete their final year of clinical training.
Contact Julie Nelson, director, at 729-6444 or nelsoj@nwfsc.edu, for more information concerning the NWF State College Dental Assisting Program.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Northwest Florida State College students offer affordable dental care