Online Dental Assistant Degrees

Responsibilities of Dental Assistants

Dental assistants perform a number of different types of services including patient care, administrative duties, and laboratory duties. In essence, a typical day in the life of DAs includes scheduling patients, receiving patients, keeping records, sending bills and receiving payments as well as ordering supplies. Dental assistants must also know how to make casts of a patient's teeth and mouth, as well as how to clean and polish removable appliances, and make temporary crowns. And as far as patient care goes they must prepare the patient for their procedure and have their records ready as well as hand instruments to dentists, sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, and occasionally remove sutures or apply anesthetics. But they don't perform the same tasks as dental hygienists. Hygienists are certified and perform a number of other duties.

Dental Assistant Career Outlook

With a degree in Dental Assisting, you can take part in an exciting and booming industry that offers great job security and good advancement opportunities. Job prospects for the next decade are excellent. People with Dental Assisting degrees work as dental assistants in dental offices, physicians’ offices, and in federal, state and local governments.

Dental Assistant Salary Information

Benefits can be excellent, including paid vacation time and free dental coverage. Average earnings for dental assistants range from $14 to $20 per hour. Advancement opportunities with a degree in Dental Assisting are good; many advance to office managers, dental-assisting instructors and sales representatives.

Dental Assistant Required Job Skills and Knowledge

Although most skills are learned on the job, employers look for candidates who have a degree in Dental Assisting, which typically takes less than one year to complete. The most desirable candidates have great office management, communication and patient care skills, and are well educated in oral health care, know how to use dental instruments and how to take dental X-rays and impressions.