Faculty/Staff

Dental Hygiene:

voice: 956.364.4697
voice: 956.364.4690
toll-free: 800.852.8784

Department Chair:

Robert Bennett
voice: 956.364.4697
Email: Dental Hygiene

Mailing Address:

Dental Hygiene
TSTC Harlingen
1902 North Loop 499
Harlingen, TX 78550

Location:

The Dental Hygiene office is located in the Sen. Eddie Lucio Health Science Technology Building

Office Hours:

M - F: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Faculty & Staff

Dr. Bob Bennett, Department Chair of Dental Hygiene Instructor and Supervising Dentist of Dental Hygiene/Dental Assisting. Director of TSTC’s Allied Health Division

Dr. Bennett received his Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree from Southern Illinois University and his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University. After graduation from dental school, he was in the Dental Corps of the U.S. Army for 3 years. He was in private practice in Illinois for seventeen years, and was also an instructor in the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting Programs at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois for eight years before coming to the Valley. He has completed the prestigious radiography educator’s courses at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the University Of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School.

At TSTC, Dr. Bennett serves as the Dental Hygiene Clinic’s supervising dentist and also teaches Head and Neck Anatomy and Dental Materials. He is a member of the Texas Dental Association.

Ms. Euler is a native of South Texas. After graduating from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School, she attended and graduated from the University of Texas, Houston-School of Dental Hygiene. She holds a Masters degree in Education She is active in the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, the Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association, and the Rio Grande Valley Dental Hygienists’ Society. For the past forty years Ms. Euler has worked in private practice as well as public health settings. She has been an educator at TSTC since 1999 in the dental hygiene and dental assisting programs. She serves as a mentor with the Office of Student Success.

Mrs. Arjona is a graduate of Fresno City College in California, where she received an Associate of Science in dental hygiene in 1993. She received a Master’s Degree in Adult Education through Texas A&M University Kingsville. She is an active member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association as well as its Texas and local components, where she has participated serving as treasurer and providing continuing education workshops. Gladys also served as a member of the OHSAC, Oral Health Service Advisory Committee, for the state of Texas, providing input on oral health issues affecting the citizens of Texas. She is currently teaching dental hygiene and dental assisting with areas of expertise in the care of special needs patients and nutrition for dental health and overall wellness.

Ms. Rico is a graduate of the dental hygiene associates degree program at TSTC. She has worked in several different practices as a dental hygienist. She has been a dental hygiene instructor since 2007, teaching Pre-clinic and Clinic I and II. She is also a member of the TDHEA, Texas Dental Hygiene Educator’s Association.

Ms. Trevino is a 1999 graduate of the Dental Assisting program at Texas State Technical College, and a 2003 graduate with TSTC’s Associate in Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. Ms. Trevino has worked as a dental hygienist in San Antonio, Austin, and South Padre Island for 5 years. Presently at TSTC, she is the Radiology and Prevention Instructor for both Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene and clinical instructor for Dental Hygiene.

Ms. Renteria is the patient coordinator for the dental hygiene clinic at Texas State Technical College. She has worked with the dental hygiene program since January of 2008. She helps with scheduling appointments for the dental hygiene student in the clinic. She also helps in the radiology labs.

Ms. Esquivel has been a clinical dental hygienist for 6 years before coming to TSTC in the Spring of 2010 to work in the Dental Hygiene Department. Prior to her dental hygiene career, she worked as a dental assistant for 3 years. She is a graduate of TSTC- Harlingen’s first dental assistant class of 1999. She teaches in both the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting Departments.

Mrs. Bennett has been actively involved in dentistry for over thirty years. She has clinical experience as a certified dental assistant and as a registered dental hygienist. She has served as department chair for Texas State Technical College’s dental hygiene and division director of the health professions division. She has been a contributing author for several dental hygiene textbooks, and has written articles for various dental hygiene publications. She developed an on-line continuing education course on fluorides and histology for Educational Horizons, speaks at the national level at a variety of topics of interest to health care providers. She is twice past president of the Rio Grande Valley Dental Hygienists’ Society. She has served two terms as a curriculum consultant for the Council on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

Mr Petit graduated from TSTC's Dental Hygiene Program in 2007. After practicing for four years as a dental hygienist at a variety of dental offices, he has returned as an Instructor beginning in the Fall of 2011. He is appreciative of the opportunity to educate students about what he learned as a student, a practicing clinician, and now, as a dental hygiene instructor.