A dental assistant is a
valuable asset to any dental practice or facility. Dental assistants help ensure
the smooth delivery of quality dental health care to patients and are an
indispensable part of any dental operation. That is just one reason why the job
prospects for qualified dental assistant personnel are very bright.
Job Description and Responsibilities of a Dental Assistant
Recommended Dental Assistant Programs
The responsibilities
of a dental assistant in any dental office, hospital, or other dental facility
can be extremely varied and specialized. Many of these responsibilities require
technical expertise while others require effective inter personal and
communication skills. Basically, a dental assistant has three main tasks:
1.
Help the dentist in administering the best dental
care.
2.
Help patients and make them feel comfortable.
3.
Help ensure that the dental practice or facility
runs smoothly.
There are many ways
a dental assistant helps achieve the goals. Very often, a dental assistant’s job
is a combination of office and administration work, lab work, and patient care.
Just some of the responsibilities of a dental assistant include:
-
Welcoming patients and retrieving their dental
records.
-
Asking a patient about his or her medical history.
-
Making patients feel as comfortable as possible in
the dental chair and preparing them for dental treatment.
-
Taking x-rays and presenting them to the dentist.
-
Removing sutures, applying topical medicines in a
patient’s mouth, even removing excess filling.
-
Working next to the dentist, handing the dentist
instruments and helping treat patients.
-
Making casts of teeth from dental impressions.
-
Sterilizing dental equipment and instruments,
stocking and replenishing dental supplies.
-
Giving patients instructions on medicine and oral
care after treatment.
-
Answering phone calls and patient queries.
-
Making dental appointments.
-
Billing and payment record keeping.
Where a Dental Assistant Program Graduate Can Work
A dental assistant
can work in a few different types of work environments. Here are some of them:
-
Individual dental practice with only one dentist.
-
Group dental practices with two or more dental
partners.
-
Highly specialized dental practices such as
orthodontics, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, etc.
-
Hospital dental facilities treating patients
admitted to hospital.
-
Public health dentistry such as in public schools
or in underserved areas of the community.
-
Sales with a company that sells dental equipment to
consumers, dentists, or other businesses.
-
In an education facility teaching others how to
become a qualified dental assistant.
Dental Assistant Program Training and Education
Training to become a dental assistant can be completed in
approximately 9 – 11 months. Students generally enroll in a community college, a
vocational school, trade school, university, or dental school, graduating with a
certificate or a diploma from that school upon completion of all dental
assistant courses. Students attending 2-year programs at community colleges and
junior colleges graduate with an associate degree. High school students wanting
to pursue a career as a dental assistant should try to take as many related
courses as possible suck as biology, health, chemistry, etc. There also are
numerous accelerated dental assistant programs and online dental assistant
courses.
Find a Dental Assistant School Near You.
The American Dental Association formally approves and
recognizes approximately 260 dental assisting programs offered by various types
of schools. These dental assistant programs encompass classroom learning, lab
work, and other related course work. Sometimes, students are required to obtain
practical experience by working in a dental office in order to graduate. Almost
all these schools require a high school degree in order to gain admission.
Almost every state either issues dental assistant licenses or
requires some form of registration in an effort to regulate the industry. Often,
registration or obtaining a license requires successful completion of an exam or
test, either written or practical. Some states require students to attend a
certain number of hours of training at an approved school in order to qualify
for the dental assistant license or registration. Other states have less
stringent requirements. It is extremely important properly research your state’s
requirement.
Dental assistants become certified by successfully passing an
exam. The majority of dental assistants choose to become nationally certified by
taking the Dental Assisting National Board’s Certified Dental Assistant exam.
Many individual states use different levels of qualifications and licensing. For
example, one can successfully pass the Radiation Health and Safety exam offered
by the Dental Assisting National Board and have those qualifications recognized
in more than half of the states in the U.S. Similarly, there are other
distinguishing dental assistant qualifications. The certification awarded by the
Dental Assisting National Board is recognized or mandated in more than 31
states. In order to take the Dental Assistant National Board’s exam, students
must have graduated from an approved and accredited dental assistant program or
by having at least 2 years of practical training. Applications must also be CPR
certified.
Dental Assistant Program and Dental Assistant School
Accreditation
It is extremely important to make sure that the dental
assistant program you are considering is properly accredited. The accrediting
body responsible for dental assistant program accreditation is the Commission on
Dental Accreditation, which is part of the American Dental Association. There
are approximately 260 accredited schools.
Dental Assistant Job Numbers
In 2004 there were approximately 267,000 people working as
dental assistants in the U.S. The majority of these jobs were in dental offices
and practices. A much smaller number worked in government (both federal, state,
county, and city) offices or doctor’s offices. Two out of every five dental
assistants worked on a part-time basis. Some worked for more then one employer.
Dental Assistant Earnings and Wages
In 2004, the median hourly wage earned by dental assistants
was $13.62. The lowest 10% earning dental assistants earned less than 9.11 while
the highest 10% earned more than $19.77 per hour. Earnings depend on location,
responsibilities, and other variable factors. Most dental assistants also
receive dental coverage and other benefits.
Dental Assisting Employment Prospects
Presently, the job prospects and future opportunities for
qualified dental assistants are very bright. Employment is projected to stay
strong for all skilled occupations through the year 2014 and dental assisting is
expected to be one of the fastest growing occupations between the 2004 - 14
projection period.
Because of population growth and the longer retention of teeth
by the aged, dental assistants should be in high demand for a long time. Dental
assistants are becoming more skilled and highly trained all the time, thereby
leading many dentists to delegate ever increasing tasks to them.
|
