Dental Assistant Salary Range

We all know who a dentist is? To answer it shortly, a dentist can be defined as the one who cures dental problems and performs dental surgeries. So then who is a dental assistant? Well, a dental assistant is one who works as an assistant to the dentist or the dental hygienist in various surgical procedures and also deals with maintaining dental records, patient history etc. Read more on Dental Hygienist Job Description. Dental assistants can certainly be figured out as the key members of a dental clinic, because they assist the dental surgeon to provide effective service to the patients.

Today many young career aspirants are looking forward for a career as dental assistant. This is because the career opportunities in such medical jobs are likely to increase by the end of this decade, with many health care organizations, dental clinics, insurance companies and armed forces recruiting people with dental assistance skills and qualifications. Apart from this, the dental assistant salary range is also quite decent. So proceed to find out more about the dental assistant duties, educational requirements, certifications and most importantly the average dental assistant salary.

Dental Assistant Job Description

As said earlier, dental assistants are key members of any dental health care organization. The reason behind this is the wide range of duties that they need to perform under the supervision of the dentist. All such tasks and activities of a dental assistant are explained below.

• The first and foremost duty of a dental assistant is to assist the dentist in dental operations and also guide the patients in maintaining dental health.
• Prepare oral health plans in supervision of the dentist to render effective dental care service to the patients.
• Maintaining medical records related to dental problems, preserving dental history of each and every patient and producing them whenever required are parts of the dental assistants job.
• Preparing and taking care of all the dental instruments and supplies for surgeries such as dental implants and laser tooth whitening.
• Polishing and cleaning the teeth by removing soft deposits and tarnishes.
• Helping the dentist in developing dental x-rays and preparing dental material such as composite, amalgam, impression material and cement.
• Assisting the dentist in organizing, controlling and managing the dental inventory.
• Removing surgical sutures, orthodontic ligature ties also forms an important part of the dental assistant's job description.
• Taking out the excessive cement from the orthodontic bands and fabricated restorations.
• Applying the topical fluoride treatments, pit and fissure sealants.
• Managing and arranging patient appointments with the dentist, calculating and receiving bills from the patients.

Dental Assistant Educational Requirements

The educational requirements to become a dental assistant are not much. After completing the high school with subjects such as biology, algebra, geometry, English, dental assistance, computers etc, you can move on to a college that imparts training on dental assistance studies. See that the college is accredited by the Commission of Dental Accreditation and then pursue a 1-2 year course on dental assistance. Further, you could be able to become a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA), on completing the examination conducted by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. With all these educational qualifications, your chances to be preferred and recruited by a renowned dental health care organization would definitely increase.

Average Salary For Dental Assistant

Here we come to the main focus of our discussion! Actually, the dental assistant salary range depends upon the size of the organization and the range of duties to be performed. In some organizations, 'on job training' experience, knowledge, manual dexterity and demanded working hours are also considered to be vital factors deciding the salary range. However, on an average, a dental assistant gets paid around $30000-$35000 and is liable to receive the employment benefits on getting confirmed on the job.

Well, now you must have got a clear idea of the dental assistant salary range, job description and the educational requirements of the same. As a matter of fact, however qualified you might be, do not expect health care organizations to pay you hefty pay prices at the beginning of your career. It is only through experience, knowledge and improved manual skills that you would be able to increase you market value and quote for higher pay package in larger organizations.