Dental Assistant

Summary

Responsibilities

• Obtain and record vital signs and screening data in electronic dental and health records.
• Triage emergency dental patients.
• Take both intraoral and extraoral (panoramic) digital radiographs.
• Obtain diagnostic quality images taking appropriate additional exposures as needed.
• Chair side assistant, primarily assisting in general dentistry.
• Assist as needed in more complex specialized dental procedures such as oral surgery, prosthetics, operative, endodontics, periodontics and pedodontics.
• Prepare dental instruments and materials prior to procedures.
• Evacuate blood and secretions from oral cavity during procedures.
• Transfer instruments to provider during dental procedures.
• Clean and transport soiled instruments at the end of the procedure.
• Perform proper pre-sterilization cleaning, packaging of instruments and sterilization.
• Complete routine equipment and operatory maintenance.
• Clean operatory and work surfaces between patients.
• Provides routine rubber cup and prophylaxis and applies topical fluoride treatment as assigned by the dentist.
• Relays to patient’s post-operative instructions, disease prevention techniques, and home care instructions.
• Places pit and fissure sealants as prescribed by the dentist.
• Direct patients or visitors.
• Refer callers to appropriate staff members.
• Write down pertinent patient or message information to give accurate messages to staff.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Dental Assisting License shall be obtained and current.
• Knowledge of all instruments, materials, and procedures normally used in all phases of restorative, prosthodontic, oral surgical, endodontic and periodontal treatment.
• Knowledge of dental anatomy and ability to properly expose and mount diagnostic radiographs.
• Ability to explain to patient’s post-operative instructions, disease prevention techniques, and home care instructions.
• Knowledge of steps and techniques required for the placement of sealants on teeth.
• Knowledge and skill of tooth isolation techniques required to maintain a dry field of placement of restorations and sealants.
• Knowledge of sterilization techniques.

Estimated Salary/Wage

USD $22.11/Hr. Up to USD $24.00/Hr.