Dental Assistant Job Description

Dental Assistant Job Description And Salary

Working in a dentist's office can be fast paced, challenging work, so a good place to begin is to work as a dental assistant. A dental assistant job description includes a variety of different tasks, many of which are clerical.

An assistant will be responsible for making appointments with patients, maintaining their dental records, accepting all payments and even keeping the inventory up to date. Additionally, the dental assistant has many duties working with the patient or helping the dentist.

He will be in charge of getting the patient ready for the exam and retrieving the patient's file. During the checkup, the assistant will hand the dentist all the instruments he needs and suction the patient's mouth of excess saliva. An assistant could also be responsible for taking x-rays and developing them, making teeth impressions if needed and mixing the substances needed to clean the teeth or for fillings. Finally the assistant will also be the one to sterilize and maintain all the equipment and material after the examination.

A dental assistant salary is average, standing at about $13.50 an hour, but the job outlook is very high with an increase in open positions. There are also many places and assistant can find work, including private or public offices, hospitals, clinics or even dental schools.

Types of Degrees

To get a dental assistant job, the educational requirements are quite basic. It is essential to have a high school degree or a GED, and having taken classes in sciences like biology, chemistry or health is an asset. Although many assistants simply learn on the job, there are 269 dental assisting programs recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation within the American Dental Association (ADA) You can take 1 year certificate programs or 2 year associate's degrees, and they train with clinical and lab experience.

If you complete an accredited program, you can then go on to become licensed according to your state's requirements. Attending dental assisting school certainly gives you an advantage in the work place, especially since many schools have placement programs to help you get started. With the growing demand however, simply having basic training or previous experience can certainly be enough to find a dental assistant job.

Becoming a dental assistant is a smart career choice right now, because more and more people, especially young people, are taking care of their teeth on a more regular basis and require more frequent basic checkups. This creates many more job opportunities for assistants. It is also a career choice that doesn't require you to go to school for years before you can become eligible.

Dental assisting programs are becoming more common, but simply doing a certificate to provide you with some basic training should suffice if you don't want to complete the full 2 year degree. A dental assistant job description is varied, busy and will keep you on your toes, but it is also a very secure position in a society where dental health is becoming a priority.

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Dental Assistant Duties |