UT Health San Antonio Continuing Dental Education UT Health San Antonio Continuing Dental Education

Coronal Polishing for the Dental Assistant

Combination Webinar Lecture and Hands-On Clinic Session

October 14, 2025 - October 25, 2025

Master Coronal Polishing! ~ Limited seats, sign up now!

This program will provide a total of 8 hours of instruction and application of coronal polishing.

The lecture will be provided in:

(TWO) 2 1/2 hours of Interactive webinars, plus....

3 hours of hands-on or clinical information will be provided in our clinic on patient simulators (dental mannequins).

(This is intended to provide this educational program in a safe environment without patient participation.)

“Coronal polishing” pertains to the removal of plaque and extrinsic stain from exposed natural and restored tooth surfaces using an appropriate rotary instrument with rubber cup or brush and polishing agent.

With this course you will get a two-series webinar full of the most up-to-date information regarding coronal polishing, and how to improve your contribution to your dental practice. In addition to that, you will have the opportunity to review, apply your skills, and master appropriate techniques prior to returning to your practice.

Course Schedule

To be delivered in the following format:

Webinar SESSION 1: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Webinar SESSION 2: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

HANDS-ON SESSION: Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

at UT Health School of Dentistry, 8210 Floyd Curl Dr. San Antonio, TX 78229

Objectives

Course of instruction will include:

Dental Anatomy and Head and Neck anatomy (as it relates to this topic)

Medical emergencies in the dental office

Case selection for coronal polishing

Ergonomics, patient positioning, “best practices”

Infection control procedures

Technique and proper use of dental equipment

Legal aspects of Coronal Polishing

The instructional lectures will be provided on 2 evenings and will allow questions and answers to the various topics. The hands-on portion of the course will allow the participant the opportunity to learn and develop appropriate techniques in coronal polishing. We will also discuss and various pieces of dental equipment, dental instruments and dental materials.

The webinar will be provided on a platform that can be viewed on either a desktop or laptop computer as well as a tablet.

This will be a live and interactive webinar - Q&A and chat will be available.

Presenter(s)

Peggy Hernandez, CDA, RDA, AAS
- Peggy Hernandez, CDA, RDA, AAS, Nitrous Oxide Certified, with over 40 years of experience in dental healthcare. Peggy Hernandez is a seasoned professional and leader in the field. She holds an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree from San Antonio Community College and is certified as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) and Registered Dental Assistant (RDA). Her extensive career spans clinical care, education, management, and human resources, showcasing her diverse expertise and dedication.
  
  Throughout her career, Peggy has held pivotal roles, including serving as the Dental Assistant Program Director at Brightwood and Kaplan College. In this capacity, she managed curriculum development, student onboarding, retention, program budgeting, advisory board meetings, and coordination with staff, instructors, and over 200 students. She also oversaw a live dental clinic that served over 400 patients with a team of 8 dentists.
  
  In 2019, Peggy transitioned into a Human Resources leadership role, working with Implant Concierge and Zimmer Biomet as a Dental Human Resource Coordinator. She successfully handled hiring, orientations, employee management, evaluations, and audits. In 2022, she joined UT Health, where she supervised and trained freshman to senior dental and hygiene students in the Radiology Department. Currently, she continues to contribute to the field as a contract instructor for UT Health's Department of Education, teaching Coronal Polish and Sealant courses.
  
  Peggy's dedication to advancing dental education is exemplified by her work with the Texas State Board Dental Examiners, where she developed and continues to update the online Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) examination in both English and Spanish. Her commitment to excellence and mentorship has profoundly impacted students, colleagues, and patients alike. You may contact this author at phernandez0626@gmail.com
Beatrice R. Pena, CDA, RDA, AAS
- Beatrice R. Pena, CDA, RDA, AAS
  * San Antonio College – Dental Assistant Program – 1973 CDA
  * UT Health Dentistry – employed 1978 to present
  * Chairside Dental Assistant 5 years, Receptionist for Dental Clinic 1 year, Supervisor 3 years
  * Employed by UT Dentistry 47 years
  * Instructor Dental Assisting Program at Kaplan College – 11 years (part-time)
  * Clinic Manager - UT Dentistry – 1983 to present
  * Hobbies are making wreaths, crafts, and working at an Antique Store for 9 years
  * People watcher and loves meeting new people
  
  You may contact this author at trevinob@uthscsa.edu

Disclosure

It is the policy of the UT Health San Antonio Office of Continuing Dental Education to ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all of its sponsored educational activities. All participating speakers, course directors, and planning committee members are required to disclose to the program audience any financial relationships related to the subject matter of this program. Relationships of spouse/partner with proprietary entities producing health care goods or services should be disclosed if they are of a nature that may influence the objectivity of the individual in a position to control the content of the CDE activity. Disclosure information is reviewed in advance in order to manage and resolve any possible conflicts of interest. Specific disclosure information for each speaker, course director, and planning committee member will be shared with the audience prior to the speaker’s presentation.

Continuing Dental Education Staff members have nothing to disclose.

Time

Check-in: 30 minutes before course starts
Program time: Check COURSE SCHEDULE above

Location

Live Interactive Webinar AND In Person
(Center for Oral Health Care and Research:
8210 Floyd Curl Dr
San Antonio, TX 78229)

Tuition

Individual: $400

(Tuition includes lab, clinical, handouts, and study material)

Credit

Hours: 8

Important Message

Many attendees who take our Coronal Polishing course regret not signing up for Pit and Fissure Sealants. Expand your knowledge and learn these two techniques in only TWO WEEKS. Plus, you will obtain TWO CE Certificates on Saturday, October 25. Click here to learn more about The Application of Pit & Fissure Sealants for Dental Assistants.

Email Notification for Live Interactive Webinar

On the week of the course, you will receive an email with a link to this virtual webinar. This same email will also provide a link to the course handout as a PDF document. Download this PDF to your device. Remember to look for this email notice at the email address you provided us when creating your UT Health CDE account. Check your email account’s inbox, junk, and spam folders.

Register now!

Read This Before Registering
Participants must attend both live webinar sessions in their entirety in order to become eligible to attend the in-person hands-on session. All sessions are required to receive CE.

Participants are required to maintain continuous attendance throughout the entire webinar session to receive CE. Please note the following attendance policies:

Attendance Verification Requirement: Please register for and sign into the Zoom call with your first and last name, or the first and last name of the attendee who is to receive credit for this course.

Device Requirement: Each attendee who is to receive CE must log in to the call on their own device (laptop, computer, etc.) that is named after the attendee. This will allow Zoom to identify you and record your attendance.

Full Attendance Required: You must remain connected to the webinar for the entire duration of the session. Partial CE will not be issued under any circumstances. Those who miss 15 minutes or more of any portion of the webinar will be subject to completing entirety of both course make-up sessions.

Disconnection Protocol: If you are disconnected from the webinar for any reason, you must make immediate and persistent efforts to reconnect to the session.

Waiting Room Protocol: When in the waiting room, please remain there until you are admitted by the host. Do not exit the waiting room or attempt to rejoin through a different method unless instructed to do so.

Credit Eligibility: CE will not be issued to participants who fail to maintain attendance for the full duration of the webinar, regardless of the reason for disconnection or early departure.

Course retakes are subject to a 10% administrative fee.

Please note that participation in the full Continuing Education webinar series is required. If a session is missed, individual make-up of that session is not permitted. Instead, the entire webinar series must be attended from the beginning at the next available course offering. Each participant is allowed one make-up opportunity only, which must be completed during the next scheduled course. It is the participant’s responsibility to contact a staff member of the Continuing Education Department within one week of the missed session to request a transfer. All transfers are subject to availability and will incur a 10% administrative fee. Failure to contact the department within the specified timeframe may result in forfeiture of the make-up opportunity.

If you experience technical difficulties that prevent you from rejoining the webinar, contact the webinar host Aimilina at chaperon@uthscsa.edu or call 210-567-2458

These mandates are due to regulations regarding course hours, clinical hours, and the safety of our patients.

Click Here for Hotels Near UT Health Science Center at San Antonio

Course Note
Click here to view the Texas Administrative Code. Texas Dental Practice Act requires that a dental assistant must have 1 year experience, current Basic Life Support training, and completed this course prior to performing this procedure under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist.

Important Message
Many attendees who take our Coronal Polishing course regret not signing up for Pit and Fissure Sealants. Expand your knowledge and learn these two techniques in only TWO WEEKS. Plus, you will obtain TWO CE Certificates on Saturday, October 25. Click here to learn more about The Application of Pit & Fissure Sealants for Dental Assistants.

Register for other dates
October 14, 2025

For help or questions about this program, you can contact us at:
Phone: (210) 567-3177
Email: smile@uthscsa.edu

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