Dental assistants are currently in great demand.
As the population is living longer, there are growing numbers of older people who need their teeth looking after.
There is also an increasing interest in cosmetic dentistry, which goes along with the desire to fit into size-zero clothing and to undergo cosmetic surgery on parts of the body.
In addition, of course, visits to the dentist do not hold the terrors that they once did, now that modern technology has made dentistry less painful.
Therefore, if you train as a dental assistant, you are unlikely to have any problems in finding employment.
The work of dental assistants varies from surgery to surgery, depending on the scope of the practice and the level of technology used.
Of course, even within the same practice, the work can vary from day to day.
You are dealing with human beings, so the work can never be monotonous.
In general, there are two sides to the job, which can be broadly categorized as back office and front office.
In most practices, the assistant is responsible for organizing patient records.
This could include ensuring that the correct records are on hand when patients arrive for their appointments, scheduling and confirming appointments, sending bills and receiving payments, although some practices employ additional administrative staff for many of these tasks.
The most important part of the job is in working with the patients.
When the patients arrive, the assistant makes sure they are comfortable, and a good one will be able to reassure and calm patients if they are nervous.
This is especially important when the patient is a child.
Even though the parent will be with the child, many parents seem to make the child more rather than less nervous.
In the surgery, duties will include sterilizing equipment and ensuring the correct instrument is handed to the dentist when requested, taking and processing x-rays, taking impressions, and using suction pumps throughout the process to dry the patient's mouth.
Some dental assistants will also carry out some basic dental procedures such as cleaning, scaling and polishing.
The assistant will also check out the patients before leaving, ensuring they are happy with what has been done and not in too much pain, and also that they have had a mouth wipe if required.
The skills required for this work are therefore a combination of technical and administrative abilities, along with "people" skills.
The technical side of the training is usually available in community or junior colleges.
The programs vary in length but can last up to two years, depending on the level of qualification required, and include internships in dental hospitals and practices to provide hands-on experience.
To enroll on a program you will require at least a high school diploma, and some courses also require you to have passed science and computer exams.
However, as well as the technical skills, personal skills are also essential for dental assistants, and these skills cannot be learned on a college course.
If you are considering a career in dentistry and the technical side appeals to you, but you are not really a "people" person, you should think twice, because you would not be happy in this work.
However, if you do enjoy working with people, and can handle the technical work, you should find this a rewarding and satisfying career.
As the population is living longer, there are growing numbers of older people who need their teeth looking after.
There is also an increasing interest in cosmetic dentistry, which goes along with the desire to fit into size-zero clothing and to undergo cosmetic surgery on parts of the body.
In addition, of course, visits to the dentist do not hold the terrors that they once did, now that modern technology has made dentistry less painful.
Therefore, if you train as a dental assistant, you are unlikely to have any problems in finding employment.
The work of dental assistants varies from surgery to surgery, depending on the scope of the practice and the level of technology used.
Of course, even within the same practice, the work can vary from day to day.
You are dealing with human beings, so the work can never be monotonous.
In general, there are two sides to the job, which can be broadly categorized as back office and front office.
In most practices, the assistant is responsible for organizing patient records.
This could include ensuring that the correct records are on hand when patients arrive for their appointments, scheduling and confirming appointments, sending bills and receiving payments, although some practices employ additional administrative staff for many of these tasks.
The most important part of the job is in working with the patients.
When the patients arrive, the assistant makes sure they are comfortable, and a good one will be able to reassure and calm patients if they are nervous.
This is especially important when the patient is a child.
Even though the parent will be with the child, many parents seem to make the child more rather than less nervous.
In the surgery, duties will include sterilizing equipment and ensuring the correct instrument is handed to the dentist when requested, taking and processing x-rays, taking impressions, and using suction pumps throughout the process to dry the patient's mouth.
Some dental assistants will also carry out some basic dental procedures such as cleaning, scaling and polishing.
The assistant will also check out the patients before leaving, ensuring they are happy with what has been done and not in too much pain, and also that they have had a mouth wipe if required.
The skills required for this work are therefore a combination of technical and administrative abilities, along with "people" skills.
The technical side of the training is usually available in community or junior colleges.
The programs vary in length but can last up to two years, depending on the level of qualification required, and include internships in dental hospitals and practices to provide hands-on experience.
To enroll on a program you will require at least a high school diploma, and some courses also require you to have passed science and computer exams.
However, as well as the technical skills, personal skills are also essential for dental assistants, and these skills cannot be learned on a college course.
If you are considering a career in dentistry and the technical side appeals to you, but you are not really a "people" person, you should think twice, because you would not be happy in this work.
However, if you do enjoy working with people, and can handle the technical work, you should find this a rewarding and satisfying career.
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