The Roanoke Times (Virginia)
May 9, 2008 Friday

Armenian dentist works to be hygienist in U.S.: Armen Grigoryan will
graduate today from Virginia Western Community College.

by David Harrison, The Roanoke Times, Va.

May 9–Armen Grigoryan is looking forward to finally working on teeth
again.

Eight years after moving to the United States, Grigoryan, a dentist
from Armenia, will graduate today with an associate degree in dental
hygiene from Virginia Western Community College. He is one of 16 newly
minted dental hygienists and one of roughly 600 students who will
graduate from the school.

"I’ve been around dentistry all my life," said Grigoryan, whose mother
also is a dentist. "When it came time to make a decision and do
something, I knew I was going to be a dentist."

After getting a dentistry degree in Armenia, Grigoryan practiced for a
few years before moving to the United States. He settled briefly in
Los Angeles before moving to Roanoke.

But his foreign degree and his work experience are not recognized in
this country. If Grigoryan wanted to be a dentist here, he would have
had to start dental school again. Instead, he worked in retail until
enrolling in Virginia Western’s dental hygiene program.

As a dental hygienist, Grigoryan will perform duties such as teeth
cleaning, exams and X-rays. He still can’t work as a dentist but, to
him, being a dental hygienist is good enough for now.

"Since I was a little child, I was fascinated by all the tools and all
that stuff," he said.

His mother tried to dissuade him from a career in dentistry, noting
that the job is hard on a dentist’s spine and eyes, but Grigoryan
wouldn’t budge.

Although he’s already been trained as a dentist, Grigoryan still found
the Virginia Western program "very intense." "And it should be because
when people go to the hygienist they want to know that this person is
trained to do it," he added.

The program’s head, Marty Roberson, described Grigoryan as an "ideal
student," one who never trumpeted his previous dental experience.

"He came in with a wide-open mind and said, ‘I’m a sponge and I want
to learn,’ " she said.

Part of the training involved working on patients who signed up for
free dental cleanings and exams through the college. The students see
their patients in an exam room in the school’s Anderson Hall, where 10
dentists’ chairs are arranged in a half-circle.

"Armen is really good at explaining things to patients in his chair,"
she added. "He gets great compliance."

For his part, Grigoryan said he was a little rusty after eight years
away from teeth. But he was able to shake off the rust easily.

"It’s like riding a bicycle," he said. You don’t forget.

Now that he’s done with school, Grigoryan is looking for a job as a
dental hygienist in Roanoke. He said he wasn’t sure whether he wanted
to go back to dental school.

Roberson, however, didn’t hesitate.

"I do hope Armen does go back and gets his dentist’s license because I
think he would be an excellent contribution to the profession."