Dental Assistants
A dental assistant can be a rewarding role and also offer you a great degree of job flexibility. This lens discusses the duties that a dental assistant will be expected to perform, the salary that they can expect to earn and what schooling they will require.
Becoming A Dental Assistant
Dental Assistant Duties, Dental Assistant Salary, Dental Assistant Schools
Dental assistants provide assistance to dentists by providing an assortment of services relating to dental work being done on patients. A dental assistant duties will include:
* sterilizing dental equipment
* preparing and arranging dental instruments
* using dental equipment such as the suction machine
* taking and processing dental x-rays
* helping the dentist by preparing dental cement or other tooth fillings
* removing sutures
* preparing the patient for dental surgery
* guiding the patient on proper dental hygiene and care
The dental assistant will also handle paperwork relating to patients, such as maintaining and retrieving patient files, taking appointments, sending bills and collecting payments. Different states have variations as to what a dental assistant can legally do so it is important to study the state's laws to learn the various duties and limitations imposed by each state. A dental assistant can work with a single dentist or can even work with multiple dentists by adjusting the time necessary in assisting each dentist.
To become a dental assistant, you will need to have completed high school with science, biology, chemistry and mathematics being your main subjects. There are various dental programs offered by different dental assistant schools. Ensure that they are approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation through the American Dental Association [ADA]. You can get a certificate or a diploma if you choose a program which could take up to a year, or you could go for an associate degree course, which could take up to 2 years. During the program you will not only be taught theory and do practicals in a laboratory, but you will also actually be assisting dentists and getting hands-on training.
A dental assistant salary can range from around $12 to $21 dollars per hour and the median annual salary of a dental assistant is $33,324 dollars. A dental assistant's salary also depends on the number of hours that a person puts in and many assistants also take up part time jobs with different dentists to get additional earnings. A good dental assistant salary could also include other benefits such as paid holidays and vacation, free dental care, paid sick leave, the 401[k] pension plan, uniform allowance and health insurance. Many dental assistant jobs provide regular work and one might only have to work for 3 or 4 days of the week. Since the work of a dental assistant is to provide an extra set of hands to the dentist, a good dental assistant can expect to be rewarded financially, if he or she proves to be invaluable to the dentist.
Older generation dentists were comfortable working on their own but now that they retiring, younger dentists with their high tech dental equipments are dominating the market. The demand for dental assistants is increasing since these dentists require someone to help them operate the sophisticated machines while they handle the precision work on their patients.
* sterilizing dental equipment
* preparing and arranging dental instruments
* using dental equipment such as the suction machine
* taking and processing dental x-rays
* helping the dentist by preparing dental cement or other tooth fillings
* removing sutures
* preparing the patient for dental surgery
* guiding the patient on proper dental hygiene and care
The dental assistant will also handle paperwork relating to patients, such as maintaining and retrieving patient files, taking appointments, sending bills and collecting payments. Different states have variations as to what a dental assistant can legally do so it is important to study the state's laws to learn the various duties and limitations imposed by each state. A dental assistant can work with a single dentist or can even work with multiple dentists by adjusting the time necessary in assisting each dentist.
To become a dental assistant, you will need to have completed high school with science, biology, chemistry and mathematics being your main subjects. There are various dental programs offered by different dental assistant schools. Ensure that they are approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation through the American Dental Association [ADA]. You can get a certificate or a diploma if you choose a program which could take up to a year, or you could go for an associate degree course, which could take up to 2 years. During the program you will not only be taught theory and do practicals in a laboratory, but you will also actually be assisting dentists and getting hands-on training.
A dental assistant salary can range from around $12 to $21 dollars per hour and the median annual salary of a dental assistant is $33,324 dollars. A dental assistant's salary also depends on the number of hours that a person puts in and many assistants also take up part time jobs with different dentists to get additional earnings. A good dental assistant salary could also include other benefits such as paid holidays and vacation, free dental care, paid sick leave, the 401[k] pension plan, uniform allowance and health insurance. Many dental assistant jobs provide regular work and one might only have to work for 3 or 4 days of the week. Since the work of a dental assistant is to provide an extra set of hands to the dentist, a good dental assistant can expect to be rewarded financially, if he or she proves to be invaluable to the dentist.
Older generation dentists were comfortable working on their own but now that they retiring, younger dentists with their high tech dental equipments are dominating the market. The demand for dental assistants is increasing since these dentists require someone to help them operate the sophisticated machines while they handle the precision work on their patients.
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