Join the rewarding dental industry with a career as a dental assistant. Many dental hygienists work part time with flexible schedules. If there is one career that will never go away that is that of a dental assistant. With everyone needing to go to the dentist you can see why this career has a good growth rate and is expected to grown at a fast rate.
So what does a dental assistant do all day?
As expected a you would be working at a dentist office helping patients with their dental needs. A hygienists removes deposits from teeth (cleaning) and helps provide preventative care so that your teeth will remain strong. In some states you would be able to administer anesthetics in order to carve or put in fillings. Your the first thing that a client sees when they come into the office for a routine checking or when they have a problem with their teeth and this is a very important position within the dentist office.
Schedules for Dental Assistants
It does vary widely from office to office, but there is full-time, part-time as well as flexible schedules at dentist offices. More than half of all workers only work part time which is less than 35 hours per week. Typical hours of operation is 8am to 5pm and on weekends except for Sunday.
The growth of the dental hygienist industry
The increasing population growth will stimulate demand for dental jobs. More and more dentists are noticing that they need more assistants in order to perform preventive dental care such as bi-yearly cleaning. This will allow them to devote their own time to more profitable procedures. Above and to the right you'll find some great programs that we have suggested that you look into if your considering a career as a dental assistant.
Dental Assistant Salary
Most dental assisting wages range from $30,000 to $60,000. Please check the latest BLS.org information for more accurate salary information.
Dental Assistant Training Information - Dental Assistant Wages
A career in dental assisting can be very rewarding and offer plenty of job potential and stability. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), they “predict a 29% increase in the number of jobs for Dental Assistants between 2006 and 2016.” Additionally, the BLS reported that the median wage for Dental Assistants in 2008 was $32,280. The highest 10% were reported to earn greater than $46,150 annually. Experienced Dental Assistants in the Denver metropolitan area were reported to be making 25 dollars per hour. Benefits were reported by BLS to “vary substantially by practice setting and may be contingent on full-time employment.” According to a survey done in 2008 by the Dental Assisting National Board, 86% of Certified Dental Assistants (CDA’s) received paid vacations from and more than 50% had health benefits.
Dental Assisting is a great place to start and advance one’s career with additional training. The potential to work into higher paying jobs is excellent and the need for qualified Dental Assistants is great, especially as the population ages.
Length of Training
A course in Dental Assisting usually takes about one year, although there are accelerated programs where one can finish in as little as eight months. There are also two year programs for A.A. degrees available at Community and Junior colleges. There are also accelerated programs that can be done on line and lead to a certificate. Certification requirements vary by state and are regulated by each state. According the American Dental Association, “87% of dentists offered reimbursement for continuing education courses taken by their Dental Assistants.”
Nature of Work
So what type of work do Dental Assistants do? Primarily they are the dentist’s second set of hands and do whatever is necessary to help the doctor with his or her job. This can include cleaning and sterilizing instruments, taking x-rays, preparing patients to be seen by the dentist, and being at the patient’s chair side to help in any way necessary during a dental procedure.
Dental Assistants also give patients instruction in proper oral hygiene and care, and may be involved in office work such as scheduling and billing. They are responsible for keeping the exam room clean and preparing it for each new patient, and making sure instruments and materials are in place for the dentist or hygienist.
A career as a Dental Assistant may be right for you if you are a generally upbeat people person, like working with others, have a desire to help others, and are able to follow specific instructions and procedures.
Classes to take in high school to prepare for this field. could include science courses such as biology, chemistry, and anatomy, and office procedures-type classes.
Job Security
A career in Dental Assisting offers the potential for steady and stable employment in almost any sized community. Even the smallest of towns usually have dentists and orthodontists that will need assistants. Even greater opportunities will be available in larger cities; possibly in multiple provider offices, dental schools, or any number of other possibilities.
Everyone requires dental care, thus it is a job that is pretty recession-proof and stable. Also, Dental Assistants report extremely high job satisfaction. This could be from the wide variety of duties assigned, which keeps the job interesting, or from the enjoyment of working with people and helping others. Additionally, the pay is very good, especially considering the length of training required. Opportunities for advancement are also excellent with additional training.
