Over the past few years making a career as a dental assistant has gained enormous popularity in the United States. In fact, it has emerged as one of the few professions in the health care industry that has pulled the interests of many people in last few years. The tasks of a dental assistant include patient care, as well as office and laboratory responsibilities. While the specific duties of a dental assistant differ depending on the work setting, training and experience level, all primarily work closely with dentists to make sure that each dental process gets completed effectively.
Job Description
The main responsibility of dental subordinate is to help dentist execute different dental procedures. In most of the cases, responsibilities generally revolve around managing tasks that require to be done proceeding to a dental procedure, such as a filling, crown, ties or tooth extraction. Adding to this, it is also the responsibility of assistant to clean the chair and equipment so that it is ready for the patient. The other responsibilities also include: sterilizing, washing instruments and apparatus and informing patients about postoperative and basic dental health.
Apart from all this, dental assistant who works in the office is equally responsible for scheduling and reminding patients of appointments, checking patients in, managing bills and payments, and ordering dental materials. It is important to understand that the profile of a dental assistant is not similar to a hygienist. It differs significantly from hygienists. In fact, hygienists are licensed professionals with clinical duties.
Job Prospect
The job outlook for dental assistant is excellent and in next few years the field is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016. As per the recent observations, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that this profession will be the third fastest growing occupation. It is projected to be one of the fastest growing jobs over the next several years. Several job openings will arise due to the growth of employment and the need to replace transferring assistants, retiring assistants or others. Definitely, this is great news, especially for those who are just entering or looking forward making career in this field. While assistants can choose to complete dental subordinate training programs, this is one occupation for which on-the-job training is common.