The dental program provides more than just an education about teeth, it gives hands on experience and a path to success.

The Dental Assisting Program held a workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the radiology room.

With about half a dozen attending, some were current Cerritos College students while others were currently enrolled in high school.

In a visual workshop, Dental Assisting Instructor Lydia Cosio, gave the aspiring students the information they needed on how to get into the program, what the program offers, and the possibilities after successful completion of the program.

Cosio, who graduated from the program herself, has been in the industry for 30 years, six of them teaching at Cerritos College.

Before getting to the workshop, Cosio began showing the audience the radiology room where mannequins were in dental chairs ready to be operated.

She explained that the mannequins had real human teeth and skulls so students could get real-life experience.

“Students will work on the mannequins and then will go on and bring in family or friends to work on, close to 13 patients during the entire course,” said Cosio.

In addition to the life-like manikins, she explained the six new dental chairs and other new equipment the program has been provided with.

She began with the requirements to apply to the program and what courses students have to take during.

The program is three semesters, with fall having students in beginner courses, spring having the advanced courses, and summer having actual office internships for the students.

During the spring semester, students get to go to USC on Wednesdays and work with dental school students.

For six weeks in the summer, students work as a chair side assistant in actual offices in the area.

“The local areas love our program, and some will only take Cerritos students when they are hiring,” said Cosio.

Dental Assistant Director Donna Wedell was also at the workshop providing necessary information to the audience.

“Our program costs about $2,500 to $3,000, and that includes books, all nine courses, uniforms, and everything else,” said Wedell.

English prerequisites and GPA standards do need to be met before applying for the program.

Applications are due in the middle of May with a mandatory orientation for those that get accepted in July that goes into great depth in the program.

The program has a set lecture time for all program students however, it also has flexible lab hour sessions.

For students interested in the program, Cosio allows for anyone to speak to her and visit the classrooms during lab hours to learn more about the experience.