Dental Assisting
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Become a Dental Assistant! Get career-ready in just 9 months
If you’re looking for a quick, hands-on path into the healthcare field, the Dental Assisting program at Southwestern is an excellent choice. In just nine months, you can get career-ready as a Dental Assistant and help people smile. Starting in the Fall, you’ll complete the program in three terms (Fall, Winter, and Spring) and graduate confident in your skills.
Learn by doing in Southwestern’s beautiful new Dental Assisting lab space! Our program blends expert industry instruction with practical lab experience and on-the-job internships. Local dental offices are eager to hire trained assistants, and these skills are in high demand across the South Coast.
Dental Assisting can be a fulfilling lifelong career or a stepping stone to other roles in dentistry. Whatever your goal, Southwestern gives you a solid foundation to build on.
More news about Southwestern’s Dental Assisting program:
Enroll now! We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to become a student.
Apply Now
Get helpful updates on programs, deadlines, and other tips about enrolling.
Request Info
Come see why Southwestern Oregon Community College is a great place to learn.
Visit
CONTACT
Text or Call: 541-240-8227
Email
Need help with costs?
Ask about possible support through SNAP Training & Employment Program (STEP)
Scholarships Available!
Apply annually (Jan. 1 – March 1) for SWOCC Foundation scholarships.
Dental Assisting Certificate
Specific overview, class descriptions and courses you’ll take.
Dental Assisting, Certificate of Completion
This three-term certificate program starts in Fall term (continues Winter and Spring Terms) and prepares you to pursue work as a dental assistant with expanded functions. This program prepares students for the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam and the Oregon Expanded Functions Assisting with Infection Control exam.
IMPORTANT: Before starting the internship portion Winter term, you’ll need American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR certification and must complete required immunizations, a background check, and a drug screening. DON’T WORRY! Southwestern will guide you through each step and let you know how to complete these requirements.
A FUTURE OF SMILES
Intern with local dentists
Train in our beautiful new lab
Prepare for a high-demand career
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Dental Assisting Adjunct Faculty
Nicole Little (Storbeck)
Nicole Little has served as the Dental Assisting instructor at Southwestern since Spring 2025 — a role she describes as a dream come true. After attending Southwestern’s Dental Assisting program in 2019, Nicole returned to Southwestern with a goal she set as a student: to one day teach and mentor future dental assistants.
Nicole brings extensive real-world experience to the classroom, having worked in multiple dental offices across the community. She maintains strong professional connections throughout the local dental community and understands firsthand how closely connected the dental field truly is.
She is certified in radiology, expanded functions, sealants, and cord packing, and uses her practical experience to prepare students for success in clinical settings. Nicole is passionate about helping students understand that while dental assisting can be fun, it is also challenging, fast-paced, and incredibly rewarding.
Above all, Nicole is committed to student success — from skill development to job placement — and makes herself available to support students throughout their journey. Outside of the classroom, Nicole enjoys spending time with her husband, family, friends, and her energetic dog.
Retired Dentist
Dr. Lori Lemire, DMD
Dr. Lori Lemire is a retired general dentist who brings decades of experience and a lifelong passion for dentistry to Southwestern’s Dental Assisting program. After retiring from private practice in 2020, Dr. Lemire returned to the classroom to help educate and mentor the next generation of dental professionals — a role she finds both meaningful and rewarding.
Dr. Lemire’s career in dentistry spans 35+ years and includes experience as a dental assistant, dental office receptionist, dental hygienist, and general dentist. She owned and operated a general dentistry practice in Coos Bay from 1988 – 2020 and previously served in faculty roles at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry and Lane Community College’s Dental Hygiene program. Her broad background gives students valuable perspective on the full scope of the dental profession.
At Southwestern, Dr. Lemire has played a key role in supporting student practicum placements, helping connect students with dental offices in Coos Bay, North Bend, and Coquille. She is passionate about the importance of in-office training and takes pride in seeing students transition successfully into the workforce.
Dr. Lemire holds a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from Oregon Health Sciences University. She remains deeply committed to strengthening the local dental workforce and supporting student success throughout the South Coast.
Expanded Function Dental Assistant
Melody Hardin
WHAT OUR GRADUATES SAY
“SWOCC’s Dental Assisting program opened doors for me. Through my externship, I was hired at Ko-Kwell Dental Clinic, where I discovered my passion for dentistry. The guidance I received from instructors and mentors — including SWOCC alumni Dr. Sam Scott — helped me build skills and confidence that continue to shape my journey and showed me that I want to become a dentist one day. SWOCC was the stepping stone that set my future in motion.”
–Marisol, Dental Assisting Graduate
REAL-WORLD TRAINING
Train directly with dental providers in a supportive learning community!
- Connect with a close-knit network of dental offices and clinics in the region.
- Partnerships help build professional connections and ensure local employers have access to much-needed well-trained dental assistants.
- Instructors bring real-life experience and are committed to helping you succeed!
- The average annual earnings for Dental Assistants in Coos and Curry Counties is $56,184.
