Dental assistants perform a number of duties in a dentist's office. Some of their tasks may be clerical. Dental assistants with office duties schedule appointments; keep records, receive payments from patients, and order supplies. When patients come to the office, dental assistants locate their medical records for the dentist's use.
Act Now! Activate a FREE three days trial to DentalCrossing.com, because you know how important it is to know about all the jobs.
Dental assistants prepare patients for the dentist's examination. In addition, they perform chair-side duties, such as handing the dentist the proper materials and tools. They operate the suction those that keeps the patient's mouth dry so the dentist can work on it. Dental assistants often operate X-ray machines. Sometimes dental assistants make an impression of a patient's mouth or teeth. They may also sterilize instruments, develop X-rays, and mix compounds for cleaning or filling teeth.
Most dental assistants work in private offices for one or more dentists. Other assistants work in public health departments, clinics, hospitals, and dental schools.
Education and Training Requirements
Dental assistants need a high school diploma. Courses in biology, chemistry, health, and office practices are helpful. Many dental assistants learn their skills on the job.
An increasing number of dental assistants receive training in dental assisting programs at colleges, vocational schools, and technical institutes. Students are given classroom, laboratory, and preclinical instruction. The Commission on Dental Accreditation within the American Dental Association (ADA) approved 265 dental-assisting training programs in 2005. These are generally one- or two-year programs that lead to a certificate or to an associate's degree. Graduates of accredited programs can become licensed or registered dental assistants if they meet the requirements of their states.
Becoming a dental assistant offers, one of the fastest educational paths to enter the rapidly expanding healthcare field.
Dental Assistant Job Description
Dental assistants provide support functions for dentists including assisting with dental procedures, lab work and office functions. When helping with patient's dental procedures, a dental assistant may be involved with:
Preparing dental instruments
Gathering patient's dental records
Handling instruments to dentist during patient procedures
Keeping the patient's mouth dry during procedures
Instructing patients on proper oral healthcare
Taking and preparing x-rays
Applying anesthetics
Lab duties of dental assistants include making casts of teeth, creating temporary crowns and cleaning dental prosthetics.
Office support includes scheduling appointments, receiving patients in the office, billing, ordering supplies and keeping patient records. Most dental assistants work in dentist's offices. A small portion may work in hospitals or doctor's offices. Similar to dental hygienists, up to one third of dental assistants work part-time.
Salary Ranges and Job Outlook for Dental Assistants is good. Like many healthcare fields, the demand for dental assistants is expected to grow faster than average over the next decade. The median hourly pay rate for dental assistants is $13.10 and the high and low range of the scale is $8.45 at the low end and $19.41 at the high end.
Advancement in this career is limited due to the low education requirements. Some dental assistants advance to office management or product sales representatives. Others go to school for an additional year to become a dental hygienist. Dental assisting is very much an entry level position, but experience in the field and additional education can be very lucrative.
Education / Getting Started
Several educational paths exist to become a dental assistant. Most dental assistants learn on the job, however more and more dentists hire assistants with formal training. The American Dental Association accredits one and two year dental assistant programs leading to certificates or associate's degrees. Some schools offer four to six month dental assisting programs, but these are not accredited. A clinical rotation is part of the training.
Most States require dental assistants to be registered or licensed. Dental assistants who perform x-rays may be regulated by their State as well. The Dental Assisting National Board offers certification that meets the registration requirements in over 30 states. CPR training and continuing education may be a requirement of a dental assistant.
Dental Assistant Summary
Training to be a dental assistant is a great way to get into the healthcare field. It offers a great employment outlook, but additional education is needed to get into more lucrative jobs.
Keith , Staten Island, NY
EmploymentCrossing's search engine is excellent. You can search jobs on the basis of specific locations and practice areas.
Carolyn , Harrisburg, PA
I would definitely like to join EmploymentCrossing again if I need to switch my job in future. It was a lot more helpful compared to other websites.
Meg , Oak Park, IL
The email alerts sent by DentalCrossing are cool. I got a job through this feature of the website. Thanks!
Derek , Arlington, TX
I got a job through DentalCrossing. It was very helpful as I could focus towards the particular listings I wanted.
Deborah , Lighthouse Point, FL
I found it really helpful as I got a couple of job leads through DentalCrossing, and got my new job.
To compare DentalCrossing with other job sites
Bring Order and Structure to Your Dental Job Search
You have perseverance and can accomplish anything you put your mind to and finding the ideal dental job is no exception. We have a tradition of helping our members accomplish anything they set their mind to. With complete information about every dental job in the market at your fingertips you are going to go far.
You have very high standards for the sort of employer you are working for and also for yourself. You are not afraid to work hard to fulfill your duties because you value security and peaceful living. We give you the tools to pursue your dreams for you and your family.
Become part of a tradition of research excellence that has elevated the careers of countless dental professionals just like you.
Complete the sign up process today and become part of our site today.
Dental office positions United States-UT-Salt Lake City
View Center of Dental Professionals profile and job listings
Email
coreconsulting.employ@gmail.com
Busy, multi-specialty dental clinic is NOW HIRIN...
Dental jobs performed by the dentists are indispensable for the maintenance of our oral health, particularly our gums and teeth which may be connected to our over-all health. The dentist’s delicate dental hygiene jobs attempt to maintain the person's healthy teeth through such preventive and reparative practices like extracting, filling, cleaning...
EmploymentCrossing is the most convenient and user friendly job site that I have come across. It provides users with a truly user-friendly approach in their job search.
Linda , Brownsvelle, TX
On DentalCrossing it's easy to access the vast variety of jobs on offer. The search engines are superb!
Laurie , Dallas, TX
DentalCrossing provides an excellent service. I have recommended the website to many people.
Unlike other sites, DentalCrossing works for you and does not charge employers to post jobs and actually goes out and researches jobs for you. The jobs you see are the jobs we find for you and not the ones employers are paying us to post.
Bring Order and Structure to Your Dental Job Search
Start doing things the way they should be done.
Make objective career decisions with unbiased research, facts and information about dental jobs. Your perseverance, follow through and dependability will all pay off when you have access to:
Dental jobs from every company employer career webpage we can find.
Dental jobs from every dental job source we can find.
Dental jobs from every job board we can find.
Dental jobs from every newspaper classified ad we can find.
Dental jobs from every specialized dental publication we can find.
Dental jobs from every federal, state and local government career page we can find.
Dental jobs from every public interest, nonprofit and other career page we can find.
Tell us where to send your access instructions:
Today at DentalCrossing
553 - Jobs found in last 24 Hours1,604 - Jobs found in last 7 Days5,513 - Total Jobs Found
Your privacy is guaranteed. We will never give out, lease, or sell your personal information.
DentalCrossing - #1 Job Aggregation and Private Job-Opening Research Service — The Most Quality Jobs Anywhere
DentalCrossing is the first job consolidation service in the employment industry to seek to include every job that exists and not charge employers to post jobs on its site.
DentalCrossing uses sophisticated technology and manual work to comb employer websites and other job boards for jobs and bring them all to its site.
