BRAINARD — With the ceremonial popping of a thick piece of dental floss on Wednesday, Central Lakes College officially opened its renovated dental clinic to support a new dental hygiene program aimed at addressing the region’s shortage of dental health professionals.
Katie Thalberg, who led the four-year effort to create the program, cut the dental floss at the clinic’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 25.
Thalberg said the idea stemmed from a conversation among friends about the need for more dental health professionals in the area; she noted that several local clinics had been recruiting for about two years with limited success, which increased wait times for patients.
The renovation and program were supported by Delta Dental, which donated $500,000, as well as several local sponsors, including the Otto Bremer Trust, the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Labor, U Care, and the Perkins Consortium.
Widseth and Hy-Tec Construction assisted in the clinic renovations. The total project cost $1.4 million, with CLC’s fundraising campaign raising approximately $1.6 million.
Fifteen students are enrolled in the new two-year dental hygiene program and will be qualified to work in dental offices upon graduation.
Autumn Schiller and Sophie Mattson, two Brainerd High School graduates, said they are excited to stay in their hometown while training for a career with good pay and stable hours.
Both students said it’s been a great start: “The teachers are great—they’re adapting to us while we’re learning,” Mattson said. “It’s a good challenge,” Schiller added. “We have great mentors and a lot of support.”
As the program expands, students will gain hands-on experience in a real clinical setting through student-run clinics that provide low-cost cleaning services to community members.
The upgraded facilities also expand CLC’s long-standing dental assistant program, increasing the student population from 24 to 30. Nick Heisserer, Dean of CLC Vocational and Technical Education, highlighted the program’s excellent outcomes and the career readiness of its graduates. “I’ve been in higher education for 20 years, and I firmly believe we have the finest dental faculty and staff,” Heisserer said.
Our programs have proven excellent results—high pass rates, completion rates, and student success rates—and our graduates are qualified dental professionals regardless of their background.”
Central Lakes College currently offers three dental programs leading to a Dental Assisting Diploma, Dental Assisting Certificate, or an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene.