Beauty Information

How to become a Dental Assistant


Becoming a dental assistant offers one of the fastest educational paths to entering 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

  • Handing 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 / Job Outlook for Dental Assistants

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.

www.top-colleges.com

About The Author

Max Stein is a freelance writer who writes about business, education and marketing. Contact him at maxstein_9@hotmail.com

What do you think? http://degreesource.blogspot.com


MORE RESOURCES:

At-Home Beauty Devices Drive Industry Excitement
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
The most dynamic trend for the beauty industry in 2008 has been the emergence of at-home or do-it-yourself (DIY) tools -- especially those that offer ...


Houston Chronicle

Twilight goes for beauty over substance
Houston Chronicle, United States - Nov 20, 2008
Twilight goes a tad heavy on the beauty products. At the screening I attended, the audience burst into awkward giggles at the first sight of Peter Facinelli ...
Review: Twilight -- Eric's Take Cinematical
'Twilight' Los Angeles Times
'Twilight': Teen Anemia, By Kurt Loder MTV.com
Salt Lake Tribune - Rolling Stone
all 779 news articles


‘Dr. 90210’ shares his 7 beauty secrets
MSNBC - 6 hours ago
Well, today he's left the knife at home and is sharing seven household beauty secrets that will enhance your looks and help you preserve your youth. ...


eFluxMedia

"Beast" sure to be a 3-D beauty for Disney in 2010
Reuters - Nov 19, 2008
By Gregg Kilday LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Belle, the Beast and all the dancing silverware in "Beauty and the Beast" are getting a 3-D makeover. ...
'Beauty' gets 3-D makeover Variety
Katzenberg: 3-D vision goes beyond animation Hollywood Reporter
“The Beauty and the Beast” Gets 3-D Makeover from Disney eFluxMedia
Monsters and Critics.com - AHN
all 166 news articles


Los Angeles Times

ig-Beauty 4
Los Angeles Times, CA - 56 minutes ago
Brazilian bikini waxes should be outlawed, like cockfights. Besides, who endures such agony after shelving the bathing suit? The Bikini Perfect Deluxe ...


Los Angeles Times

ig-Beauty 5
Los Angeles Times, CA - 56 minutes ago
Whether your arches are golden or brunet, Anastasia’s Brow Tool Kit ($95) will keep them in check with stencils, tweezers, powders, brow gel, ...


Los Angeles Times

ig-Beauty 8
Los Angeles Times, CA - 56 minutes ago
Hair grows about half an inch per month. The Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore root touch-up and highlighting pen ($23) covers those stray grays and pesky roots ...


Los Angeles Times

ig-Beauty 1
Los Angeles Times, CA - 56 minutes ago
The beauty industry — spas and salons included — has responded with do-it-yourself alternatives that promise professional results. Here’sa sampling from the ...


Beauty goes green
KXVO CW 15, NE - 3 hours ago
By Shahnaz Khan There is a lot of hype in the beauty industry right now about so called "green" products. There are literally thousands of products on the ...


Sally Beauty profit misses, but allays recession fears
Forbes, NY - Nov 20, 2008
Sally distributes beauty supplies and hair products to salons and stylists -- items that typically hold up a bit better than products like jewelry, ...
Sally Beauty Holdings maintains Q3 profit Bizjournals.com
Sally Beauty 4Q earnings rise, but miss expectations 10:40 AM CT Dallas Morning News
UPDATE 1-Sally Beauty quarterly profit misses Wall St view Reuters
RTT News - Forbes
all 21 news articles

Beauty - Google News

home | site map
© 2006