Dental Assistant

A dental assistant is a person that helps the dentist with both clerical work and dental procedures as well. It includes taking the x-rays of patients and booking appointments for them. A dental assistant is the one who becomes a dentist’s right hand, and a dental assistant needs to have all the knowledge related to taking an x-ray, filing the documents and information, and the basic medical terminologies related to dentistry. A dentist alone can never be able to do the work, and to make it possible for the dentist to continue his task with everything in reach is a dentist’s responsibility.

The dentist or a dental surgeon will perform all the main procedures and surgeries, whereas the dental assistant will do all the other extra tasks. These tasks are essential, and without them being done, the dental procedures will remain incomplete. From giving the appointments to guiding the patients about the aftercare of the procedures, a dental assistant is responsible. Although these responsibilities may change based on the clinic’s size because then the tasks will be divided between more than a few dental assistants, and they all work together in their respective described chore. Some of the dental assistants are supposed to do the reception work while others help with the dental procedures themselves.

Role of a Dental Assistant

A Dental Assistant’s role is to assist the dentist and define it more clearly, and the following are some roles and duties of a dental assistant.

• Preparing the room for surgery when a dental surgeon needs it.
• Sterilizing all the equipment that needs to be used in the surgery.
• Taking x-rays of the patients readying it for the dentists to see.
•  Doing any lab work like the tests etc., is done by the dental assistant as well.
• Welcoming the patients and checking them on the base of their appointments
• Different records related to the patients are made and maintained by the dental assistants.
• Some dental procedures may also be performed if they are trained to do so.

These are the defined roles of a dental assistant, and before applying for a dental assistant job, you should be familiar with all of this.

Salary of a dental assistant

The salary of a dental assistant depends on work experience as it does in any other field. According to Salary.com the dental assistant usually makes 39,000 Dollars in the USA. Based on the qualification and certifications they must have obtained throughout their career; they may also obtain a 47,000 USD salary as mentioned in salary.com. It is also stated at salary.com that the starting salary of the dental assistant is 27,000 USD in the USA. These salaries may vary according to the state or the type of dental institution the dental assistant is working for. Many different things will affect a dental assistant’s salary, but the average is 39,000 USD per year in the USA.

How to become a dental assistant

Becoming a dental assistant is very easy, and the following is what you will need to do to become a dental assistant.

1. First, you need to enter a program that will help you pave your path into this career. There is no professional degree available for dental assistants, but there are different certifications that you can achieve in a year or so. You need to take the training programs that are available in the community schools. Some associate degree programs are also available to get into if you want to become a dental assistant. Different courses that you can take in the associate degree program are as follows.

• Office and administration
• CPR and first aid
•  Radiography
• Dental pharmacology
• Oral anatomy

These courses are of a year and will require some of the clinical work as an internship or externship, and only then will you be able to secure a job as a dental assistant. Here are also a few programs that you can take to get a promotion and a raise in salary. Following courses that you can take while working as a dental assistant

• Restorative dental functions assistant
• Orthodontic dental assistant
• Preventative function dental assistant

Gaining these courses can open up better opportunities for you in your professional life as a dental assistant.

2. After getting the academic experience, the next step is getting the certification while available for you right after you finish your courses. The other thing that you need to do at this point is to apply for a license. The license may be required in some states, whereas the license may not be necessary for some other states. To obtain the license, you need to contact the licensing authority in your state because the application and the licensing process may differ in each state. Usually, it takes an exam for you to clear to get the license. The Dental Assistant National Board conducts this exam. This exam consists of 320 questions, and the topics that this exam comes from are as follows or are related to the following topics.

• Dental assisting procedures
• Infection control
• radiation health and safety
• Administrative procedures.

This exam has a total score of 900, and you have to score 400 to pass the exam. If you are unable to pass the exam all the charges that you have paid for the exam will get wasted.

3. Experience is the next thing that you need to get to become a dental assistant. You can study all you want but won’t become a better professional when you don’t have enough experience. To become a good dental assistant, you have to get an internship or an externship as a dental assistant in any institute. If you weren’t able to get the experience that way, then there will be other ways. In other ways, including volunteer work in a dental clinic, you will get all the necessary experience required to get you a job. This way, you will get the experience and will be able to do better at your job with all the pre-acquired knowledge. The areas that you need to gain experience to secure a job as a dental assistant are

• Oral hygiene
• Dental pharmacology
• Oral anatomy
• Chair side assisting

4. Obtaining an associate degree by studying further is another step to take in your field as a dental assistant. With the right courses, you can also do your bachelor’s programs by shifting your credits to a new program, and then you will need to study only a few more subjects. This way, you can become a dental hygienist. There are different things that you should do in bachelors becoming a dental assistant, and the following are some of those bachelor programs that you can go for

• Periodontics
• Radiography
• Pathology
• Medical ethics
• Patient management

Paving your path the right way, you can also become a dentist yourself after achieving a few bachelor’s degrees.

Education required for the dental assistant

In order to be a dental assistant, you have to get the one-year course offered in most community colleges. The other thing you will do is go for the associate degree of 2 years and consist of the internships and externships to give you the professional experience required for a better paying job. While you are looking for the programs, you should be sure that the dental assistant national board accredits them. This way, you will have the professional degree or certification that will be valid for licensing. While choosing the courses, go for the associate degree programs instead of the one-year courses to better prepare for further career opportunities. You can earn a bachelor’s degree further in your career life, which will help you get into dentistry.

Certification and licensing of the dental assistant

Every state in the USA has a different requirement for licensing and certification documentation. To obtain that, you need to see the licensing requirements given by the licensing authority of that state. You must know that the dental assistant National Board has all the information on their website for general information. You can earn from there that the things that you need for your license application are as follows.

The completion certificate from the accredited college or institute you have studied in.

• A complete background check may also be required, and that includes your medical and police record.
• Passing the exam that has been made necessary by the Dental Assistant National Board.
• Even though the state has licensed you doesn’t mean the National Board has licensed you, and to obtain that, you need to pass your exam. Following are five different types of certificates that are being offered by the dental assistant national board.
• A national entry-level dental assistant in which you will be able to do the entry-level tasks as the dental assistant, and to do more than that, you need to pass the other exam and get the certification and license.
•  A certified dental assistant allows you to do a little more than an entry-level dental assistant.
• Certified preventive functions dental assistant is for the most experienced one.

Certified restorative functions dental assistant is the same as before, and it also offers a higher level of expertise.

• Certified orthodontist assistant is related to all the orthodontics work.

To apply for any of these certifications, you need to pay a 245 USD cost, and then you will be able to give the exam and achieve the certification. If you cannot pass the exam, the cost won’t be refundable, so it is better to apply for an exam when you are fully prepared for it.

Job opportunities

Almost every dental institute nowadays has dental assistants’ positions. And as more dental clinics and institutes are developing, there will be even more job opportunities for dental assistants. It is expected to see a sudden rise in the vacancies for dental assistants, and that is because it is expected that there will be a 7% rise in the dental assistant career over the next ten years. The dental assistant career might be flourishing because people are getting more awareness about oral hygiene and how important it is to visit a dentist. So, if you are planning to become a dental assistant, you are on the right path, and in some years, you will have the desired job ready for you. The same goes for the people who are struggling as dental assistants now, as there will be better opportunities shortly for them. There is no limit to the knowledge, and you can keep obtaining certifications that will lead you to even better careers than just a dental assistant. Starting from this career, there can be many more opportunities for you, and you can avail yourself of these small courses that you can do while doing a job. Experience matters a lot, so either it is an internship or volunteer ship, you must go for it, and it will lead you to countless professional opportunities in better institutions as well.

Why do people become dental assistants?

Following are some of the reasons people go for the job of dental assistant

• When people join the medical profession like this one, it is out of the love of humanity. The people who want to help another gain their perfect health get the medical profession usually. The same is the case with the dental assistants. When your job is quote meaningful, you enjoy your work, and the job in return turns out to be very satisfactory. When you want a job with a perfect balance of work and home, this job is exactly the one for you.
• It is a basic 9 to 5 job, and it doesn’t entail the office work only so you won’t feel the risk of being unhealthy, with the kind of job the dental assistant is about, you need to take action throughout your working hours, and that will keep you fit and energetic.
• Another reason why this job is so satisfactory for people is that the salary is great too. The average salary is 40,000 USD, and based on your qualifications, According to Salary.com it can be as high as 47,000 USD per year. This type of salary is pretty average with that kind of working hours. A person can easily manage an easy lifestyle with that kind of money. With better qualifications and experience, this can turn into even more.
• It is also expected that job opportunities will increase in the next decade. So, it means there will be more potential for dental assistants, and you can make success in your career quite too much.
• Another reason why most people prefer this job is that it requires less education period. It would be better to do a 2-year course with an internship and externship, but if you are in a hurry to earn as soon as possible, you can go for the one-year certification too. This is perfectly suitable for people who want to start earning earlier and want to start earning the pretty average amount of money. The best thing is that you can study more and have higher qualifications to make better opportunities for yourself while doing your job. This type of job is also great for the people who want to get into the dental career a little late in your life. So, with the short education period, you can finally work on this dream of yours and can start working as a dental assistant in just two or so years.

Skills needed as a dental assistant

There are a lot of personal skills that are needed as a dental assistant. Getting professional skills is part of the whole program, but persona skills are important as well. Following are a few of the personal skills that are expected from a dental assistant.

• A dental assistant should be empathic and understanding towards the patients.
• They should have a detail-oriented mentality.
• The ability to handle a stressful situation is a priority, and it is expected from an assistant in any setting.
•  A dental assistant should also be reliable because many things are just dependent on that dental assistant in a clinical setting.
•   Professionalism is needed not only in this but in every job requirement, and you should know that while applying for a job.
• Since the dental assistant has to deal with the patients, strong communication skills are needed.
• Working as a clinical setting team will make the work environment bearable and strong in a dental assistant.
• Multitasking may be required from a professional dental assistant, so you should be a pro at that. Otherwise, you would be restricted to one task at a time alone, slowing down the whole process.

Working in any organization, organizational skills matter a lot, so they should be maintained.

So this is all you needed to know about becoming a dental assistant in the USA, and the situation of the entire world is the same except for little differences here and there. The differences that you will observe are not much too, and you may see that in the USA’s different states.

FAQs

1.    Are dental assistants considered health care workers?

Yes, dental assistants are considered health care workers. Any person working in the hospital or health center is a health care worker.

2.    Can dental assistants do fillings?

No, dental assistants can’t do a filling, but in fact, they are responsible for making the filling mixture. If a dental assistant is trained and certified to do it, then they can definitely do filings.

3.    Does a dental assistant require a degree?

To become a dental assistant, you need to have an associate degree or at least a diploma. So, in order to become a dental assistant, you definitely need a certification.

4.    Does dental assistant certification expire?

Yes, the certification of dental assistant does expire after one year, and you will have a three months time period for renewal. In order to continue your practice, you need to get your certification renewed.

5.    Schools that have dental assistant programs?

There are many colleges and universities that offer dental assistant programs and diplomas. The universities include,

1. Purdue University, Indianapolis
2. University of Alabama, Birmingham
3. University of North Carolina