by Frances Stanford

Created on: November 22, 2008   Last Updated: January 13, 2010

When you choose a career as a dental assistant, you will be working closely with a dentist assisting him or her in the routine dental procedures in the office. This involves sterilizing and washing the instruments and pieces of equipment, preparing and laying out the trays for each procedure and retrieving patient records for the dentist. It is your job to make the patients feel comfortable as they wait for the dentist and to prepare them for the treatment they are about to receive. During the treatments, you will assist the dentist by passing him/her the instruments as they are needed and use suction devices to keep the patients' mouths dry during the procedure.

As a dental assistant, part of your duties will also involve preparing materials for impressions and restorations. You may be involved in the actual taking of X-rays of the teeth and the processing of these X-rays under the supervision of the dentist. Part of your duties may involve removing sutures, applying topical anaesthetic to the gums, removing excess cement in the case of fillings or bridge work and placing rubbed dams on teeth to isolate them during various procedures.

If you have laboratory duties in the dental office in which you work, you may be involved in making casts of teeth from impressions, making temporary crowns or cleaning and polishing removable devices. Depending on the size of the dental practice, you may also be responsible for the clerical tasks, such as scheduling appointments, receiving patients, updating the patient records and billing patients or insurance companies, as well as ordering and receiving supplies.

The environment in which you work as a dental assistant is well lit. Your work area will be in close proximity to the dentist's chair where you have easy access to all the instruments on the tray that the dentist needs. You must wear a surgical mask and gloves as well as a uniform at work. Depending on the procedure being performed or if you work in a laboratory, you will also need to wear protective eyewear.

Although you can start off working in this position right out of high school and receive on the job training, with the many colleges offering diploma programs for dental assistants, most dentists now require that you have formal training. When you do finish your classroom work, you will also need an internship in which you work in a dentist's office under the supervision of a trained dental assistant.

In the US, many states have regulations regarding the type of work dental assistants are permitted to perform. Some of the states require that all dental assistants be licensed to practice by writing a comprehensive exam. Those who do perform X-rays need to have additional training beyond that offered in a diploma course. There are also certifications available for dental assistants that are recognized in most states. In order to qualify for certification, you do need to have at least two years experience. The certificate is valid for one year only, during which time you do need to take continuing education courses in this field.

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