Health Sciences

Sara McGuire

Dental Hygienist

High School: EC Glass ('97)

Career & Technical Ed. Program Studied: Dental Careers

Additional Studies/Training: Central Virginia Community College, Virginia Western Community College (Associate Degree), and board certification exams.

An Ounce of Prevention

Dental hygienists like Sara McGuire help patients avoid major dental problems through education and preventive-care procedures.

“During my last two years of high school, I took the dental career program, which teaches you how to be a dental assistant,” recalls Sara. “Those classes got me interested in dentistry. I never would have gone into it without that experience. By the time you finish your senior year, you can get a job as a dental assistant.”

Sara worked several years after high school as a dental assistant, and earned a two-year degree to reach her goal of becoming a dental hygienist. “Dental hygiene is more of what I was looking for,” she says. “It’s more one-on-one with patients.”