Holly Springs, North Carolina

Dental Concepts Academy

The Accelerated Academy for Dental Assistants — a 12-week program

DA I certification
Radiology & CPR included
Small groups, real chairside time

Earn your DA I certification — with Radiology and CPR certifications included — in a single accelerated term, taught in small groups by clinicians who still work chairside.

Request information → Explore the program

Operating under state education oversight — Office of Career School Licensing

A dental assistant working alongside a dentist to treat a patient

12week program

3certifications included

Enrollment is open

Our next cohort starts September 7, 2026

Classes start: September 7, 2026
Program ends: December 18, 2026
Last day to enroll: September 1, 2026

Reserve your seat →

What's included

Everything you need, in one 12-week term

No hidden add-ons and no chasing certifications after graduation. Your tuition covers the full credential — and the clinical hours that make it mean something.

DA I certification

You finish qualified to work chairside as a Dental Assistant I — the credential North Carolina practices hire for.

Radiology certification

Dental radiography is built into the program, not sold as a separate add-on later. You graduate cleared to take x-rays.

CPR certification

Your CPR credential is included in tuition and completed alongside your clinical coursework.

Small groups

We deliberately cap each cohort. Small groups mean your instructor knows your name and your hands are never idle.

Shadowing

You'll shadow working dental professionals in a live practice and watch real appointments run start to finish.

Hands-on chairside practice

Real instruments, real chairside procedure. You practice the workflow until it's second nature — not just read about it.

Portrait of a dental professional in scrubs

Marcela Alvarado, MBA School Director

Our story

We're new. But we're not just another dental assisting school.

Our founders spent decades in dentistry before deciding to do something about a quiet frustration: too many assisting programs were long, expensive, and disconnected from the way real practices actually run.

So we built the school we wished existed — an accelerated academy that respects your time and your wallet. A focused 12-week curriculum, taught in small groups by clinicians who still work chairside, designed to make you genuinely useful on your very first shift.

Beyond the fundamentals, our mission is to grow confident professionals — people who show up prepared, adapt with skill, and bring real care to every patient. That's the difference between memorizing a checklist and mastering a craft.

The opportunity

Why should I become a dental assistant?

Dental professional examining a patient's teeth in a modern clinic

Great pay & benefits

Dental assisting offers competitive wages, paid time off, and health benefits — often within your first year on the job.

Dentist working attentively with a patient in a bright office

11% job growth

Dental assisting is one of the fastest-growing healthcare roles in the country, far outpacing the average occupation.

Female dentist checking a patient's teeth during a routine visit

Real work-life balance

Most dental practices keep predictable weekday hours — no overnight shifts, no weekends, just steady, humane scheduling.

Happy patient being cared for by a dental team

Make a difference

You'll help people through anxious moments and leave every patient healthier than they walked in. The work genuinely matters.

Dentist in a face mask attending to a patient's oral care

Ready in 12 weeks

Our accelerated program gets you trained, certified, and career-ready in a single season — not years.

Ready to start?

Your seat in the next cohort could be a five-minute application away.

Request info →

A dentist and assistant collaborating while treating a patient

Why us

Why choose Dental Concepts Academy?

You'll be ready to thrive from day one

Our instructors are working dental professionals, not career lecturers. Everything you learn is drawn from real practices, so you walk into your first job already fluent in the workflow.

You'll stand out when you apply

Beyond clinical skills, we coach you through resumes, mock interviews, and salary negotiation — the practical support that turns a certificate into an offer letter.

You'll graduate with little-to-no debt

We keep tuition honest and offer flexible financing, because a new career shouldn't start with a mountain of loans.

Request info →

Online learning

A learning platform built around your life

Coursework you can complete between shifts, on your commute, or after the kids are asleep — without ever falling behind.

Hours of dental content, including video and voice-over audio
Convenient, flexible self-paced classes
Real-time grading with instant feedback
Multiple quiz and exam attempts
Custom curriculum built with practicing dentists
Private access to hands-on job opportunities

A dental professional demonstrating oral care using a teeth model

A dentist and assistant using instruments to treat a patient

Shadowing & chairside practice

Get real-life training

Reading about a procedure is one thing. Doing it — with a mentor beside you — is what actually builds confidence.

You'll shadow working dental professionals in a live practice, watching real appointments run start to finish. Then you'll take the chair yourself: hands-on, chairside practice with real instruments, covering assisting, radiography, infection control, and patient communication until the motions feel like second nature.

Because we teach in small groups, you're not waiting your turn behind twenty other students. By graduation, the clinic won't feel foreign — it'll feel like home.

Convenient & affordable

Jump into your new career

We designed every part of this program to remove the excuses between you and a better job.

Financial assistance and flexible payment plans
One focused 12-week cohort — no open-ended timeline
Convenient Holly Springs location
Small groups, so you get real hands-on attention
Job-placement assistance included
DA I, Radiology, and CPR certifications all included
Request information in less than a minute

A dental assistant in blue scrubs holding a teeth model

By the numbers

Start a promising career in just 12 weeks

Weeks start to finish

Certifications included

11%

Projected job growth

44,000

Openings per year (est.)

Request information →

Good questions

Frequently asked questions

Is your program credentialed, and by whom?

Yes. Dental Concepts Academy operates under state education oversight and prepares you to sit for nationally recognized dental assisting credentials.

When do classes start?

Our next cohort begins September 7, 2026 and graduates December 18, 2026. The last day to enroll is September 1, 2026 — seats are limited because we keep groups small, so it's worth reaching out early.

What certifications will I earn?

This is a Dental Assistant I (DA I) certification program, and both Radiology and CPR certifications are included — you don't pay for them separately or chase them down afterward.

How long is the program?

It's an accelerated 12-week program of instruction, running within our September 7 to December 18, 2026 term.

How many students are in each class?

We run small groups on purpose. Smaller cohorts mean more chairside repetitions per student and an instructor who actually knows how you're progressing.

Will I get real clinical experience, or just classroom time?

Both. You'll shadow working dental professionals in a live practice and get hands-on, chairside practice with real instruments — the classroom work exists to make that clinical time productive.

Is the curriculum online or in person?

It's a blend: interactive online lessons for the knowledge, plus in-person lab sessions and chairside practice for the hands-on clinical skills.

How much does the program cost?

Tuition is kept deliberately affordable, and we offer financing options. Send us your details through the form below and we'll call you with the exact numbers and a payment plan that fits.

Who runs the school?

Marcela Alvarado, MBA serves as our School Director. She oversees admissions, curriculum, and student support — and she's happy to talk with prospective students directly.

What are the requirements for admission?

You'll need to be at least 18 with a high school diploma or equivalent. No prior dental experience is required — we teach you everything.

What kind of support do you offer for job placement?

Our career team helps with resumes, interview prep, and connects graduates directly with hiring practices in the area.

Can I transfer credits from another program into this one?

Reach out to our admissions team — we review prior coursework case by case to see what may carry over.

Let's talk

Request information

Leave us your details and we'll call you back — to answer questions about cost, scheduling, or what your first day looks like. No pressure, just answers.

Call us (984) 394-7186 Email us dentalconceptsacademy@gmail.com

Visit us 5050 Kentworth Dr
Holly Springs, NC 27540

Marcela Alvarado, MBA · School Director