A new dental clinic on San Antonio's North Side is charging just $25 for an X-ray, exam and teeth cleaning, far below what a typical private office visit can run, while simultaneously training the next generation of dental hygienists in a fraction of the usual time. Pima Medical Institute opened the low-cost clinic near Loop 410 and Vance Jackson Road, pairing hands-on student training with an effort to chip away at a dental hygienist shortage that officials say is being felt across Texas.
The clinic is staffed by students enrolled in Pima's new Dental Hygiene program, an 18-month associate degree track that moves much faster than the three to four years most other dental hygiene programs require, according to KSAT. Kimberly Peacher told the station that dental offices nationwide are struggling to get dental hygienists, a staffing crunch the new program is meant to help address. A typical visit for an X-ray, exam and cleaning elsewhere can cost around $300, the station reported, making the clinic's pricing a significant break for patients who might otherwise skip care.
Appointments at the student-staffed clinic last a couple of hours at a time and sometimes require multiple visits, depending on a student's level of training, and generally take longer than a visit at a private dental office. Patients can call 210-966-9099 to schedule an appointment. Pima's own description of its Community Dental Clinic model, which it operates as a student teaching facility offering low-cost dental services to the public, notes that preventive treatment appointments typically run about three hours and that patients may need more than one visit to complete care.
Hands-On Training Meets a Statewide Shortage
Students at the clinic said the facility leaves them better prepared for their careers, according to KSAT's reporting. Anam Faruki said the clinic gives students hands-on training with modern technology, and added that student work is checked at every step to ensure quality care. Tyler Courtney, also quoted in the station's report, said some people simply cannot afford or manage to keep dental appointments because of work schedules or anxiety — a gap the clinic is positioned to help fill.
Pima Medical Institute leaders said the school's approach is designed to help address the dental hygienist workforce gap. The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported a shortage of hygienists statewide, and Pima's own account of its San Antonio launch cites a projected shortfall of roughly 2,600 dental hygienists in Texas as of 2022, a gap Pima Medical Institute says could exceed 2,700 by 2036 if current trends hold. The same source reports that more than 90 percent of dental practices nationwide have difficulty recruiting hygienists, and that Texas has more than 260 federally designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas.
A Shortage Playing Out Across Central Texas
The workforce strain isn't unique to San Antonio. A 2019 Texas Department of State Health Services study projected that demand for dental hygienists would outpace supply from 2018 through 2030, with the shortage in Central Texas expected to grow by 116.4% over that span, according to Community Impact. That outlet also reported that the number of dental hygienists statewide fell by nearly 22% between 2019 and 2022 before ticking back up in 2024, while the hygienist workforce in the Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos area dropped 33% from 2021 to 2024.
Other San Antonio-area institutions are tackling the same problem with their own low-cost clinics. Palo Alto College's Dental Hygiene Clinic, established in September 2023, provides low-cost to no-cost services and tells patients they may need between two and six visits of two to three hours each to complete cleaning and hygiene work, per the college's own description. UT Dentistry's Student Dental Clinic offers a reduced-cost alternative staffed by predoctoral dental students under faculty supervision, with care running about 60 percent less than private practice, though appointments can take two to three times longer and require a screening visit first, according to UT Health San Antonio.
A Growing Statewide Network of Teaching Clinics
Austin Community College expanded its own answer to the shortage, opening a newly renovated 13,800-square-foot dental hygiene facility at its Eastview Campus on October 1, 2025, which increased operatory count from 16 to 32 and was expected to nearly double program enrollment. That clinic charges $40 for gum therapy and $20 for cleanings, per Community Impact's reporting.
Pima Medical Institute runs comparable dental hygiene programs with on-site clinics at its Albuquerque, Houston and Seattle campuses in addition to San Antonio. At the Seattle location, new patients are charged $19.99 for an exam and X-rays, with hygiene services provided by students under the supervision of licensed dental hygienists and dentists, according to Washington 211 — a structure similar to the one now operating on San Antonio's North Side.
