Dental Assisting
Dental Assisting
Work the chair,not justthe textbook.
Learn instruments, materials, radiography, and chairside patient care in a lab built like a working dental office. You'll train toward the Ohio Dental Radiographer's Certificate and the AMT Registered Dental Assistant credential.
$48,070 median
What dental assistants earn nationally. Certified assistants and x-ray credentials push that higher.
2 Years
Junior and senior year. A senior-only option is available, but you'll miss a full year of lab time and credential prep.
No Tuition
Lab fees are typically a few hundred dollars. Payment plans are available.
College Credit
Earn college credit toward a degree while you are still in high school.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Dental Assistants, May 2025 wage data. Pay depends on experience, credentials, and employer.
Credentials You Can Earn
Both are earned by passing the exam. We get you ready. The score is yours.
OHIO STATE DENTAL BOARD
Dental Radiographer
- Radiation safety and protection
- Positioning and exposing images
- Processing and evaluating film
- X-ray equipment and technique
- Ohio dental board rules
AMERICAN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS
Registered Dental Assistant
- Chairside assisting and instrument transfer
- Dental anatomy and terminology
- Restorative materials and impressions
- Infection control and sterilization
- Patient records and office procedure
The Radiographer's Certificate is a state credential from the Ohio State Dental Board. It is what legally allows you to take dental x-rays in Ohio, which is one of the first things a practice will ask about. The RDA is a national credential from American Medical Technologists. You'll also complete Stop the Bleed training.
A Real Operatory. Down to the Chair.
Dental assisting is hands, timing, and knowing what the dentist needs before they ask. You learn that by doing it, in a room set up like the place you'll work.
- Chairside assisting and instrument transfer
- Dental anatomy and terminology
- Taking and evaluating x-rays
- Impressions, models, and restorative materials
- Infection control and sterilization
- Setting up and breaking down an operatory
- Patient communication and chairside manner
- Charting, records, and scheduling
In the labChairs, x-ray machines, sterilization, instruments — the same equipment as a dentist's office. You learn on the gear you'll use on the job.
Why WCCC
You practice on people
The lab doesn't see outside patients. What you do get is time with classmates as your patients, so you're learning positioning, communication, and chairside technique on an actual person rather than a plastic model.
Keep your home school
You're still part of your home high school. Graduate with your class, and keep playing sports, going to prom, and showing up for homecoming.
Steady demand
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects dental assisting to grow 7% through 2035, much faster than average, with about 53,000 openings a year. Dental hygienists, roughly two more years of school from here, earn a median of $98,100.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data and 2025–2035 projections.Where This Can Lead
This program is a head start, not the finish line. When you graduate, you'll have real options:
Start working
Chairside assistant in a general practice or a specialty office like orthodontics or oral surgery
Keep training
Dental hygiene school, expanded functions training, or another healthcare program
Keep building
Lead assistant, office or practice manager, or on to hygiene with more schooling
Take a Look Around
Applications open December 2.
See the lab before you apply.