Dental Assistant

Duties and Responsibilities: The dental assistant is a multi-skilled member of the dental health team, dedicated to assisting the dentist with all phases of dentistry. Dental Assistants may perform any of the following:

·         assist with patient management by working with a wide range of population groups

·         seating patients in the treatment area

·         passing requested instruments to the dentist during dental procedures

·         sterilization and preparation of instruments

·         taking impressions of teeth for study models

·         polishing clinical crowns, construct custom trays and fabricate temporary crowns and bridges

·         exposing and developing X-rays

·         providing assistance in the office with tasks such as appointment scheduling, record keeping, telephone management, and billing

·         ordering supplies, serve as office manager or receptionist, greeting patients and introducing patients to the dental practice

·         manage the business aspect of dentistry including bookkeeping, accounting, and money management

·         manage patient records, filing, and recall systems

·         assist the dentist directly at chair side with operative, oral surgery, orthodontic, and a wide range of other procedures

·         provide oral hygiene instructions, preventive dentistry & dietary counseling

·         perform the expanded functions legally authorized in the state of Florida

·         take x-rays, impressions, and apply fluoride and sealants

·         perform laboratory functions such as pouring & trimming models

Salary: $23,000 - $35,000

Education: There are no formal education requirements for entering a career in dental assisting. Some assistants have a high school diploma and only receive on-the-job training; however, post-secondary dental assisting programs offer more comprehensive career training. Keep in mind that this does not apply for all states. Some states do require some form of education.

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Reflection: Do you think you would like to be one?  Why? Why not?

Personally, I would rather not be a dental assistant because although I do see myself doing it, I don’t think I would really have much fun. It does however make me very curious to see how they get to hand the dentist the tools they need and I would also like to just help around the office.