What to Expect With a Dental Assistant Career?
You have many careers from which you can choose. However, making the right choice now could affect the direction of the rest of your life. Therefore, you will need to choose wisely. So why should you consider a career as a dental assistant? There are plenty of great reasons to pursue a career as a dental assistant. Here are a few facts that will help you make an educated decision about whether or not this is the right career for you.
What Does The Job Outlook Look Like In The Next 10 Years?
What It's Like to Work as a Dental Assistant?
Being a dental assistant is an exciting career because you get to deal with many different people every day and you'll also have a wide variety of daily tasks to keep you busy. That means you will enjoy going to work and the days will fly by because you will have the opportunity to help others while doing what you love.
Job Responsibilities of a Dental Assistant
There are a variety of job responsibilities that come with dental assisting and they can vary from practice to practice. However, here are some of the most common:
- Assisting the dentist with patient relations and performing many different dental treatments and procedures.
- You will be taking X-Rays and developing them.
- Obtaining patients medical history, blood pressure and pulse.
- Sterilizing and organizing all dental equipment and instruments.
- Dealing with the dentist, patient relationships and making patients feel comfortable before, during and after their visits.
- Educating adults and children about proper oral hygiene including how to properly brush and floss their teeth, as well as the role diet plays in oral health.
- Taking impressions of patients' teeth for casts.
- Office organization, patient files and other management tasks.
- Answering phones, making patient appointments, patient billing, talking with vendors and ordering supplies.
- And much more!
Typical Hours for a Dental Assistant
Most dental assistants work full time. However, in 2014 about 1 in 3 dental assistants worked part-time. The average hours worked for full-time dental assistants is approximately 36-37 hours per week and part-time dental assistants worked an average of 24-26 hours per week. Additionally, there are some dental practices that are open during the evenings and weekends as well.
Life Outside the Office
Since being a dental assistant doesn't usually require you to work long hours, you will have more time to spend with family and friends. Therefore, becoming a dental assistant could mean you have a better quality of life than you would had you chosen differently.
What can you expect to make as a dental assistant?
*source-Bureau Of Labor Statistics
