Dental Assistant College

Dental Assistant College: What They Offer

A dental assistant college will introduce you to the world of dentistry. While your tasks as dental assistant may not be very technical, attending a dental assistant college helps to be familiar with oral health care before you begin work at a dental clinic or with a licensed dentist.

What to expect from a dental assistant college

Dental assistant colleges offer either classroom instruction or online programs. Both require clinical training for completion. The coursework may vary depending on the program you are pursuing: certificate or diploma courses can be earned up to 12 months while associate degrees are two-year programs. In general, however, you can qualify as dental assistant and be ready for work after 18 months.

Since you can pace yourself with an online dental assistant program you can finish the training in as little as six to nine months. The maximum allowable for online programs is two years.

Dental Assistant Requirements

When you enroll at a dental assistant college, you are required to have a high school diploma or GED, and it helps to have taken advanced courses like biology and computer studies to get you ahead.

Aside from general education subjects (these include math, science, computer and first aid), what you learn are the basics in dentistry. The more specialized training comes in the form of pharmacology, radiology and clinical dental procedures.

Most programs, especially those taken in class, require 200 hours or more for completion. Disregarding the general education classes, you spend an almost equal amount of time between theory and practicals for your dental assistant classes.

The normal coursework

The first semester fully devoted to dental assisting courses will include:

• Dental Anatomy and Pathology
• Fundamentals of Dentistry
• Dental Office Administration
• Dental Pharmacology

Later on, you will also learn about:

• Clinical Dental Procedures
• Dental Equipment Use and Care
• Dental Radiography
• Dental Materials

A dental assistant college may include courses on expanded functions for associate degree programs, because you will then qualify to be an expanded functions dental assistant after graduation.   

Specialized Dental Assistant training

While the coursework is generally the same for most schools, some colleges will provide more intensive training than others. They may have different names for their courses and include theories not offered in other schools. Your choice of school will really depend on your goals with regard to pursuing this career.

Once you have completed your education and have been certified to work as a dental assistant, several job opportunities will be open. You can either choose an entry-level position that will most likely mention a dental assistant job description, which involves simple tasks including patient care, basic office work and assisting the dentist in simple procedures.

However, if you are already qualified to work as expanded functions dental assistant, you will be more involved with clinical procedures than clerical as you usually render chair-side assisting for dentists especially for complex dental treatments.

Your dental assistant college will prepare you for a rewarding career in this profession.