If your reading this, thank you visiting the website. The fact that you are on this blog confirms that there are more curious Kathy’s out there just like me when I first started in the dental field 7 years ago. My name is Sage Salazar and I am the founder of Southern California Orthodontic Assisting School.

My story is short and sweet; I started dental assisting at age 16 through my high school ROP program (Love them! Wish there was one in every school district). I was fortunate enough to find my own internship site, which just so happened to be an orthodontic office. I enjoy staying busy and working with purpose, so an orthodontic practice was the perfect fit. After about 6 months I decided to see what interning a general practice was like… after one day I called my previous internship site and begged them to take me back for the rest of my term!

From there I worked my way up the orthodontic ladder. From DA to RDA, Back Office Supervisor, Employee Trainer, Transaction Coordinator, Lab Technician. I wore many hats, but training employees brought me the most joy.

Then I caught wind of this OAP course, that apparently is a mandatory requirement for me to do my job according to the dental board! So naturally I sought to take the course and exam as soon as possible. That is when I realized that not only was there a need for more geographical options, but the need for an orthodontic course focused on preparing the orthodontic assistant for the day to day life of an actual orthodontic assistant.

Based on my past experiences, I know the following statements are true (although, technically opinions):

– You need to be good at taking and POURING impressions, quickly.

-Almost every office takes their own orthodontic records. Knowing the purpose for each record and how to properly take x-rays and photographs is very important for a happy doctor.

-Almost every orthodontic office offers an essix (clear) retainer option. Fabricating these retainers make you more valuable (fabricating any appliances for that matter).

It shocked me that not one of those things was mentioned in the course I took. My biggest concern wasn’t for myself, but for the students who had never been in an orthodontic office before. Needless to say, my fellow classmates weren’t happy with the education they received. That got me to thinking…

A course focused on knowledge and know-how.

If your wondering why you should chose SCOAS over the competitors, the answer is easy: We train orthodontist assistants practical skills  in addition to what is needed to pass the state exam. To keep it simple- we care. We care for the orthodontist, the assistant, and ultamitly (most importantly), the patient.

So we look forward to teaching you. We hope that you enjoy your experience with the Southern California Orthodontic Assisting School.