Dental hygiene classes, services at LCC

By Abby Cowels
Staff Writer

The Dental Hygiene Clinic at LCC has been serving students, individuals and families for nearly 50 years. LCC offers an associate degree for those who are interested in keeping teeth healthy within the community.

With a profession that is accelerating quickly, the LCC Dental Hygiene Program welcomes those who would like to be a part of rewarding and lucrative industry.

“I think that the while it's growing tremendously right now, we lost a lot of people in COVID,” said Jenny Sims, BAS, RDH Professor. “So, we're getting some new blood, lots of energy in the profession (and) the wages are going up.”

According to the Dental Hygiene Program overview, it is a two-year degree, with summer classes included. And with the necessity of hands-on training, students will begin seeing patients after their first semester.

“The first semester of the program, students will learn instrumentation anatomy, nutrition, radiology,” Sims said. “That is the foundation that students will grow from, then we continue to build on that throughout the course.”

The intense hands-on training does not end at the dental hygiene clinic; 18 hours of community service is required to complete the program.

“Some of the students will be volunteering at Mission of Mercy in June, which is a free dental clinic for individuals who have limited access to healthcare,” Sims said.

Sims also said there is opportunity to teach oral hygiene at elementary and pre-schools, and to volunteer time at the Beekman Center for the cognitively impaired. These are just some other examples of what student community service may look like in the program.

Students will learn that a dental hygienist’s responsibility includes more than teeth cleaning. According to the program description, they will also learn to process dental radiographs, oral disease screening, oral health counseling and more.

The LCC Dental Hygiene Clinic offers affordable services to everyone. Students and individuals under 17 will receive a cleaning for $25. Cost for seniors 65 and older is $35, and it is $40 for adults 18 to 65.

Clinic hours run Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1 to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.

Visit here for advising guides to become a dental hygiene student, or call 517-483-1458 to book a pre-screening appointment to become a patient.