Training to Become a Dental Assistant
On-the-job Training
in Dental Assisting
According to the US Department of Labor (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos163.htm)
most dental assistants are trained on the job.
The trend in dentistry is for dentists to
attempt to delegate as much as possible to dental assistants to perform
routine tasks so that they may devote their own time to more profitable
procedures. For
those trained in dental assisting programs, that training takes one year
or less to complete.
A dentist who is training a dental assistant
on the job has a variety of books that can be used for self-study by the
assistant. See the page listing dental
assistant training books on this site and you will note that there are
a variety of texts from general books about dental assisting to books
about dental office management and other specific subject areas. Some of
them have accompanying CD-ROMs, and there are also workbooks available. A
possible training regimen could include an assignment to the new employee
to study certain chapters at home, and then perform some of the exercises
in the dental assisting workbook.
Nature of Dental Assisting Work
Dental assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and
laboratory duties. They work chairside as dentists examine and treat
patients. They make patients as comfortable as possible in the dental
chair, prepare them for treatment, and obtain their dental records.
Assistants hand instruments and materials to dentists and keep patients’
mouths dry and clear by using suction or other devices. Assistants also
sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare trays of
instruments for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative
and general oral health care.
Some dental assistants prepare materials for impressions and restorations,
take dental x rays, and process x-ray film as directed by a dentist. They
also may remove sutures, apply topical anesthetics to gums or
cavity-preventive agents to teeth, remove excess cement used in the
filling process, and place rubber dams on the teeth to isolate them for
individual treatment.
Those with laboratory duties make casts of the teeth and mouth from
impressions, clean and polish removable appliances, and make temporary
crowns. Dental assistants with office duties schedule and confirm
appointments, receive patients, keep treatment records, send bills,
receive payments, and order dental supplies and materials.
To find books about
dental assisting, click
here.
For more information about dental assisting
as a career, click here. |