The average salary for a dental assistant in New York is approximately $36,000 per year. This is on pace with the national averages so you’ll need to keep that in mind. A large part of your decision may rest on the area you’re going to be moving into or currently reside in.

After all, the cost of living in an urban center like New York will be a lot different than if you live in a smaller city like Albany.

Taking a Closer Look at the Figures

In 2011 there was quite a wide range between the minimum and maximum salaries. The minimum New York salary was $25,420 while the highest amount being paid to an assistant was $47,930.

The location where you’re practicing your career can play a factor in the amount of your take-home pay. For example, a dental assistant in Glen Falls or Albany can earn approximately $34,000 yearly while a Syracuse assistant would bring home an average of $30,000 per year.

Getting the Higher Pay

As with most other careers, the more experienced you are in the field the higher pay you can expect in general. As you put in your years and gather a higher level of experience you’ll either look for promotions within the dental clinic you’re currently working at or start putting out resumes to other offices.

If you’re working at a clinic that only has one dentist your career potential will probably be a lot more limited than it would be if you worked at a busy office that had five or more dentists. If you’re working in a hospital setting, the potential there is even higher.

Your pay will also be determined by your own personal skills. Some dental assistants end up working at the front office and hone their skills on dental charting and other administrative work while others work hands-on in the surgical room alongside a dental surgeon. The more skills you have to bring to the table the higher pay you should be able to command.

There are a lot of job opportunities available for dental assistants in New York right now and as a healthcare professional you can expect to find work quite easily. You just have to be prepared to walk out of school and then put in some time gaining experience before you can reach the higher wage levels.

Ken was not from a background where such things were pushed on him either. Ken was raised believing that he could be whatever he wanted to be when he grew up. Ken is now a dental assistant. He will tell you why.

How did you decide on dental assisting as your career?

KEN: Actually, for most of high school I believed that I was going to be a nurse. Working with people like that, and being part of alleviating suffering, or just helping somebody feel good, has always appealed to me. When I was a kid, and went to the doctor, there was a male nurse who I got to see once in awhile. I always thought that was really cool, and I started wanting to do that.

How was it, then, that your attention was turned to dental assisting?

KEN: Actually, I came across an article in the dentist’s waiting room about a male dental assistant. For some time I had entertained being a dentist too, just because it seemed like a really complex field, and so I thought it would always be interesting. The article made me see that being a dental assistant could fulfill a lot of the same career desires for me.

How did you decide to be a dental assistant instead of a dentist?

KEN: Being young, I was sort of intimidated by the commitment of the educational requirements to be a dentist, but I definitely felt that I had what it took to be a dental assistant, even though I chose it at a young age. It also seemed like an awesome way of finding out how much I liked being in dentistry. It was a win-win for me. I can always become a dentist, when I feel more ready to commit to the education.

How do you feel your experience differs from the female dental assistants’?

KEN: For one thing, I’m in an office with mostly females. I feel that my male presence is often appreciated because I often get asked to do things that the female dental assistants can’t easily get done. And even if sometimes it’s as simple as lifting or reaching something, I do feel valued, which is one of the best parts of any job.

Also, I get the feeling that I may contribute to a fun office environment. The coworkers seem to like joking around with me, and since the dentist is male, he often joins in as if he and I were a team. It helps make it fun to go to work.

Do the patients treat you differently?

KEN: I may get treated a little bit differently, but definitely not in any negative way. I can sometimes see a slight reaction initially, but it has never felt bad. I’m always received well. Kids are the least likely to show any reaction. I suppose because they don’t have preconceived notions about gender roles. Sometimes I feel the most popular with the kids, though I’m not really sure why.

It sounds like your experience with being a male dental assistant is very positive!

KEN: Absolutely! Choosing a college that worked around my life was much easier than I could have expected. I didn’t have to stop living just because I was in school. I was able to fit in everything that was important to me while building my career as a dental assistant.

What was it like finding employment?

KEN: I had no problem finding a job, and I was happy with the first one I got. I have been at the same office for nine years, and just recently started thinking about furthering my career. I’d like to get more specialized in a particular area. Either that, or I will go ahead and become a dentist. I just very happy about the choices I have opened up for myself in becoming a dental assistant.

Thank you, Ken, for sharing your experience and perspective as a male dental assistant, and congratulations on finding a career that is meeting your needs and expectations!

She believes that the dental assistant was the hero of the dental office. Nancy offered her reflections on how much she valued and appreciated the parts played by the dental assistant that she came to know well.

Nancy had grown up with an older sister working as a dental assistant, and so was aware of the endless reasons to take good care of her children’s teeth and oral health. It took her no time at all to see that the trained dental assistants were those who greased the wheels of a smoothly running dental office. The dental assistant was always the one putting the special touches into every visit and making people happy to return.

Their dental assistant, Libby, was the one who brought everybody to ease; she was the one who was great with the children, and used her people skills and common sense in making the kids feel safe and alleviating fears. She had a great disposition.

Her friendliness and ability to make anything seem fun went a long way in making the young patients feel both important and comfortable. Nancy said it also went far in putting her own anxieties to rest, about what her child needed to endure on any given day.

Whether it was through distraction, when the kids were very young, or well-placed humor for the older ones, It was easy to see that Libby was a professional dental assistant, with the ability to relax anybody who was about to be seen by a dentist. She was the soft one; the kind one who took extra time in exploring what was needed in order for the patient (and their mom) to be at the optimum comfort level for any procedure coming.

Nancy came to realize that it was the dental assistants that set the dentist up for success.

Fortunately, Nancy was able to witness that the doctor did, indeed, realize the value of his dental assistant, and it showed through his respect for Libby. For that reason, Nancy felt even more safe with the dentist. It was a perfect scenario for a blooming dental business.

A wise dentist will strive for great camaraderie with his dental assistants, being well aware of the relief that his or her skills provide. The ease seen in the doctor and dental assistant rapport was priceless in making Nancy feel that both she and her children were in great hands.

Since Libby prepped patients for their procedure, it gave her time to answer questions and concerns, and, at times, even discern unspoken fears. As a well-trained dental assistant, she had obviously developed a keen sense of individual needs and had become adept at alleviating anxieties and staving off potential drama resulting from unnecessary surprises manifesting.

She was informative, compassionate and responsive to the individual patient’s needs. She saw to it that the doctor knew any particular fears or problems so that he or she could be sensitive to them as well.

Being one who would usually do follow-up calls to see how the patient was recovering from a procedure, or handling a new adjustment, Libby’s care went a long way in keeping a place in the hearts of those she came in contact with through her career in dental assisting.

It truly caused Nancy to reflect on how rewarding it must be to have a dental assisting career, and has found herself to be an advocate of choosing a career in dental assisting.

Dear in the Patient’s Hearts

This was an account of how one mother immensely appreciated and respected the role of a conscientious dental assistant. Even though her children are now adults, there are times that they reminisce about how they loved Libby and all of her ways of making trips to the dentist office so easy and even fun.

All of Nancy’s adult children have healthy, positive attitudes about dental care, and she attributes it entirely to having years with a great dental assistant.

Nancy’s final words on the subject were, “Without a doubt, our dental assistant was the hero in our dental office. I would be proud to have a dental assisting career and I may still do it. I definitely recommend it for anybody who wishes for a career with meaning.”

She says, if you are a compassionate people-person who truly cares about others and is interested in making a huge difference in other’s lives, a career in dental assisting should be at the top of your list of considerations. It is now easily attainable for you with most colleges offering excellent programs to fit any needs. Hopefully you will make the right decision while dental assisting is in the height of its growth.

Right now, it is yours for the taking.

Fortunately, your dental assisting career is part of the enormous scope of dentistry-related jobs, so there is a bounty of choices available from which you can make your selection. Working as a chair side dental assistant provides immeasurable knowledge of the world of dentistry that may be taken advantage of when you desire to redirect your focus.

Your experience of being chair side will cement your expert knowledge of dentistry terms, a vocabulary that would be a necessity to have in any other aspect of dentistry-related jobs. The capacity of chair side dental assisting will expose you to the hands-on, exact knowledge of what, in fact, takes place in most dental procedures.

You will experience it with your own eyes and it becomes a part of you as the true grasp enriches your understanding of the field of dentistry. That experience alone could easily qualify you for other positions. Since dental assistants record so much of what takes place to be passed onto billing, an awareness of billing procedures would naturally occur.

Now that codes are generally used in your reports, becoming familiar with them would be equally likely. Also, dental assistants are often in charge of supplies, acclimating them to the physical needs of a dentist’s office.

The bottom line is, it makes complete sense that your experience as a dental assistant, regardless of the exact position, will bring you a comprehensive understanding of the dental field.

Such knowledge can easily qualify you for alternative lateral moves simply for the sake of keeping your career fresh and anew. And it would behoove a dentist to consider you as an excellent candidate for administrative positions if that has become a change you desire.

To What Kind of Jobs Might You Move?

If you read our article “An Interview With a Dental Assistant” you would see that some dental offices have, as a part of their employment and staffing procedures, a cross training program. This is a wise move, enabling dental assistants to obtain a richer understanding of the goals and objectives that exist throughout the dental office.

In such an environment a dental assistant becomes privy to procedures within the administrative field, including billing practices, policies and dealings with the insured and uninsured. With such a course of action, a dental assisting job could easily transform into an administrative position if desired.

Boldly Go

Take the initiative in interviews for dental assisting jobs to ask about advancement opportunities and express that you may have such aspirations in the years to come.

That will let your employer know that you are one who plans to stick around, as well as showing yourself to be an ambitious employee who prefers to be forward moving; not one to become stagnant and apathetic in their performance.

Consider the benefits in communicating your goals and aspirations during an interview, but be sure to temper it with the appropriate appreciation for and dedication to the position being offered to you presently. You merely want to plant the seed that you will be one who reaches out for quality in your career.

Further Education

We are living in a time when people commonly take classes, while working and gaining experience within their field, in order to qualify for advancement.

If you are serious about reaching out into other areas, then continuing your education is most likely for you. Not only is that a very wise move on your part, many employers offer repayment plans for those willing to stay abreast with new information.

Since you are moving into the dental assisting field at this time, during its unprecedented growth spurt, you possess more options than average. Don’t hesitate to ask about educational programs offered at the facility in which you are interviewing.

Even if the answer is not currently affirmative, expressing interest may nudge an employer to consider it as part of their future agenda.

With whatever qualifications you shoot for currently, while being educated anyway, you may as well educate yourself on logical steps forward within the dental assisting field. Take advantage of counselors who can point you in the direction of easily obtainable opportunities for advancement.

Perhaps just another couple courses, taken now or later on, will gain you access into another facet of your expertise. During interaction with professors, ask them for information and direction about advancements as well. They may bring different knowledge and perspectives than your advisement counselor provides.

A World Waiting For You

There are just a few things you need to know to begin reaching for the intriguing opportunities that the dental assisting career brings. It’s easy to get started.

Dental assistant colleges want you now and look to accommodate you, your schedule, and your needs. You will easily find a college with classes beginning soon, and, of course, there is no time like the present!

Financial aid is abundant. Start enrollment processes today and begin your journey to the career you know you deserve!

Yet we still might know that it is something we want in a college offering dental assistant training.

The definition of the word “accredit” found at dictionary.com says, “to certify (a school or college) as meeting all formal official requirements of academic excellence, curriculum, facilities, etc.”

So, a college that is accredited has voluntarily been accessed to prove that they meet significant standards of academic excellence as well as notable prominence throughout the rest of the range of services they offer.

Who Decides If a College Can Be Accredited?

Have you ever wondered how a college receives the status of accreditation?

From country to country, accreditation standards vary, but assuming you are searching for an accredited dental assisting college in the U.S., a look at how it is done here is appropriate.

The United States government does not directly accredit colleges although The Secretary of Education deems agencies equipped to do the job – there are six regional agencies throughout the country that are responsible for giving accreditation.

So, even though accreditation is not done directly by the government, they appoint the agencies that will  – the Secretary of Education has the legal responsibility of publishing the list of the agencies that do accredit colleges for your dental assistant education, and also offers a database of all legally accredited schools and colleges in the United States.

If, for any reason, you feel compelled to verify the accreditation of a college you are considering, you will easily find your answers by utilizing your favorite search engine. The bottom line is, it will behoove you to choose an accredited college.

Willingness To Offer Information & Answer Your Questions

Having an idea of any particular area of dental assisting that you would prefer to specialize in is beneficial, but not a necessity.

Counselors should be informational and eager to help you decide if you fit best into a generalized dental assistant program or one that targets a specific variety of training.

You are the one shopping to find the right dental assistant college for you. Well-trained intake counselors should be readily available to you, with answers to your questions and any information needed to address concerns that arise.

They want your business, so shop for a school that shows that they do.

Remember, you are the consumer, looking to make an investment through becoming educated for a career in dental assisting – a college is an educational institution, certainly, but they also want your business, and you should feel like a valued customer in all their dealings with you.

Online and On-Campus Choices

There is no need for worry about finding a dental assisting college that can provide you with the curriculum that you need; that’s the easy part. But you have exciting choices to make.

You decide if it is best for you to get in your car and show up for a face-to-face learning experience, or if meeting your requirements from home, in your pajamas, if you choose, sounds more like your style – there is much to be appreciated in either online or on-campus settings. The quality of the experiences and information that you will obtain can realistically be considered equal.

Whether you choose the online or on-campus setting is simply and individual choice that you make after weighing what each one brings.

Comparing Campus Experiences to Online Learning

Campus: When you choose a campus environment for your training as a dental assistant, you meet face-to-face with your instructor.

Online: If you are a student online you will find that instructors are committed to their communication with you, often providing numerous means for contact and what to expect in the turn-around time for answering you.

Campus: When you choose on-campus classes, you meet and interact with the other classmates, are able to get others’ take on information presented, and chances to help each other.

Online: Most online classes require interaction with each other by means of a discussion board where students exchange ideas, comments, and questions through posting. These discussion boards are valuable in providing an avenue for students to enhance the experience for each other.

Campus: Professors often provide visual aids and lectures that can assist you in understanding the covered material.

Online: Professors of online studies provide methodically thorough instructions as well as media links (audio and video) to enhance your learning experience.

Campus: Some students acknowledge that they need the added commitment of physically showing up at a given time in order to stay abreast with deadlines or goals. They feel that they know themselves well enough to determine that the campus experience is necessary for their success.

They believe that they can commit to being present at the designated time and place, and that the logistics of attending class are doable for them. They plan to take advantage of on-campus child care options. They believe that the campus experience will bring the enrichment they desire.

Online: Others are confident about their own time management and commitment to their education and want to be free from day to day to choose which hours they dedicate to that goals.

The online student chooses the flexibility of receiving instruction in the wee hours of the morning or by burning the midnight oil. They benefit from wear and tear on the car and saving gas.

They also choose to fulfill their scholastic commitment during hours that their children are asleep or at school, or simply when they can find time to focus. The online student is committed to a more independent learning style.

How Are Labs and Exams Handled Online?

All common varieties of testing are utilized through online courses – multiple-choice questions, true and false, matching, short answer, and essays may be encountered in an online class.

Most online classes provide the means to fulfill quiz, test, and exam requirements through the learning website utilized at the particular college.

Occasionally a professor will require a trip to campus for an exam or final, but that is more the exception than the norm. If that ever is required, a student is notified well in advance (usually, weeks) to make arrangements to attend, and generally several allotted time options are available.

Yes, online courses with labs have been perfected too – for instance: in a biology class that entails a lab, the instructor gives you the details for obtaining a lab kit.

The kit provides you with necessary materials needed to complete your experiments. A submission may be made through photographs of different stages of your project or in another way the professor chooses.

Having Your Cake and Eating It Too!

You don’t even need to be committed to all online or all on-campus education for your dental assistant training! Many have found their optimum experience in utilizing both.

Colleges are incredibly ready to provide you with the help to get started, including help with financial aid – you may qualify for Pell Grants, (that are not paid back) or student loans, if you wish.

Either way, getting educated to become a dental assistant has been so simplified for you that you can easily get started today. You know your options. A large portion of your work is now behind you. Sign up today and move into making your dental assisting career a reality!

What was the most rewarding part of your being a dental assistant?

Jeanne: Working with people. Teaching them things about their teeth, their care and easing their fears (many people fear dentistry), and at times even helping them to understand their insurance and how they could afford the dental care that they needed.

What were the most interesting parts of that position?

Jeanne: Working with people, the different people you encounter, people from all walks of life and people of all ages. The variety of people coming through the office certainly kept things interesting and each day was a new experience.

Were there patients that you got to know well because they were there a lot? And, if so, what was the circumstance that made them a frequent visitor?

Jeanne: I’ll answer this in parts:

The most frequent patients were those with orthodontics, in other words braces and removable appliances, because adjustments and checks had to be made frequently. Also, it was necessary to monitor that the progress we were reaching for was moving along as nicely as had hoped.

Frequent visitors were also ones who had problems with their bite (like recurring jaw pain associated with overbites and under bites, etc.). These people were often wearing appliances that needed adjustment until they were just right for their optimum level of comfort.

Another type of frequent or regular patient was the ones with periodontal (gum) problems. They were usually much more often than the once a year or every six months patients. Some patients needed to be seen every three or four months in order to keep up proper care.

Do you remember how it was that you transitioned into the administration side of the business?

Jeanne: In the office where I was employed, it was required to work in both areas when I first started. We would work as a chair side assistant with each doctor in a rotation schedule and then a rotation in the office. The plan helped one to know all aspects of patient care and enabled us to keep a well-balanced understanding of the big picture.

Doing that made us more informed, and ready to be more thorough in answering questions and concerns of all the individual patients.

Will you comment, in your words, as to how your experience as a chair side assistant made you qualify in easily moving into your next position?

Jeanne: Knowing the clinical side, the common problems and treatments, made it easier to explain a patients treatment plan and how and why their work is being done in a specific order (perhaps one side at a time or three or four settings). Also, you already know the “language” of dentistry, so you learned to break down the information they wanted and needed to know, and the most effective way of addressing their concerns.

Sitting in the dental chair (with your mouth open) while hearing what is being said, doesn’t always sink in at that moment and questions arise later. We dental assistants, both chair side and ones at a desk, were generally the ones following up with the information and education that the patient needed.

All of those experiences caused us to be well equipped to cover administrative duties with a much better understanding than if we had never been chair side. I was very thankful for having the experience of both. I went into the administrative end with well above average strength and knowledge of the business than somebody hired of the street would have had.

Can you make any comments on the way dental assistants made experiences better when you took your own kids to the dentist? Did you have a favorite, or one that stood out in that period of time?

Jeanne: My children started getting to know dental assistants as toddlers since I worked in the business. First it was just about “counting the teeth” and getting to know the assistants and the dental chair without any trauma. Then, in time, they knew them and had no problem relaxing with them, and feeling safe with them as other needs arose.

Yes, there were favorites and they still work there, over 20 years later, so there are favorites for many reasons and in many different ways. In fact, the dental assistant who I see regularly has been there about 40 years.

Do you feel that dental assisting brought you the fulfillment and respect that you would hope for in a career? And how did you feel about the dentists you worded for and their attitude toward their dental assistants?

Jeanne: Dental assisting was a career that always made me feel good. The patients were normally very kind and thankful. We were treated well as employees, too, so it was a pleasant office environment. Many people leave a dentist office feeling happy about having a problem or situation resolved and you get to experience that with them.

Dentists really value the help that dental assistants give them and it shows in their attitude. Most of the time the dentists treated us like we were equal members of a team. I always felt respected and appreciated.

We are thankful to Jeanne for giving us a glimpse into the career of dental assisting.

Dental assisting career choices are still expanding, leaving many positions to be filled in the near future. Colleges are eager to bring you on board and work with you in finding the schedule that is perfect for you. Your new future is a decision away.

You can make that decision today by determining which college has the specifications that you desire to build the dental assisting career you desire. You can do that right now.

Before you know it you will be sitting chair side in a dental office remembering this day; the day you felt a little nervous about taking that first, exciting step. The first step is what you can easily get done today, and then you are on your way to your new career in as a dental assistant!

There are females working as pilots and mail carriers and males working as nurses and secretaries. Yes, of course, there are also male dental assistants!

Thankfully, we live in a time where gender boundaries in career choices are melting away. Finally, society is shedding the stereotypes of male or female career roles.

If you do not already know a male dental assistant, or if you haven’t seen men working as dental assistants for yourself, ask around; you will likely hear from one of your friends that they have.

Dental Assistance – A Well Rounded Choice

It makes sense that males would make great dental assistants. It is a career with a wide range of opportunities, varying positions, and personal rewards to be enjoyed.

Albeit society as a whole is still coming around to the idea of admitting that men have feelings too, most of understand that guys also find satisfaction in jobs where they can make a real difference in others’ lives.

Dental assisting is certainly a career where that contentment and employment can be found regardless of gender.

Keeping With the Times

Dental assisting was a difficult field for women to break into in the first place. It was not considered woman’s work at all! Women were not thought to be tough enough for the tasks at hand.

The reasons it temporarily gravitated toward a female-dominate profession are many, and it is not likely they can all be counted, let alone analyzed. But that point is nearly moot now, because such gender lines are diminishing about as quickly as we can have a conversation about them.

Wherever there are teeth, there are needs for dentistry. Where there is dentistry there is the need for dental assistants, male or female. Needless to say, as growing awareness about the importance of oral and dental care rises, the opportunities stay many for those seeking careers as dental assistants.

Professionals who are conscious of the trends know that it is necessary that they do not appear to be stuck in the dark ages. As part of an employer’s need to be mindful of hiring with fairness and equality, they know that it behooves them to keep a good balance in staffing men and women.

It can’t be just talk, they must walk the walk and strive for a gender-balanced staff that does not put off societal expectations!

Further Exciting Careers For Dental Assistance

Don’t forget that not all dental assistants spend their career chair side; there is a world of dental assisting options behind the scenes as well.

Many educated and specially trained dental assistants are used in other capacities that are as well very rewarding. Government agencies and hospitals are among the variety of establishments that often have dental assistants on staff.

Few, if any of us, have not heard of Doctors Without Boarders, but dentists? Yes, by way of your favorite search engine you can see that there exists Dentists Without Boarders.

So for those looking for even more adventure in their career, dental assisting for Dentists Without Borders may be for you.

Dentists are in all branches of the military, where the gender majority is obviously still male. The dentist office doesn’t shut down because they need a lady in there.

Male dental assisting has been utilized for many years. Male or female, a career in dental assisting through the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines can be added to the list of possibilities.

If you are a man, and you are reading this, you may even have an added benefit. It is human nature to find refreshment in change, and the traits that you bring could be exactly what an employer is searching for, putting you in the #1 position for being hired.

There are a plethora of options for education and training, and colleges are eager to have you too! You can, without doubt, find the program to fit your current situation – male or female, a career in dental assisting is a wise choice! See for yourself – apply for classes today.

Depending on the office where they are employed, how established and well staffed it is, you may find some overlap in background duties, but they are definitely two distinct careers.

Dental Hygienists

The specialty of the dental hygienist is contained right within their title: hygiene – all of the dental hygienists attention is directed to either the health or cleanliness of the teeth, gums, and all of the mouth.

Unless the dental office is lacking its full staff, and must borrow a dental hygienist to temporarily fill the shoes of a dental assistant, generally you will not see a hygienist sitting chair side for reasons other than related to their specialty.

Dental hygienists do things such as preliminary assessments of the overall condition of the mouth, teeth and gums. Prior to cleaning they are likely the one who will take x-rays, exposing them, and reading them prior to the doctor viewing them.

When dental hygienists look at x-rays they check for signs of problems occurring below the gum line that may be benefited or eliminated by early treatment. A dental hygienist may catch a fine crack or other problems needing attention. He or she may be the first to detect signs of decay in teeth, and determine some to be just beginning and others as needing immediate treatment.

A very important role of the dental hygienist is to do a preliminary check for signs of oral cancer. They have been specially trained to watch for certain indications that may need further examination.

In addition to that, it is their job to record the general health history of the patient to ascertain if any special precautions are appropriate.

The hygienist then cleans your teeth, removing tartar and plaque from the teeth and below the gum line. They also apply cavity-fighting agents such as fluoride and administer other sealants to teeth.

A dental hygienist also takes an active role in educating the patient on carrying on good dental practices at home, explaining proper brushing and flossing techniques and advising them on other ways of keeping their teeth and gums healthy.

A dental hygienist may also begin the process of applying local anesthetics and/or nitrous oxide, in preparation of a procedure done by the dentist, and only under the doctor’s supervision.

So, the dental hygienist is specially educated and trained in the realm of the physical health and preventive care of the teeth and mouth.

Although they work under the supervision of a dentist, and patients are examined after the cleaning and once the dentist reviews the dental hygienists findings, his or her job is not one geared to the great variety of duties of a dental assistant.

Your Dental Assistant’s Day

As a dental assistant, you may start your day by ensuring that all of the correct, sterilized trays of instruments are in proper order and ready for use. You may turn on certain dental equipment that needs to be ready for quick utilization.

Or, you may start your day by checking in deliveries from the lab and examining them to see if they look to be done according to specifications.

There may be some preparatory cleaning or polishing of certain dental appliances that will be delivered to the patient that day. It will be your job to see that those things are in order and ready upon that patient’s arrival. You will also help in minor adjustments at that time.

As a dental assistant you may be reviewing files of the scheduled patients to see if any circumstances outside of the ordinary are calling for extra preparation. Many health conditions require that large doses of antibiotics be taken prior to any dental procedures, (even before cleanings) such as certain heart conditions, organ transplant recipients or those with joint replacements.

A dental assistant makes sure that any patients who are more susceptible to infection or illness have been appropriately prepared prior to being seen.

Depending on how the office is staffed, you may call the patient and lead them to be seated where they will see the doctor. It is the dental assistant’s job to find out how the patient is presently feeling, their pain or comfort level, and their emotional state, to some degree, because it is important to know if they are in a state of fear or anxiety about an impending procedure.

A well-trained dental assistant will make the dentist aware of the patient’s fears or concerns.

A dental assistant is trained to be helpful for those who are worried and can often make a great difference in how a dental procedure may be experienced or perceived.

This is not saying that a dental assistant is a licensed psychotherapist, of course, but you will be instructed in how to speak with and help calm the nervous ones, even if by giving them supportive explanations that may quell their fears, or allowing them to feel that you understand.

In time, you, as a dental assistant, will be the proverbial “right arm” of the dentist, anticipating the doctor’s next step and the needs that it brings.

You are the one who gets to close out much of the dentist’s interaction with the patient, leaving you to be the one who gives post procedure instruction and care.

You will make appropriate notes in their files and may very well be the person who will call them the next day, or whenever appropriate, to see that they are doing well.

Certain Specializations

As a dental assistant, you may have chosen a more specialized route, enabling you to find employment with a lab that makes dental appliances, utilizing your skills at a hospital, or assisting in an office of cosmetic dentistry. The world of dental assisting is one of great diversity.

You get to choose the level of your responsibility through the education and training that you select. The world of dental assisting offers great variety and you have the ability to determine which area you would be most happy in, and making it happen.

Making It Happen

Sure, people go around all of the time saying, “This is the perfect time for me to further my education and make a career change.” No, not so much, right?

But results-oriented people know that a little sacrifice in the now can make the future a much better place. There are groundbreaking opportunities available right now to make it easy to move in the direction of your choice.

Colleges are not exempt from the supply and demand theory. With so many people searching for education to enhance career versatility, there are many more colleges available to meet those needs. With all of the different colleges now, online or on campus, there is certainly one that you can take advantage of starting today.

Dental assisting is still in the middle of an unprecedented job growth-spurt – one day, those jobs will likely get filled and it will level out, but now is not too late for you.

Now is the perfect time to get started.

There are people who look out the window, see great weather, and go take advantage of it. Then there are people who just keep looking out the window until the rain comes, and then wish they had gotten out while it was beautiful.

Don’t be the one stuck looking out the window. Get out and enjoy! Take advantage of the opportunities today.

#1 – Job Availability

Since we are looking at some very basic, common sense issues about dental careers, it is important that we list job availability in the top priorities. It wouldn’t make much sense to get excited about a career in which we could not find work, but the great news is that it should not be the case in dental assisting; especially if you act now!

In a sister article it was mentioned that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and its Occupational Outlook Handbook (¹) it is projected that between the years of 2008 and 2018 a dramatic 36% increase will take place in dental assisting jobs!

With that phenomenal leap being forecasted it is not unrealistic to count on obtaining a job in dental assisting with the proper education and training, and doing it right now.

With a dental assistant career being determined as a practical pursuit, our attention can now go to what we want to come of that; an income.

#2 – Making Money

Although there are many motivations for career choices, by and large, it is to generate income. The same is surely true of those seeking a dental assistant career. That’s just realistic in our world. Short of being born a trust fund baby, and not that there is anything wrong with that!

Most people work to get paid, first and foremost, and while we want many other aspects of our job to be ones that we love, we know that income is very high on the list of criteria for enjoying a well-rounded career.

Throughout the other articles available it is obvious that those seeking a dental assistant job can have reasonable faith that they are capable of making a respectable income. Though many different sources are available to explore, the numbers are overall encouraging.

Individuals have many ways of enhancing the probabilities of higher incomes by the choices they make in education.

A dental assistant career choice has a wide range of options to choose from to become specialized in a specific service. It is good to explore the market in your locale or particular setting in which you wish to work: Do you live in a small community or a vast metropolis? Are you in areas of the country, like New York or California, where cosmetic dentistry may be called for more than average?

If you live in an area that is known to attract retirees, you may choose to become specialized in services that are normally performed for those in their later life. It is likely that there would be dentists targeting that age group for their business to grow successfully. You may secure your position as a dental assistant by getting extra training in such a field.

You may live in a suburban area that you know is heavily populated by people with growing families. Perhaps specializing in an area directed to the needs of pediatric dentistry or orthodontics feels like the right road for you to take to ensure a good income.

In any case, it would behoove you to give serious consideration to areas of specialization, because, as you know, the financial world tends to balance itself on supply and demand. If your training makes you a hot commodity in your community the chance of you getting and retaining a dental assistant job is greatly enhanced.

And if you should choose a specialization, you will have secured for yourself extra leverage in negotiations regarding salary, schedules, promotions, benefits, or whatever other options there are where bargaining power is a plus.

#3 – Challenging and Interesting work

A great balance of having challenging and interesting work is generally sought after in the consideration of career choices. It is simply another one of those desires that come along with being human, so we will be benefitted in the long run to give it serious thought today.

A mundane job makes days feel endless and provides nothing extra in the motivation to get up and go to work each day. Dental careers, especially with ample education and training, need not ever fall into that category.

On the contrary, there is little reason to be concerned that you would ever find your job lacking significance, as dental assistants are providing a valuable service to both doctors and patients.

You can make it what you want it to be by your education choices, but besides opting for specialized training for enhanced skills, the dental assisting world brings an array of interesting duties all on its own.

Sitting chair side with the dentist creates situations where no two are exactly alike. Each person’s situations will bring different challenges and opportunities for experiences that are far from dull.

As broadly different as individuals are, so can be the interaction with each one of the patients. And no dentist possesses enough hands to do his or her job alone, so your presence is always greatly needed and useful.

As the person who will be at the hub of activity in an office, your knowledge will be used in many peripheral forms. Some weeks you may be involved in the in inventory or ordering supplies. Your services are often needed in greeting patients or calling them to see how they are getting along after procedures are performed. You may take calls from patients with follow-up questions.

You will likely be called upon for some lab related activity, in the fitting, cleaning, or adjustment of dental appliances. While these duties are quite different from direct patient interaction, such tasks can provide a refreshing balance in overall responsibilities, keeping job satisfaction at its best.

It is highly doubtful that all of those activities and the many more done by dental assistants can be practiced each and every day, so it is easy to see that the job will be one of a very nice variety of daily activities. That is why you can look forward to work that is unlikely to run out of appealing and rewarding experiences.

If you should get all of your dental assistant skills so sharply honed that you are looking for additional challenges, that’s okay. There is good news in that arena too.

#4 – Options For Advancement

Another wonderful perk of dental assisting careers is the many options for career advancements or even attractive lateral moves. You can always strive for additional knowledge or experience to create a specialization that will bring you into a different aspect of your field.

So, if you are doing a lot of chair side assisting but your interest in lab-related work is growing, or vise versa, you can reach for those changes by verbal requests, excelling in those tasks, or both.

You may have had a general education in dental assisting that leaves you equally qualified throughout a dental office. The dental office can enable you to settle into the specific trade that you mainly enjoy or are the most comfortable with.

That flexibility does not exist in many settings, so this is a true plus when choosing your career – advancements within dental careers are also plentiful.

For instance; a person who has largely done chair side assisting for years can become greatly knowledgeable in the language of dentistry and so become qualified to move into the business end of the office – going into an office position can also be the stepping-stone to management.

A dental assisting career opens up many ways to keep jobs interesting and forward-moving. It is easily feasible to maneuver your own flexibilities in the world of dental assisting.

#5 – The Intangible Rewards

While job availability, salary, interesting work and advancements are extremely important parts in building a great career, one aspect that people often find themselves sacrificing is true fulfillment.

The above perks of a job can be used to describe many types of employment, but the heartfelt satisfaction that comes from touching lives positively are not always so present or obvious in many jobs.

For instance, a construction worker, a billing agent, a weather person, a window washer, a research scientist or a civil engineer may be able to say all of those things about their jobs, and be very fulfilled by their work, but might rarely feel the personal side of seeing the smile on somebody’s face because of what they do.

A dental assistant is likely to see the results of their labor every day. It is the dental assistant that normally takes a patient under their wing, gathers the facts and concerns of the patient, makes sure the doctor knows their needs, and can even literally speak for them while their mouth is wide open.

A dental assistant may greet a patient, see that they are uncomfortable, either due to pain or anxiety, and make a world of difference to their experience by treating the person with compassion and empathy, or soothing them with explanations.

They are the go-to person from the side of both the doctor and the patient, the ambassador for both, which can mean their being the one deemed the hero of the hour.

The dental assistant gets to walk the patient back out, normally seeing the other side of the harrowing experience; the relief, their smiles and appreciation for getting through what could have been a difficult or fearful experience.

Patients often express their thanks in words to the dental assistant, for their being so gentle and understanding – there are plenty of those deeply satisfying moments for those who have chosen dental assisting as their career.

No Need To Delay

Now that we have visited five extraordinary reasons to choose a dental assisting career, the only other thing to do is get started. Classes are available to meet virtually any situation, any schedule, and any present income.

One year from now you could be asking yourself why you delayed, or one year from now you can be patting yourself on the back for taking such a wise step.

Whether it is because your present situation is proving to be at a stall, a dead end, lacking in satisfaction or job security, low income, or you just want to try something new, there are many good reasons to move forward into the career of dental assistance.

You have the power to choose a career with very positive perks; from the likelihood of available openings with interesting and fulfilling work, to respectable incomes with the mobility of change and advancements.

It has been made easy for you by the many options available to you for education and training – you have the power to turn yourself onto that road this very day.

You probably even have a pretty good idea of how those different levels of proficiency can affect your range of potential income as well as provide you with the comfortable level of challenge that you will be happy with.

Now you know that you want to become a dental assistant, and you certainly have questions that need to be answered. So, first you will want to find out how to become a dental assistant.

You Hold The Power

Don’t forget for one moment that there are a plethora of options available to you. You know what you need to take hold of the best decisions for your life style. You know how it needs to fit into your schedule.

By now, you probably know if you want to do it mainly through online courses or in the classroom at a college, or how much of each. That’s good, because now you get to choose the route you want to take to become a dental assistant.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Dental Assist?

This is one of those questions that we wish we could just have a cut-and-dried, straight answer to, but remember, you have so many options, and for each different choice you may make there are different answers to that question.

But the process of finding out the answer to the questions of how to become a dental assistant or how long does it take to become a dental assistant should not be like trying to pull teeth. That’s the dentist’s job.

The Quick, General Answer

Once you decide which area of expertise you would like to concentrate on you can begin getting your answers. In general, though, and depending on your focus, one might say that 9 months is a decent ballpark average in which you can become a certified dental assistant.

You may be choosing an associates degree in a more specific field though, which means that you could be looking at closer to two years, depending on the level of commitment you are able to make

Take into consideration, too, that there are many colleges offering accelerated programs, so if you feel comfortable with the minimum education required or the quickest route, you can also finish your schooling in less time.

As you make your decision just keep in mind the likelihood of more education and training qualifying you for a higher salary and more job flexibility.

Variations From State To State

This news is both exciting and surprising, and also explains why one can’t simply say it will take you exactly this or that many weeks, months or years to become a dental assistant.

A large factor in your decision of how far to take your education may also be influenced by the different dental assistant titles from one state to the next and how much dental assisting flexibility you can participate in a given state by law.

So, in a small recap now; you know what you want to do, you know what type of educational structure is going to fit best into your current lifestyle and present obligations, and now you will find out what is available to for you to achieve within the state you will be launching your career.

Your next step is to find out the legal minimum requirements that are in place for your state. More importantly, you will seek out how high you can reach in your dental assisting career. That’s where are you now.

It’s time to explore an array of achievements that you may be able to reach for in your locale and, thankfully, you will find a choice of many colleges to help you answer those questions.

Choosing Your Education By Choosing Your Expertise

Depending on your state, you may be able to become a trained and certified dental assistant or one who reaches for more specialized training that will make you a more appealing candidate for employment.

One qualifying criterion often required by dentists is the ability to perform coronal polishing procedures (the cleaning and polishing of crowns), as it frees up much more time for the doctor.

A highly sought after level of dental assisting is to be qualified in restorative functions. This is a broad term that enables many different tasks and duties, but closely referring to saving teeth through fillings, crowns, root canals and the like.

Restoration procedures are touched upon in any dental assistant college, as is coronal polishing training, but many dentists seek out assistants with a higher level of expertise and certified qualifications.

A certificate in radiologic proficiency may be required. Basic knowledge of radiology will always be taught to a dental assistant in training but within specific fields further knowledge and adeptness in radiology are preferred, if not insisted upon. Making oneself stand out usually equals more opportunity and more pay.

You may find that your passion lies in working in the orthodontic environment. Many choose orthodontics because of the job fulfillment of participating in helping others feel better about his or herself through improving their appearance.

If that is your case, it would behoove you to opt for some specialized training at a school that will your enhance your opportunity to be hired within that very interesting field.

Speaking of the fun of helping others to feel better by looking better, you may choose to take the necessary training to do the teeth whitening at your dental office. This is not allowed in all states yet, but is likely to become more commonplace as the dental assistants are allowed to take on more responsibility under the doctor’s supervision.

With the spike expected in available dental assisting jobs it would not be surprising if that is a task that became one commonly done by a dental assistant.

More Specialization To Consider

It is incredible to see all of the extraordinary specializations possible within the field of dental assisting and it is exciting to know that there are colleges for dental assistants to become well-trained for each one of them. We will consider just a few more, very fascinating options.

An area of expertise that you may want to consider is dental sedation. The ability to share some of the responsibility of anesthesia with the dentist during delicate procedures, monitoring the administration of nitrous oxide, among other things, is a wonderful asset.

Monitoring anesthesia is a weighty responsibility and your abilities might easily put you at the top of the list of his or her potential employees.

The same could be said of the dental assistant specializing in fluoride administration. If this is an area that sounds attractive to you, make sure you find out early on in the interviewing process if the college you are considering for dental assistance training offers that specific instruction.

That goes for any distinctive branch of dental assisting you are likely to pursue.

It could be more your forte to be more involved in the restoration of teeth, meaning that you could be performing duties such as preliminary assessments of the oral condition, applying fissure and pit sealants, and more occupation in crown and bridge restoration.

If you can think of it, and it is allowable by law, there are appropriate dental assistant programs and colleges for it.

Words You Need To Remember

Choices, variety, action, ease, and timing are the concepts you should focus on now. (You will get to dental assisting terminology soon enough.) It is in your reach. Although there are many great colleges, some of the more reputable ones are known to have waiting lists, so don’t delay.

There are so many options available, you can practically mold your education around your lifestyle. You can count on a career that offers you remarkable variety, in areas of specialties and in the amount of hours you want to work.

If you find yourself dreaming of a new career, an increase in salary, job security, more fulfillment, challenge or appreciation, you are in luck. The timing is supreme for you to make it all happen to your liking, in your time frame and with your personal specifications.