What is a Certified Dental Assistant? What Do They Do?
Date: August 10, 2021
A certified dental assistant (CDA) fulfills essential dental and oral healthcare functions for dental practitioners and their patients. Dental assistants usually work with dental hygienists in dental offices under the direct supervision of dentists. Crucial to dental teams, dental assisting is a registered profession represented by the American Dental Assistants Association. Dental Assisting is a multifaceted role requiring a balance of skills including a basic understanding of the oral cavity, efficiency, and acumen in clerical duties, promoting oral health, hands-on practicality to assist dental teams, and a supportive personality to reassure patients.
Administrative tasks dental assistants perform include handling insurance, maintaining health records, scheduling appointments, and providing reminders and other information. They educate patients regarding oral hygiene techniques and advocate best practices for preventing disease and infection. They explain pre and post-care oral procedures to patients. They often serve as a dentist’s right arm cleaning teeth, developing X-rays, fabricating tooth impressions, and taking the blood pressure and pulse of patients. They routinely handle and sterilize instruments like suction devices, syringes, and saliva ejectors. Additionally, they convey information to patients and make them feel comfortable before, during, and after their appointments
How Does One Become a Dental Assistant?
Many states require dental assistants to graduate from an accredited program and pass an exam. Dental assisting programs are typically offered at community colleges, vocational schools, and technical schools. Many dental assisting programs take approximately a year or less to complete and lead to certification. Programs taking up to two years to complete are less common. While these may lead to an associate’s degree, a degree is not a prerequisite for the profession.1 “Accredited programs include classroom and laboratory work. Students learn about teeth, gums, jaws, and other areas that dentists work on and the instruments they use.”1
At Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, one may finish a certified dental assisting program in as little as eight months. The training introduces students to the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology, specifically as they relate to the oral cavity. Students are provided externships in affiliated medical facilities as a part of the program, gaining valuable hands-on experience.
What Does a Dental Assistant Make?
In May 2020, the median annual salary for dental assistants was $41,180 or $19.80 per hour, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $28,940. The highest 10 percent earned more than $58,390.1 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the “projected growth rate for the industry was seven percent from 2016 to 2026—faster than the average for all other occupations. Also, as dental care costs increase, dental assistants are needed to offset costs.”1 Further, according to the U.S. News Best Jobs, dental assisting received 14th place in overall job satisfaction for Best Jobs Without a College Degree and 15th place in Best Health Care Support Jobs.2 According to the same source, dental assisting has less than a 2.4 percent unemployment rate.
`Cut Your Teeth’ on This Profession
It appears there will likely be jobs in dental assisting for as long as there are teeth. So you may want to ‘cut your teeth’ on this profession sooner rather than later. Dental assisting can be a great career choice for friendly, driven individuals who want to work in healthcare settings. Providing a full range of opportunities, dental assisting allows one to `polish’ more than just teeth, but the ability to `polish’ one’s vocation too!
*32 approved instructional weeks.
Citations
1 ^a, b, c, d, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Dental Assistants, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-assistants.htm (visited May 10, 2021).
2 Graves, Jada. n.d. “U.S. News Best Jobs ‘Dental Assistant Overview.’” U.S. News.com. U.S. News. Accessed May 24, 2021. https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/dental-assistant.
