| Dental Assistant, Dental Assisting
Accredited schools offering training in dental assisting. |
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Dental Assistant, Dental Assisting
Dental assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory duties. They should not be confused with dental hygienists, who are licensed to perform other clinical tasks. Dental assistants sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare and lay out the instruments and materials required to treat each patient, and obtain patients' dental records. During dental procedures, assistants work alongside the dentist to provide assistance. They hand instruments and materials to dentists and keep patients’ mouths dry and clear by using suction or other devices. They also instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care. Dental assistants may prepare materials for impressions and restorations, take dental x-rays, and process x-ray film as directed by a dentist. They also may remove sutures, apply topical anesthetics to gums or cavity-preventive agents to teeth, remove excess cement used in the filling process, and place rubber dams on the teeth to isolate them for individual treatment. Some States are expanding dental assistants' duties to include tasks such as coronal polishing and restorative dentistry functions for those assistants that meet specific training and experience requirements. Dental assistants with laboratory duties make casts of the teeth and mouth from impressions, clean and polish removable appliances, and make temporary crowns. Those with office duties schedule and confirm appointments, receive patients, keep treatment records, send bills, receive payments, and order dental supplies and materials. It takes a relatively short period of time to become a dental assistant. Formal education and training usually takes nine to eleven months, resulting in a certificate or diploma. The industry higly recommends dental assistants to become nationally certified by taking the Dental Assisting National Board's (DANB) Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam. Dental assistants are eligible to take the CDA examination if they have completed a dental assisting program accredited by CODA. Individuals who have been trained on the job or have graduated from non-accredited programs are eligible to take the national certification examination after they have completed two years of full-time work experience as dental assistants. Dental Assistant Career Outlook This site only offers programs that are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association (ADA). |
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| Schools offering Dental Assisting | ||||||
| California | ||||||
Heald College Concord, Hayward, Stockton 
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| Colorado | ||||||
| IntelliTec Medical Institute Colorado Springs
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| Connecticut | ||||||
| Porter and Chester Institute Ensfield
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| Hawaii | ||||||
| Heald College Honolulu
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| Indiana | ||||||
| Kaplan College Indianapolis
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| Iowa | ||||||
| Vatterott College Des Moines
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| Maryland | ||||||
All State Career - Health Division Baltimore
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| Medix School Towson
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| Missouri | ||||||
| Concorde Career College Kansas City
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| Nebraska | ||||||
| Vatterott College Omaha
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| North Carolina | ||||||
| Miller-Motte College Wilmington
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| Oregon | ||||||
Concorde Career College Portland
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Salary.com states the median salary to be $32,622 and the 75th percentile to be $35,666. 