Today@Sam Article
Dental Office Offers Convenient Access, Regular Promotions
Sept. 29, 2016
SHSU Media Contact: Tricia Sims
Sam Houston State University’s Dental Office opened in September 2014 as a way for students, faculty and staff to have convenient and quality dental access on campus. The clinic is located within the Student Health Center and offers discounted services and regular promotional specials throughout the year.
Services provided at the SHSU Dental Office include X-rays, crowns and fillings, root canals, gum treatments, Invisalign, teeth whitening, veneers, cosmetic crowns, oral cancer detection, and more.
SHSU is the second university in the state to provide these services to students, faculty and staff.
According to SHSU Dental Office brand ambassador Kathryn Schmitt, the service is a great tool for students who have dentists in their hometowns.
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| SHSU's Dental Clinic offers a panoramic dental X-ray, which captures the entire mouth in one image. —Archived photo by Brian Blalock |
“If they have something wrong or they need to get wisdom teeth out or anything like that, then we can do it right here and they don’t have to book months in advance to go to their local dentist,” Schmitt said. “(Normally) they would have to travel, when we are just right here, offering lower-paying dental plans and whitening that they can get done right now.”
The SHSU Dental Office offers two in-house discount options for all SHSU students and employees.
The first option is for those who do not have dental insurance. These patients can use the dental discount plan.
The other option is called the add-on plan, for those who already have dental insurance, but the insurance is does not cover the treatment that the patient wants done.
"If you have our discount plan and you want a periodic exam, you will pay $27, but if you don't have our discount plan and we don't take your insurance then the price will be $60,” Schmitt said. “It does pay off if we do not take your insurance plan or you do not have dental insurance."
On-site certified dental practitioner Dr. Bruce Trusler previously had his own practice for more than 23 years in Michigan.
The first dental visit consists of a comprehensive exam, cleaning, x-rays, and oral cancer screening.
At the appointments, patients have the opportunity to put on noise-canceling headphones, according to Schmitt.
“If you are getting your teeth cleaned, you can watch Netflix,” Schmitt said. “You can hear the Netflix playing, but you can’t hear them drilling or anything. That makes it good for people who don’t like the noise.”
Another way the SHSU Dental Office helps patients is by having a stand-alone relaxation room that can be used as a meditation space.
The SHSU Dental Office is working to get word out through information distribution in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area. They have plans to begin tailgating as well.
“We are always on campus passing out flyers and sunglasses,” Schmitt said. “We will start being at football games and passing out items there. We want to get people more involved and know where we are.”
The SHSU Dental Office can be found on social media as well, at @SHSUdentist on Instagram, SHSU Dental Office on Facebook, @SHSUdentist on Twitter.
The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted, but scheduling appointments is strongly recommended.
To schedule an appointment, go online at campus-smiles.com/shsu, call 936.207.8472, or stop by the office, which is located at 1608 Ave. J.
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