Dental Assistant Job Description
Dental assistants support dental offices in providing the best care to their patients. They do this in several ways. Often, a dental assistant is responsible for performing office, lab, and patient care duties. This can include greeting patients when they walk through the door, sanitizing instruments, and maintaining the office’s inventory of needed supplies. Some dental assistants also take X-rays of patients’ teeth.
Dental assistants don’t usually need a college degree. However, they often do need to complete an accredited program in dental assisting. This typically involves completing coursework, taking exams, and finishing a certain amount of work hours.
Dental Assistant Job Description Template
Our dental office is looking for a skilled dental assistant to join our staff. In this role, you will be responsible for preparing patients to see our dentists. This may involve preparing treatment rooms, sterilizing dental instruments, and performing some basic dental hygiene tasks. You may also be asked to take X-rays of patients’ teeth as well.
To be considered for this role, you will need to have a certification in dental assisting from an accredited program. You should also have strong patient skills and the ability to work effectively with limited supervision. Our practice is a busy one, so you should also feel comfortable managing competing priorities in a fast-paced work environment. If you believe that you possess these qualities, we’d love to see your resume.
Dental Assistant Responsibilities:
- Prepare patients to be seen by our dentists
- Help us maintain a sterile work environment by sanitizing dental instruments
- Set up instrument trays, treatment materials, and assist in basic dental procedures
- Take X-rays of patients’ teeth
- Collect, record, and maintain the dental health records of our patients
- Order dental supplies as needed to maintain the office’s inventory
- Provide patients with information on dental hygiene and oral health
Dental Assistant Requirements:
- Certification from an accredited dental assistant program
- Dental X-ray certification
- A positive, upbeat attitude
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Basic computer literacy
- Professional appearance and demeanor
- Ability to provide patients with exceptional care
Dental Assistant FAQ
What tasks does a dental assistant do?
The main goal of a dental assistant is to help a dental office provide better care to its patients. A dental assistant may be asked to perform a variety of tasks in pursuit of that goal. For example, this could include performing X-rays, greeting patients, offering oral health advice, maintaining patients’ records, sterilizing office equipment, refilling supplies, and more.
Can I use your dental assistant job description template?
You can absolutely use our dental assistant job description template as you see fit. However, we don’t recommend copying it word-for-word. Instead, you want to make an effort to highlight the parts of your position that may be unique from others that applicants are considering. Tis is one of the most effective ways to drum up interest in your job and attract more of the candidates that have relevant skills and qualifications.
What should I include in my dental assistant job help-wanted ads?
You can simply follow the outline that we’ve shown above. Start with one or two opening paragraphs that describe your dental assistant job in general terms. This is your opportunity to get applicants interested in the job, so make sure that you use engaging, compelling language.
After that, you can move into sections that cover the responsibilities and requirements of the job. This is where you’ll provide applicants with all of the details of the position that you didn’t mention initially. After reading these sections, an applicant should have all of the information they need to identify whether your job is a good fit.
