Dental Assistant Job Description: Education, Skills, Salary, Working Hours

Dental Assistant is a person who works under the supervision of dentists. He/she is responsible of wide range of duties. It is a very good job with wider scope but at the same time becoming a dental assistant requires a number of skills. So here in this article, I am going to give detailed information about this career.

Dental Assistant Job Description:

Dental Assistant Job Overview:

Dental assistants are vital members of the dental care team, providing chair-side support to dentists during procedures, assisting with patient care, educate them on oral hygiene practices, and keeping the dental office running smoothly. With an aging population and increasing focus on oral health, the demand for dental assistants is expected to grow.

Dental Assistant Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Duty to take good care of patients
• Responsibility to keep the tools and equipment sterilized
• Responsibility of taking X-rays of patients
• Duty to provide all the necessary material and tools to the doctor during the whole process of treatment
• Responsibility to apply anesthetic to mouth of patient before the treatment starts
• Responsibility to acquire and maintain dental records of patients
• Duty to guide patients about dental care
• Duty to take out stitches
• Obtaining medical history of the patients and record it for the doctors reference
• Duty to make the patients feel comfortable during the treatment
• Responsibility to make the schedules of appointments
• Duty to answer the phones, send bills and maintain all the records
• Scheduling appointments

Dental Assistant Educational Requirements:

The students, who are interested in adopting dental assistant as a career, must earn a diploma or degree in dental assisting, or take a distance learning certificate program to learn the basics. As far as training is concerned, students may get the required skills by receiving training from the programs related to dental assistance. You can start as a trainee dental assistant and learn basic duties. To become fully certified, you’ll eventually need to complete a course approved by the relevant Dental Council.

Other Requirements:

Dental assistant must be a reliable and trustworthy person having good manual agility. He must be capable of making good rapport with others. Dental assistants are required to be registered by the state and also require passing practical and written tests. Such dental assistants, who have to do radiological processes, require passing Radiation Health and Safety exams.

How to Get Dental Assistant Job:

Do you know that more than 80 of CVs are only fit for the dustbin. If you want to get a job as dental assistant, then write a good CV first. If you don’t know how to write it then, take help from dental assistant resumes available on different good and reliable websites.

Then apply for the job by dropping your resume in hospitals, dentists’ offices or private clinics. If you are interested in government job, you will have to pass the civil service test. You can also search on job boards like Indeed, Reed, and social media sites like LinkedIn.

Chances of Promotion:

With experience, dental assistants may be promoted to the designation of supervisor of other assistants. They can also become dental laboratory technicians or dental hygienist, if they attend further dental courses.

Working Conditions:

Working conditions are quite comfortable and nice because most of the dental clinics are clean and calm. In their job, dental assistants may have to deal with different kinds of patients. Keeping them calm and contented is a demanding task which a dental assistant has to perform. Moreover, he has to deal with some delicate and at the same time dangerous equipment’s like X-ray machines, so he or she has to be very careful. In order to protect themselves from mishaps, dental assistants must wear gloves, masks, eyeglasses and protecting clothes so that they can prevent themselves from contagious diseases.

Dental Assistant Average Annual Salary:

Dental Assistant Working Hours:

You can expect a standard workweek of around 38 to 40 hours.

Overall, a dental assistant’s job description involves a combination of administrative tasks and patient care duties. It is a rewarding career for individuals who are passionate about oral health and enjoy working in a healthcare setting.