(MONUMENT, Colo.) — A long-serving Tri-Lakes area Orthodontist and Pediatric Dentist is embarking on a new journey to provide new career opportunities in dental assisting.

Dr. Josh Erickson DDS is ready to meet the ongoing demand for dental assistants by opening Southern Colorado Dental Academy at Jackson Creek and Baptist Road in north Colorado Springs at 850 Sky Vista Point.

“Finding the best people that can treat people in a compassionate way is what we’re looking for,” said Dr. Erickson. He added that people who also like working with their hands and are great communicators tend to be successful in their careers. “When you can meet people where they are and not be judgmental of the conditions that they are in, finding ways to just serve those patients, you get to help people build their smile in a professional environment.”

Erickson said the academy will offer a three-month training program at approximately 20 hours per week to combine traditional services with new modern technology to set dental assistants up for success when it’s time to enter the workforce. He says the first cohort is scheduled to begin in May.

“We use more portable x-ray devices,” explained Erickson. “Long are the days of doing dental impressions as we can now use scanners to take pictures of the teeth to form appliances and crowns. We want to train people to assist dentistry in really modern ways.”

“It’s a lot of hands-on. We have a dedicated clinic for the academy, it’s not just sharing space with a dental office in the evening.”

Call (719) 282-6666 or visit the Southern Colorado Dental Academy’s website, linked above, to learn more about how you can become a dental assistant.