Dental Assistant
Dental assistants greatly increase the efficiency of the Dr. in the delivery of quality oral health care and are valuable members of the dental care team.
Job Description:
- Assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures
- Taking digital dental x-rays
- Asking about the patient’s medical history and taking blood pressure and pulse
- Serving as an infection control officer, developing infection control protocol and preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment
- Helping patients feel comfortable before, during and after dental treatment
- Providing patients with instructions for oral care following surgery or other dental treatment procedures, such as the placement of a restoration (filling)
- Teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health;
(e.g., tooth brushing, flossing and nutritional counseling) - Taking impressions of patients’ teeth for study casts (models of teeth)
- Performing office management tasks that often require the use of a personal computer
- Communicating with patients and suppliers (e.g., scheduling appointments, answering the telephone, billing and ordering supplies)