All Careers Dental Offers Unique, Real-World Dental Assistant And Receptionist Training

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Focus COVER STORY | By M.G. Angulo –

When Dr. Teresa Cody was a little girl, she feared the dentist, primarily because her childhood dentist was rough and unfriendly. In fact, her dentist did not believe in using anesthetics. Needless to say, the pain and stress over going to the dentist created a fearful perspective of dentistry for the young Cody, and she unfortunately applied that fear to the entire realm of dentistry. However, during Cody’s college years — when she became a patient of another dentist whose approach to the practice was quite different — she discovered dentistry could actually be gentle.

Cody not only realized dentistry could be both kind and pain-free, but it was calling her name as well, and she would be the dentist who no one feared. As it turns out, Cody’s future husband and business partner also felt the call of dentistry but for different reasons.

“I remember being teased as a kid for having gaps between my teeth,” said Dr. Tim Cashion, who attended dental school with Cody and later became her husband and business partner. “It caused me to be very self-conscious and hide my smile.”

Cashion wanted braces, so he spoke to his orthodontist, who actually recommended that he speak to his dentist instead about cosmetic bonding, which as it fortunately turned out, closed the gaps. It was what Cashion calls a “life-changing result.” Not only did dentistry improve his self-esteem, it gave him the desire to pay it forward to scores of others. “I knew then dentistry was my career,” Cashion said.

Exceptional Dental Care

Fast forward two-plus decades, and you will find husband-and-wife team Drs. Cashion and Cody, who own and practice at C&C Dental in Sugar Land, demonstrating to their patients that a trip to the dentist can be comfortable, fun and fulfilling.

In addition to serving patients in Sugar Land, the duo sees patients from the Greater Houston area, Richmond, Rosenberg, Missouri City, Stafford, Meadows Place and Katy, but Cashion and Cody did not stop with their dental services. For the past three years, they have put their experiences and expertise to use at their own dental training school called All Careers Dental.

All Careers Dental

“You realize when you have done something for over 20 years, you accumulate extensive knowledge and experience, and we knew it would be a shame not to pass this knowledge on,” Cashion said. “That is what started the idea for the training school. We then talked to a number of graduates from other schools who complained of very little hands-on learning, mainly lectures, and we all know that we learn best by doing, so we decided to go for it.”

All Careers Dental opened in 2013 at 17003 Southwest Freeway, Suite 100 in Sugar Land and offers two courses of study — Dental Assistant and Dental Receptionist. The campus is a 7,000 square-foot facility featuring 19 rooms that are fully equipped for student use and learning, plus a classroom with an overhead projection screen for video and PowerPoint-assisted lectures.

“We discovered that when we talk to our colleagues, we are all looking for the same thing when looking to hire new staff,” Cody said. “That is, finding people with core skills who only need a short learning curve to get up to speed.”

And that, Cody said, is the goal of All Careers Dental, “to teach students the basic skills needed in the shortest amount of time and get in as many repetitions as possible.” In what she calls a “small investment to begin your new career,” Cody said All Careers Dental produces quality-trained professionals into a respectable field. “Our goal with dental offices is to find the best possible fit when looking for a new hire.”

Curious About Dentistry?

All Careers Dental is unique in that it covers two major components of a dental practice — the assistants, as well as the receptionists. “When we started the school, we were approved by the Texas Workforce Commission to only have a dental assistant course,” Cody said. “The response and feedback was so positive, we wondered why there were no available schools for the reception or administrative position.”

The typical age range of the school’s students is 18 years old to 45 years old, and a high school diploma is required to attend. Both programs require 10 weeks to complete with classes held from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturdays.

“Nationally, there are plenty of schools to become a dentist, hygienist or dental assistant but virtually no schools to become a receptionist,” Cody said. “So, we are very excited to report we have officially been approved to offer one of the only courses in the nation to become a certified dental administrator.”

Those seeking the Dental Receptionist route will find that communication is the key to the program. “Students spend a tremendous amount of time learning communication and people skills from an instructor with 25 years experience,” Cashion said. “We have found this program to be perfect for the mom who is looking to get back into work after her kids are a little older.”

Included in this program’s tuition are short lectures, hands-on training with dental software, CPR certification, resume writing, preparation for job interviews and the chance to interact with patients. The only requirement that falls outside of tuition is that all students have a laptop computer.

“Since we know we all learn better when having fun,” Cashion said, “the Dental Receptionist program also features a plethora of role-playing and hands-on exercises.”

Aside from course work, having a good time is common to both programs, and that’s a characteristic both Drs. Cashion and Cody are proud of. “In addition to learning with loads of hands-on exercises — starting from day one — and learning from instructors with combined experience of 35 years, students can expect to have fun, ” Cody said of the Dental Assistant program.

Those seeking the Dental Assistant route will experience much of the same training a dental receptionist would, with an added focus on four-handed dentistry, a technique in which a dental assistant works directly with the dentist on the procedures being done in the mouth of a patient in efforts to reduce fatigue and improve the effectiveness of dental procedures.

All Careers Dental can be a career changer or a career starter, Cody said. And best of all, it can fit in with work, family and other kinds of personal schedules. “It’s great for someone who has a job during the week and cannot miss work,” she said. “The school offers an extremely affordable way to enter the dental field and is perfect for someone who is considering to be a dental hygienist.”

The cost to enroll in a program is $5,995, but students who register early can save $1,000 on tuition. The school also offers financial assistance to those who qualify. To learn more, visit www.allcareersdental.com.

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7th Annual Butterfly Flutter By

Ever the philanthropists, Drs. Tim Cashion and Teresa Cody also support research for Down syndrome, and at 1 pm on April 10th, their non-profit organization called the Changing Minds Foundation will hold a unique fundraiser to support the foundation’s efforts.

The Changing Minds Foundation spreads awareness about Down syndrome treatment for children as well as adults. For the seventh consecutive year, the foundation will hold its annual Butterfly Flutter By fundraiser, where 1,000 butterflies will be released at Christ Church Cathedral in Nancy’s Garden located at 1117 Texas Avenue in downtown Houston.

Each Butterfly can be purchased for $21 to represent the extra 21st chromosome that causes Down syndrome, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to non-profit activities. Last year’s event raised nearly $5,000.

For more information about the Changing Minds Foundation or Butterfly Flutter By, visit www.changingmindsfoundation.org.