The Dental Assistant Job Description: What You Need To Know

You have seen them before.

The last time at your dentist office they had the warm smiles as you walked in the door, got everything prepped before the dentist arrived and also worked with you to schedule your next appointment.

These individuals are what make a dentist office run.

Without them, the dentists couldn’t do their jobs.

The dental assistant is one of the most crucial members of a dental office.

However, not everyone can just become a dental assistant.

In fact, there is much more that goes into it. For starters, anyone serious about becoming a dental assistant NEEDS to attend and graduate from a dental assistant school.

There are many dental assistant programs out there to choose from, BUT before you do, you need to know just what goes into being a dental assistant.

Front Of The House

In other areas such as theater, the term “Front Of The House” refers to the open front area.

Generally, the area where the public first enters and sees is the “Front Of The House.”

In terms of the dentist office, when you first enter, this can be seen as the front of the house.

As you can probably already imagine, this area is CRUCIAL.

If someone is rude, uninviting and unhelpful then this could make or break that first appointment.

Think about it. Would you want to go back to a place that made you feel unwanted?

As a dental assistant, your presentation of a warm and caring environment will pay off more than you think.

One of your job duties will be to ensure that this space is a welcoming one.

Pre­Appointment Preparations

There is some work that needs to be done before the dentist can come in and do their work.

This portion of the job takes your organizational and attention‐to‐detail skills into play.

You need to know what is going on, what the appointment will entail and what the dentist and patient will need.

This is an area where you will not only need to be well versed in the medical side, but also in the administrative and customer service side as well.

These things can all be learned in a dental assistant school so you can get a job at a practice like Appleway Dental Clinic.

Post Appointment Duties

Once the appointment is done, you need to take care of the patient as they leave.

While it makes sense to take care of the billing, information updates, and follow up appointments, it will also make sense to use the common courtesy approach.

For instance

● Do you see something on their face? Let them know so they can get cleaned up

● Do they look uncomfortable? Check in and ask if they are having any pain to see what you can do to help

● Do they look upset? Ask if there is anything else you can do to help

As you can see, your job as a dental assistant will take on much more than assisting the dentist during visits and appointments.

Your role takes on much more, but it all starts with the right dental assistant school.

To learn more about one of the best schools in Georgia, please contact us today.

Written by administration