How to Become a Dental Assistant

Now is the perfect time to become a dental assistant. DA’s play a vital role in any dentist office as they take care and properly assistant the dentist during your visit. During your training you’ll learn about x-rays, cleaning, proper education and even how to maintain the front office. The first step in becoming a dental assistant is to find the right school for your educational needs. All dental assistant schools will need to be accredited and training programs are all done at a campus location. You’ll want to review the credentials of the instructors at the school as well as the overall reputation of the school you wish to enroll in.

Many of the schools you’ll find offer either a 12 – 18 month training program that will teach you everything you need to know in order to qualify for an entry level job as a dental assistant. More training will be needed in order to become a Registered Dental Assistant.

Understanding proper chairside procedures will be key to your success. Often the school you’ll attend offers externships which will give you hands-on experience in a real-life dental office. Salaries range depending on what state you’ll be working in but on average the median pay is $33,000-35,000 per year. Some states require that you obtain licensing from the state, especially when it comes to taking x-rays.

The industry is expected to grow at a continuous rate with an overall growth of 30% within the next 10 years. One of key advantages of this career is it allows you to become mobile in your career as almost every city in the county has dental offices and all the work is conducted the same way.

 

 

 

 

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Resources:
http://www.ada.org/en
http://www.college-universities.com/certificate-healthcare-dental-assisting-train-to-become-a-dental-assistant.php