February 4, 2025 MPCA News
Hello! My name is Vanessa Cushman, and I’m a student in the dental therapy program at Skagit Valley College. I am in year one, and we are wrapping up our second quarter! Most of my days currently are spent with a handpiece in my hand in our simlab or sitting through lectures.
My love for oral health care started when I was young. I enjoyed seeing the entire dental team at my appointments, the kindness and care they showed me did not go unnoticed. After high school, I joined the dental assisting program at Northwestern Michigan College so I could give back to my community and positively influence younger kids, like how I was influenced.
Upon graduation, I applied at My Community Dental Centers, where I have helped provide care for the past sixteen years, serving those most in need. During this time working in public health, I have been exposed to numerous oral health care crises like early childhood decay, generational trauma, lack of access to care, affordability, and being uninsured. Just in my small hometown of Cadillac, we are severely inundated with patients that need care. Most patients must wait over a year to be seen, which leads to many unnecessary toothaches and emergency extractions. This is heartbreaking to see. As a registered dental assistant, I have restored thousands of teeth and have assisted with extracting thousands more. I laughed with, held hands, cried with, and fought for all my patient’s best interests. I fell in love with providing oral health care to my community but always felt like I could and should do more.
It’s because of this exposure to the oral healthcare crisis that I decided to become a dental therapist. I want to do more, serve more, and make a change in the cycle. I want to be the smiling face they know and can trust, hopefully lessening the fear and trauma associated with visiting the dentist.
By becoming a dental therapist and working under the supervision of a supervising dentist, I will be able to see patients from their initial visit to their final visit, while providing care within my scope of practice. I will be able to treat caries, provide preventive care, emergency care, and even perform some extractions. The idea is that this will greatly lessen the waiting time that patients wait to be seen and cared for, ultimately decreasing the amount of extractions and overall caries.
I am thrilled to become a dental therapist knowing that I will have a positive impact on our community and the needs of our underserved population. I am excited to continue learning here at Skagit Valley and bring back all the knowledge and skills that I am acquiring!
