CAREER OVERVIEW

 

Dental Assistants greatly increase the efficiency of the dentist in delivery of quality oral health care. Their main responsibility is to assist with and provide direct patient care alongside dentists and dental hygienists. Dental  Assistants may be responsible for sterilizing instruments, taking teeth impressions and performing other various office management tasks such as answering the phones, filing, or stocking inventory. They are the glue that holds the office together. Working as a Dental Assistant offers variety and flexibility with excellent working conditions and personal satisfaction. Dental Assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory duties. They often schedule and confirm appointments, receive patients, keep treatment records, send bills, receive payments, obtain dental records, and order dental supplies and materials. They also sterilize instruments and equipment, prepare tray setups for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care.

 

Dental Assistants also work directly with the patients, making them as comfortable as possible in the dental chair and preparing them for treatment. They also work chair-side beside the dentist as s/he examines and treats patients. They hand instruments and materials to the dentist, and keep patients' mouths dry and clear by using suction or other devices.

 

Additional duties vary from state to state, depending on that state's Dental Practice Act, and depending upon how involved the dentist would like the assistant to be. Under the dentist's direction, some dental assistants prepare materials for making impressions and restorations, expose radiographs, and process dental x-ray film. They may even remove sutures, apply anesthetics, remove excess filling cement, and place dental dams on teeth to isolate them for treatment.