Sarah Chagnon, 34, is a dental therapist from Bellingham, Washington based at Swinomish Dental Clinic in LaConner, Washington. Sarah works a 30-40 hour week seeing patients ranging from infants to the elderly. Sarah is also President of the American Dental Therapy Association (ADTA).

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What treatments do you typically carry out in a regular week?

My typical week workload consists of restorations, either treating new caries, replacing/repairing existing restorations, triaging emergency walk-ins, providing treatment if the treatment is within my scope of practice, performing exams, providing lots of preventative treatment such as sealants, SDF, Curadont, the use of povidone iodine and fluoride varnish applications.

I'm able to spend time on community outreach, caries management and be a part of initiatives such as minimally invasive dentistry. I also help lead our health promotion disease prevention dental team where we are in charge of multiple outreach programmes that focus on keeping our community healthy.

Every Wednesday I go over to the local daycare and preschool and floss and brush all the children's teeth. On a full day, that is 43 students. I also work closely with the hygienist where we attend community events and hand out supplies or offer fluoride varnish applications.

Can you describe your career path from high school onwards - what attracted you to dental therapy?

In 2005 (almost 20 years ago), when I was in 10th grade, during the summer, I worked through a training programme where I was trained as a medical receptionist. That is when I fell in love with helping others and knew I wanted to work in the health field. The following summer, I worked through the same programme, and was trained as a medical assistant, and assisted in medical billing; after graduating high school, I became a nationally certified medical assistant. After a few years of doing that, I decided it was time to move up the ladder in my career. I returned to school, received my associate degree, and got accepted into nursing school. During that time, I also went into the dental clinic for a cleaning, and while I was in the chair, the dentist asked me about my plans. I told him about nursing school, and he recommended I look into dental therapy. I went on my computer that night, googled what a dental therapist is, and learned all about it. I called them the next day and told them I was interested and would love to job shadow a dental therapist in action. I came in a few days later and job shadowed Daniel Kennedy: the first dental therapist in Washington state. After only a few minutes of watching him I knew that was what I wanted to do. So within five short months after learning about dental therapy, I turned down nursing school and took a five-day ferry ride with my entire family to Alaska to receive my dental therapy training. I am so happy I took that chance and wouldn't change a thing. Becoming a dental therapist has opened up many doors and is such a rewarding job.

What do you enjoy about being a dental therapist?

I often tell people that becoming a dental therapist has been one of the most rewarding decisions I've made in my life. I had a lot of dental treatment as a child and I can relate to people having a hard time and/or having fear coming into the dental clinic and/or not wanting to come in at all. I love being able to share my story with my patients, providing them with the education and tools on the importance of oral health and building that trusting relationship. My biggest inspiration is expectant mothers or new mothers and educating them on caries transmission. I know a lot of the young children in my community through the daycare/preschool and/or youth center so by the time they start getting their adult teeth they aren't afraid to come see me. I also love being able to serve my community and my people. The idea of giving someone the skills they need to serve their community is truly an amazing thing. It's a good feeling for people to come to the clinic and be like, I know you and I trust you.

What is more challenging?

In the United States what is hard for me is the pushback and acceptance of our profession and the fact there are people out there who speak badly of dental therapy, spread lies and don't take time out of their day to learn about all the good we are doing. It definitely stings the heart. Another barrier for dental therapists is the simple fact that there are a lot of people who don't know what a dental therapist is, what our scope of practice is and how to integrate one into clinics.

Within five short months after learning about dental therapy, I turned down nursing school and took a five-day ferry ride with my entire family to Alaska to receive my dental therapy training.

I know in my heart we are all on the same team. Dental therapists are trying to better their communities and really treat the oral health disease. I do not see us as trying to steal jobs or see myself as a 'mini dentist'. I try to explain to people that a dental therapist can be utilised to help treat the disease in any community. We are simply another profession, members of the dental team who can help the dentist get more treatment done and open up access to care.

Are you happy with your pay and working conditions?

I love my working conditions and everyone I work with. The flow at our clinic is very healthy, friendly and efficient. There are two dental therapists at our clinic and we work well alongside our dentists and our hygienist. Our patients' treatments are being completed faster, the wait time to be seen is much less, and our community is happy.

Our pay on the other hand is a touchy subject. I do feel that we should be getting paid more. I would love to be making $20 more at least. The services we provide are some of the most commonly needed dental treatments, and dental therapists should be recognised and receive fair compensation.

How did you become President of the ADTA?

I've been a part of the ADTA since 2019. I was first just a member, then became Washington state rep. When the seat for president-elect came up, I was very excited to be nominated. I am very passionate about dental therapists' work and believe in our profession and this year my goal is to gain career recognition and raise more awareness of dental therapy across the board. The ADTA has been in existence since 2006. Our board members are all comprised of practising dental therapists across the nation.

Do you have a lot of juggling to do?

I feel that I handle my work-home life well. I am blessed with a supportive family, partner, and children that have been part of my dental therapy journey from the very start. They have been by my side through the hard times and through the many victories. I am also blessed to have a boss who understands family importance and knows that family will always come first but also wants to lift me up and support me and this profession. I try my hardest as president to schedule my meetings during lunch hours or times that don't affect family time. Family always comes first; it's all about discipline and planning accordingly.

Would you recommend being a dental therapist in the US to others?

Most definitely. I'm a student mentor/part-time instructor at the 2nd CODA-accredited college in the nation at Skagit Valley Community College. I've also had multiple people contact me and show interest in becoming a dental therapist, wanting to hear what I did to become one. There are many dental clinics that like the concept of adding a dental therapist to their team but there aren't enough dental therapists to fulfill the needs. We just need more training centres! Most often, when a student enrols in the programme, they are already sponsored by a clinic, and once they graduate, they will go and work for them.

I'm always encouraging people to look into becoming a dental therapist. Where I live in Washington state, the bill just passed so dental therapists can work statewide and work in any Federal Health Qualify Center (FHQC). This means there will be a higher demand. I have been telling my friends that now is the time to get their foot in the door! I am so excited to see more dental therapists working and making an impact across the nation. Everyone deserves access to care.

Do you have any further career ambitions you would like to share?

Currently I'm applying for my master's in public health and will be starting Fall 2023. There is a new dental school in Washington and their first class will be in 2025; I'm considering applying. I love learning and gaining as much experience as I can. I hope to continue to move up the ladder, and ultimately would love to be an instructor for the dental therapy programme and also be a huge advocate for future dental therapists.

Interview by Kate Quinlan