Dental Assistant – Help Make Those Pearly Whites Shine

Dental Assistants have a detail-oriented mindset that makes them very meticulous. They are interested in healthcare, they seem to have an innate desire to help other people, and they may enjoy volunteering in their spare time.

As a Medical Office Professional, you are an integral member of the healthcare team. Your organizational skills and clear understanding of medical and insurance coding terminology keeps your workplace running efficiently. You will mainly function in an administrative environment performing duties such as transcription, coding, billing, word processing, filing, and working with various medical office software packages.

At MediCollege you will receive “multi-tasking” training, which means you will be trained in both patient care and administrative capabilities.

What does a Dental Assistant do?

Dental assistants perform various patient care, office and laboratory duties in both small and large dental practices. They’re responsible for making patients as comfortable as possible, preparing them for treatment, and obtaining dental records. During a patient exam, dental assistants hand instruments and materials to dentists, and keep patients’ mouths clear by using suction or other devices.

They also sterilize instruments and equipment, prepare tray setups for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care. Some dental assistants prepare materials for making impressions and restorations, expose radiographs, and process dental x-ray film.

Dental Assistants may remove sutures, apply 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.

Those with laboratory duties make casts of the teeth and mouth from impressions taken by dentists, clean and polish removable appliances, and make temporary crowns. Dental assistants with office duties schedule and confirm appointments, receive patients, keep treatment records, send bills, receive payments, and order dental supplies.

What Does Our Dental Assistant Program Offer You?

• The fundamentals of dental x-ray
• Education in dental hygiene science
• Chair-side training with regard to dental equipment, instruments and tray set-ups
• Knowledge of proper laboratory procedures
• An introduction to dental health and preventative dentistry
• Externship in a dental facility
• Preparing medical charts and reports
• Medical correspondence from dictation

What Career Choices are Available to Graduates?

A career as a dental hygienist offers a wide range of challenging … In the dental office the dentist and the dental hygienist work together to meet the oral health needs of patients. Since each province has its own specific regulations regarding their responsibilities, the range of services performed by hygienists varies from province to province. Some of the services provided by dental hygienists may include:

1) Patient screening procedures, such as assessment of oral health conditions, reviewing of the health history, oral cancer screening, head and neck inspection, dental charting, taking blood pressure and pulse taking and developing dental radiographs (x-rays),

2) Removing calculus and plaque, (hard and soft deposits) from all surfaces of the teeth, applying preventive materials to the teeth (e.g.. sealants and fluorides),

3) Teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health, (e.g. toothbrushing, flossing and nutritional counseling)

4) Counseling patients regarding good nutrition and its impact on oral health,

5) Making impressions of patient’s teeth for study tests (models of teeth used by dentists to evaluate patient treatment needs) and

6) Performing documentation and office management activities.

The range of services provided by a dental hygienist varies from province to province. Responsibilities generally include removing deposits from teeth and providing oral health education.

Are There Really Jobs Available For Me?

We could tell you… “Absolutely.” But, what we prefer to do is to encourage you to do the research yourself. Get a copy of your local newspaper and read through the Healthcare job listings. Look for your potential job category and see for yourself how many great opportunities will be available to you when you complete your MediCollege training. Jump online and search some of the excellent job resource websites for opportunities in your field. The jobs are out there… so don’t wait any longer if you want to work in Healthcare. Come to MediCollege and we’ll prepare you quickly and thoroughly for your new career.

How Much Does It Cost?

We know how important this question is to most of you. We have found that our program costs may change slightly with each new session. For that reason, we are unable to provide cost information on our website. We are, however, very happy to discuss our current program costs with you personally. Please give us a call anytime. Just tell your campus representative that you have visited our website and would like information about our program.

If you have questions about financial aid, your representative will refer you to our excellent Financial Aid staff who are here specifically to help you fund your education.

You may Download Brochures or Register Here.

Credits can be transferred toward a UAMU Master Degree in Health Care Management at the link below.