Dental Student Testimonials

My name is Afsaneh Iranban. I graduated summa cum laude in December 2017 from the LACC Dental Technology program. My time at LACC was very rewarding as I was the Valedictorian of my class and the winner of the Dental Prosthetic Technology Golden Spatula Award. My journey to this educational achievement actually started a long time ago. Several years prior to coming to the U.S., I heard of the LACC program from my brothers who are dental lab owners in Iran. I eventually moved to the U.S. and took some English and general education courses in Seminole State College in Orlando, Florida. I then decided to apply to LACC and to follow my dream of becoming a dental technology specialist. This was a great decision for me. When I reflect back on my two years at LACC, I must conclude that the program gave me a strong foundation for a career in dental technology. The DT faculty was very engaged with students and were very thorough in their classroom and lab instruction. I was also fortunate to have worked as a Program Assistant in the DT Department. This experience showed me how much hard work and difficult challenges the department chair, faculty, and the administration has to successfully meet to provide students with the latest knowledge, equipment, and technology in the field. The department chair, Ms. Cohen, always encouraged students to attend outside seminars, symposiums and dental shows to gain a deeper understanding of the field and their potential career opportunities in dental technology. She also invited many well-known people in the field for lectures on site to inspire students, to learn more and to understand the different career opportunities available. Potential paths to job opportunities were provided for students, by inviting lab owners and company recruiters to visit on site. Students were made aware of the large demand for dental technologists. As an international student, I have gained valuable friendships, lasting memories, and close bonds with the dental technology department. I couldn’t have been more pleased with choosing this program. I deeply appreciate the chance to study abroad in a college where the dedicated faculty provides on-on-one support to help students. In the end this program gave me the opportunity to achieve a highly responsible and technically competent position straight out of school.

The Los Angeles City program was the foundation of my career in Dentistry. The greatest aspect of the program is that it will guide you to pick your specialty that best suits you, because you will have a chance to make dentures, orthodontic-appliances, all-ceramic crowns and partial frameworks. In just two years I was exposed to the different specialties and all of the latest cutting-edge technologies in the dental laboratory field. The LACC program provided me the knowledge and the necessary tools to succeed in my career.

I would like to thank you for all of your dedication and hard work towards the program. You have inspired me to be the best tech I can be. Thank you for always pushing me and demanding that I do my best. I recently was hired by a high-end boutique lab in Seattle called Kymata Dental Arts. Without your tireless dedication to the Master Ceramist Program there would be no way in which I could start out my career at such a level. Thank you so much. I am proud to call myself one of your former students and a graduate of both LACC and UCLA programs.

My name is Minhoon Park and I was accepted in the Dental Prosthetic Technology program in spring 2018. I began the program without any dental knowledge. I was still figuring out what I wanted to do as a career, but I was interested in Dentistry since childhood. So I decided to pursue Dental Prosthetic Technology.

Dental Prosthetic Technology is a blend of art, science, and technology, which suits well my interests and personality. Most of the work in this program is hands-on, which I really like.

The greatest advantage that I observed in the LACC Dental Prosthetic Technology program is that we get to study all the Dental Prosthetic specialties: crown and bridge, ceramics, dentures, partial dentures, orthodontics, implants and digital dentistry (CAD/CAM) instructions. Therefore, the students have the opportunity to choose the specialty that suits them most.

Also, the program provides internship and externship opportunities. On campus, senior students could become mentors to help the first year students and out of campus externship opportunities in the dental laboratories or dental offices with in-house laboratories, which help the students to apply what learned in the classroom and gain experience in the specialty of choice. Personally, I learned a lot from helping the first year students as an intern. Not only I am helping them, but I also get to refresh my knowledge and learn things that I have missed.

LACC Dental Prosthetic Technology Program provides us with a lot of opportunities. Many graduate’ students were hired while interning in the dental laboratory or upon graduation. We were invited to many Dental Seminars and events. All the professors are very passionate about teaching and motivate the students.

I love how I can work and do what I like, while I am learning to become a successful Dental Technologist.

It’s been already three years since I graduated from LACC but I always feel I was so lucky to have joined the Dental Technology program at LACC. It can be a bit challenging for students to complete their college education, but we were always guided to acquire the skills and to be ready to start working as professionals, so I thank Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, other instructors and everybody who supports the program.

A while before graduating from LACC, I decided to learn further about ceramics and esthetic dentistry, and applied for the program of UCLA Esthetic Dental Design. To keep up with the classes in UCLA, LACC graduates have sufficient knowledge and skills to fabricate restorations that are accepted by patients and doctors. We learned terminology, so we could discuss the clinical cases with doctors, who treated us respectfully.

As an international student, I had a concern regarding obtaining a job and needing more paperwork than local students. It was not easy, but now I believe there are always dental laboratory owners who are willing to support someone skilled and knowledgeable. Fortunately, I met someone with a position available for me, and he has supported my working visa. Also he's willing to support me for a green card.

While I've been working in the dental laboratory, I realized I practically utilize the knowledge and skills that we obtained in the Dental Technology program. Overall, I'm very happy with my profession. The two years I spent in the program was a very good time learning and having fun with classmates, which changed my life.

Children often dream of what they will become when they “grow up,” and although I may have not thought so when I was a child in Argentina, it seems that dentistry was always a part of my destiny. Unfortunately, after a short year in university, Argentina’s economic and financial institutions collapsed. My brother and I were forced to leave our home country to help our parents make ends meet. My dental career and all my dreams were put on hold.

I arrived in Los Angeles by myself in 2002 at the age of 19. At the time I did not speak English and had no idea how to make my dreams a reality. I began working full time in a pizzeria right across from the Los Angeles City College and taking classes at night to learn English. After 2 years of trying to adapt to this new life and fearing that my professional development was heading nowhere, I enrolled in the Los Angeles City College ADA-accredited Dental Technology Program. It was a time of transition and uncertainty for me, but under the guidance of Mr. and Mrs. Cohen I found myself on a path to success that I had always dreamt of traveling. In 2005 I graduated from the program. I was hired by Den-Tech, Inc., a dental laboratory where I worked for the next six years. Simultaneously, I attended Cal State LA were I got my B.Sc. in Biochemistry and in 2009 I was accepted to the Harvard School of Dental Medicine where I am pursuing my D.M.D. degree.

Today, when I look back on the path that I have taken, I realize that the most important and influential part of my journey were those years at LACC. It was this intense two-year program that gave me the structure and knowledge that my life needed. It was, without a doubt, the corner stone of what today emerges as a dignifying and successful life. The professionalism and integrity displayed by everyone in this program combined with the state of the art facilities, makes this program unmatched in the country. We are extremely lucky to have an ADA-accredited Dental Technology program in Southern California, and I am happy that I was able, at the time, to be part of this experience.

The person I am today has been profoundly shaped by my time at LACC. I am endlessly in debt for the life lessons I learned during my years as a dental technology student. The priceless technical knowledge and the lifelong friendships I made there are gifts that will be with me forever. It is inspiring to know that there are programs like this out there that will take a young mind and guide it in the right direction because it is the right thing to do. For this and much more, I want to say thank you to all my professors and to everyone at the LACC Dental Technology Program for changing my life in the best way possible.

My name is Saad Elhallak, I am a graduate of the LACC Dental Technology program, class of 2008. Upon graduation from the LACC Dental Technology Program, I was accepted at the UCLA Master Dental Ceramist Program. The LACC program gave me the foundational skills and knowledge to start this amazing career. Dental Technology is an art; by designing and fabricating dental teeth from start to finish, you get to see what simple science combined with your imagination and proper techniques can create. It takes hard work, patience, dedication and a strong will to learn.

I am now a proud owner of a small dental lab in Orange County, CA. I specialize in all-ceramics natural smile design. My lab focuses on the direct interaction between the technician, dentist, and patient as the cases are fabricated. I work closely with dentists, from diagnosis to case completion to achieve the best dental restoration for the patient.

I owe my success to the dedication and commitment of the LACC Dental Technology instructors who nurtured me during my studies and encouraged me every step of the way.