From Veteran to Dental Assistant

11/08/24

Brooklyn-born Army veteran Rickey Pryor has worked as a housekeeper and in food services at VA hospitals in New York City. Last year, he was in need of a new set of dentures—but like most veterans, he didn’t qualify for dental care through the VA. His primary care provider at the VA New York Harbor Health Care in Manhattan referred him to a program across the street at NYU College of Dentistry: the Veterans Oral Care Access Resource (VOCARE), which provides comprehensive dental care at no cost to veterans as part of the VA’s VETSmile program.

Pryor soon found himself in a dental chair at NYU getting his new dentures, an experience that inspired a new curiosity in dentistry—and presented him with an opportunity. A brochure at the clinic for the College’s tuition-free Dental Assisting Certificate Program—which provides highly motivated un- or underemployed individuals with the skills to become chairside dental assistants—caught his eye.

The 67-year-old applied and was accepted into the highly competitive program and began the intensive six-month curriculum to learn about becoming a dental assistant.

“Most people think about fillings, needles, and drills, but dentistry has come a long way. I didn’t realize the science behind it,” said Pryor, who dedicates his participation in the dental assisting certificate program to his late wife Laura—and credits his “special someone” Carrie Ann with encouraging and supporting him along the way.

Some of his favorite parts of the program were learning about extractions and the process for creating prosthetics like dentures and implants, which he likens to putting a puzzle together. More broadly, he is drawn to dentistry’s ability to transform a smile—something he has now experienced as both a patient and a professional.

A 2024 graduate of the certificate program, Pryor has his sights set on a job as a dental assistant either at the VA to serve other veterans or at NYU Dentistry, given how he has benefited from the College’s education and patient care.

“Every job is worthwhile, but I wanted to show my fellow veterans that I’m more than pushing a broom,” said Pryor. “There’s nothing like a smile on somebody’s face.”