Students and faculty come to TCC’s two dental programs for different reasons, but the overlapping goal is helping people and each other.
For first-year dental student Abby Amaya, the road to becoming a dental hygienist means providing the care she didn’t receive growing up.
“I just wanted to help my family get into dental care, so that way they don’t have to struggle whenever they get older,” she said.
She said the program offers a supportive environment where she can learn the necessary skills to reach her goals. Even though it can be stressful at times, she said once you’re in the program you have the support available to make it to the end.
“Everyone’s in that program to gain more knowledge,” she said. “Everyone’s going to be learning new things. It’s kind of a built-in family with your classmates, and everyone’s just trying to help everyone out.”
Ashley Emery, who graduated last year, said the dental program became her safe space. She didn’t have the best home life growing up and her education was able to provide her with a sense of identity.
“I was surrounded by people who wanted me to be successful, who were there to support me,” she said. “I had endless opportunities and support. I had everything that I could need. I just had to show up for myself.”
The program is set up to have a selective admission system with 16 students per dental assistant cohort and 24 students per dental hygiene cohort. These students go through two years of curriculum together and become close, Emery said. She said hardship is inevitable, but the community offers a big support.
“We had some people who went through some really hard breakups,” she said. “We had some people go through divorces. We had some people who had miscarriages. We had some people who lost their parents to COVID, some people who experienced some other tragedies and deaths. … When you go through these things, these are the people that you can lean on.”
Emery currently works as a practicing dental hygienist and said she has fond feelings for what the program offered her.
“These people want the best for you,” she said. “They want you to be successful. They’re willing to push you, and they know you well enough to know when you’re not giving it your all.”
Stephanie Bottomly is another recent graduate who is now an established dental hygienist. She came from a family that didn’t go to the dentist or put an emphasis on oral hygiene, which pushed her to pursue dentistry,
“Me and a lot of family members suffered those consequences as far as having tons of work done on our teeth in later years, issues with gum disease,” she said. “I have parents that had full dentures, so being able to make an impact in that specific field was personal to me.”
Bottomly said being a dental hygienist is an opportunity for her to do better for those who have been in her position.
“I feel like I’m able to give those people the knowledge and the tools to make better decisions, so they don’t end up in the same place as I came from,” she said. “My dad has diabetes. That was a huge aspect of how he ended up losing all of his teeth.”
She found the program to be rigorous and thorough but doable because of the support of her instructors and classmates.
“There’s a very diverse group of instructors who all bring something original and special to the table,” she said. “Learning from them has had a huge impact.”
Rebel Chapa graduated from the program in 2006 before coming back to teach as a first-year clinic coordinator. Chapa said it’s rewarding to see her students grow and change from their first day as students to the day they graduate.
“They have to put sharp things in people’s mouths, and that’s kind of scary,” she said. “Watching them kind of build those skills and start to trust themselves more is very satisfying. Once they kind of make it through the program, they feel pretty accomplished. They feel empowered.”
Brittney Henderson is working as a dental hygienist after graduating from the program in 2024 and said she’s living her dream job.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but its totally worth it,” she said. “It’s also really cool that an associates degree can get you there and you don’t need your bachelor’s to get paid the same out in your career.”
Dental assistant Giovanna Johnson said the instructors help students feel successful before working on patients. She said oftentimes, the first thing you notice about someone is their smile. Her goal is to help people love that smile.
“I love teeth, but in a more complex way,” she said. “I love being able to help people get back their confidence.”
A typical day as a dental assistant student starts in the morning or afternoon depending on your group. Johnson starts taking vitals at 8 a.m. and then begins preparatory work for the procedures for the day. Throughout the day, there are lectures and labs to attend.
Otherwise, students are in the clinic, assisting with the treatment of patients.
“I don’t like when there’s downtime,” Johnson said. “But when you’re a dental assistant, there’s always something to do constantly. So you can’t really say like, ‘Oh, I had nothing to do at the time’ because there’s always something to do in a clinic.”
TCC’s dental clinic on NE Campus in the NHSC building offers $10 cleanings for students and the community. Mariam Akbar is a second-year dental hygiene student and said it’s rewarding to be able to serve people at an affordable rate.
“Periodontal disease is something not a lot of people think about, and that’s just really common now,” she said. “So it’s being able to change that, so their oral health is much better.”
The clinic is overseen by Richard Townsley, a retired dentist who now aids TCC dental students. He said he hasn’t had a bad student yet.
“I’ve been very impressed with the students that come into this program,” he said. “They’re very polite. They’re very well-mannered. They’re very patient-oriented, and they just want to do the best they can for their patients. It makes me proud to be a part of that.”
