School of Dental Health

CORRINE JOHNSTON: Hi, my name's Corrine Johnston. I'm the director of health sciences here at George Brown College.   We offer five different programs: dental assisting, dental hygiene, restorative dental hygiene, dental technology and denturism.    What's unique about the program is the opportunity for students from all five of those programs to learn from each other.    AMIR MEMISEVIC: You should come here because the program is designed truly to elevate a person's knowledge in terms of the denturist field, but besides that, also prepare them for the real world.    CORRINE JOHNSTON: I think if the students say anything when they leave here, it's how important that hands-on experience was for them.    ALISON MINTO: Clinical is probably my favourite part of the program because that's when you're applying all that you've learned and you're actually doing the things that you're going to be doing in the real world. So it's the summation of all of your learning in one nice little package.    CHANTEL SHUGAA: I've actually learned very many new skills like making dentures, crowns, making a beautiful smile for people and just how to be a professional in the dental industry.    AMINA WAJAHAT: We do sealants. We have to do polishing and it's like when you're practicing in clinic, that's exactly what you're going to do in a real industry.    MELANIE LIASSIDES: Some of those "a-hah" moments happened while I was completing my work placement in my final semester, so applying everything that I had learned in the classroom into the work placement and also seeing it done by other staff, as well, was one of those moments for me. So sort of putting everything together, all of the pieces of the puzzle.    CORRINE JOHNSTON: Our industry partners are integral to our program. They are members of our Program Advisory Committee. We consult them regularly about what's happening in the profession and where are we going in the profession and what's the latest and the greatest in technology.   They're also important because these are opportunities, they create opportunities for employment for our students after they graduated.    ROB MIOR: The George Brown programs in general, from the technology program to the restorative hygiene program, they're very unique. I think their instructors are at the highest level.   NATALIE MIANDRO: I've heard of employers that only hire people from George Brown and so that was what helped me make my decision just knowing it was going to be well respected and recognized by an employer.    All of our instructors work in the field so they're using these techniques and these tools, day to day, and they help us perfect our skills.    ALISON MINTO: I think it's been a huge, huge transformation from day one. I never really would feel that I was this comfortable doing the skills that I'm doing at this point.   ROB MIOR: So they kind of encompass everything, what you need to know in the classroom and what you need to know in the real world to be successful. And I think that comes from the positive energy that the instructors bring to the school and I think that just the fact that the school, itself, is very proud of their program.   It's, by far, in my mind one of the best programs in Canada.