With an increasing number of people facing dental problems, the demand for dental professionals has constantly been rising. One of the most popular dental positions is a dental assistant, which many students aspire to become. More and more dentists today are hiring dental assistants to help them with their growing dental facilities.
But, you must have wondered what a regular day for a full-time dental assistant looks like.
Below, we have talked about a day in the life of a dental assistant and their primary responsibilities!
Basic responsibilities of a dental assistant
You might have visited a dentist at least once in your life, and someone must have greeted you with a smile and walked you to the treatment room. Moreover, you must have found the room fully prepped and ready.
If so, you should thank your dental assistant for all this, who is an essential member of the dental practice. Their roles and responsibilities include:
- Providing dental care information to patients and answering their questions.
- Assisting the dentist during procedures, including sterilizing or positioning instruments and equipment.
- Assisting patients with insurance billing and payment issues.
- Readying treatment rooms and patients for appointments.
- Operating high-tech dental lab and diagnostic tools.
- Scheduling patient appointments and sending reminders.
A typical day for a dental assistant
Early Morning Start
A dental assistant’s day starts 30-45 minutes before the dentist’s office opens. First, they prepare the exam rooms for appointments, including:
● Reviewing the appointments for the day
● Getting patients records ready
● Sterilizing all dental instruments
● Ensuring that the procedure rooms are clean
They have to do all this before the first patient of the day arrives. Since if the room and instruments are not ready, the appointments can get delayed, disturbing the workflow for the entire day.
Mid-morning
They greet patients and escort them to the specified room, help them settle, put on their patient bib, and inquire about their medical history to update the records.
During the procedure, they may have to assist the dentist or hygienist. They would have to keep the patient’s mouth clean and dry using a suction hose and hand instruments to the dentist.
After the treatment, they explain the details of dental care to the patient, inform them about their next appointment, and assist them with any payment questions.
Lunch Break
Dental assistants schedule lunches with the rest of the team. They provide extra help to the hygienist so that they also get a break, sterilize the instruments, and prepare patient rooms for the next appointment.
Midday
Taking X-rays of patients’ teeth is another essential aspect of a dental assistant’s daily duties. During midday, they usually take some x-rays and make patients feel comfortable throughout this process. They also inform the dentist that the x-rays are ready for review.
Late Afternoon
Throughout the afternoon, they continue assisting with patients’ appointments and procedures. They note down all the important things the dentist says, and the issues patients bring up.
Wrapping Up The Day
As the day comes to an end, they assist the front desk staff with things like:
- Coding insurance bills
- Contacting patients to confirm future appointments
- Processing the invoices and the payments
- Sending out reminder cards
- Finally, they conduct an office audit and restock supplies and office materials for the next day.
About Dental Career Services
Dental assistants are in demand across all dental facilities, being essential members of dental practice. At Dental Career Services, we offer first-class permanent dental recruitment and placement services. Our clients prefer to work with us as we provide them with the largest pool of candidates and the most qualified professionals in the dental industry. For more information, contact us at 972-746-6206 or fill out our contact form.
