Dental assisting is a career that is interesting, exciting, lucrative and satisfying. Numerous entry level Dental Assistant Jobs are available for interested applicants upon completion of dental assistant school and/or required coursework. Rarely are people hired without some type of pre-dental assistant training. Programs are offered through local community colleges and vocational training schools. The classes offered by these schools include classroom study as well as laboratory work and instruction in dental assisting skills. Some of the courses offered are anatomy, dental materials, science and general business techniques. All of the coursework is geared towards gainful employment in a dental office, clinic or other facility performing dental procedures.
Classes that are required course work for a potential dental assistant include learning how to take, develop and mount bite wing, full-mouth and panoramic x-rays. The student will also learn how to prepare tray setups and sterilize dental instruments. In addition, the student will take classes and learn how to take casts and prepare them for creating restorations and impressions. Other important business functions such as greeting patients, completing health information, maintaining dental records and ordering office supplies are also taught as part of the dental assistant program. These courses, among others, prepare the student for work in a private dental office, in a dental school, in military and community hospitals and in nursing homes.
Most dental assistant programs can be completed in one year. To receive an associate’s degree, the student will be required to complete at least two years of study. To become a Certified Dental Assistant (DNA) the student must complete a dental assistant training program and sit for the Dental Assisting National Board examination. Becoming certified makes it easier to find a job and it also helps with career growth and development.
Entry level dental assistant jobs are available for people with or without dental assistant certification and they also want them to have had some coursework in dental education. Sometimes dentists are willing to hire people with only a general knowledge of dental procedures and will continue training them on the job. It is usually beneficial, however, to have some training and/or experience in the dental field. Most dentists want only qualified people to perform even the less difficult administrative tasks in the office.