What Are the Job Responsibilities of a Dental Assistant?

a dentist and dental assistant examining a male patient’s mouth during an appointment

Are you currently enrolled in a hands-on dental assisting school? Unsure exactly what you can expect to do on a daily basis as a dental assistant? You’re not alone. Fortunately, professional schools and ample training will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to understand and be ready for what life will be like working in a dental office. Read on to find out what job responsibilities fall under the title of “dental assistant” and why you can get excited about your future career.

Job Expectations: What You’ll Be Doing

While enrolled in dental assistant classes, you’ll learn everything from basic terminology to the different roles individuals play within a dental office to the types of duties you’ll be expected to perform. It should come as no surprise that as a dental assistant, you will be knowledgeable in a variety of areas, both clinical and administrative. Some of the most common job responsibilities of a dental assistant include:

  • Helping patients by scheduling appointments
  • Assisting with billing and filing dental insurance paperwork
  • Inquiring about a patient’s medical history
  • Assisting the dentist during procedures and exams
  • Offering helpful tips and recommendations to patients as it pertains to oral hygiene at home
  • Maintaining inventory for the dental office and ordering supplies when necessary
  • Sanitizing and cleaning dental instruments
  • Exposing and reviewing dental X-rays

A Typical Day for a Dental Assistant

Where you work will depend on the type of responsibilities you take on; however, because most dental assistants find themselves as part of a team within a local practice, your day might look something like the following:

  1. Arriving 30 minutes to one hour before the office opens to prepare the examination rooms and set up dental equipment.
  2. Sterilizing all dental instruments and preparing the materials on the trays for hygienists and dentists to use.
  3. Greeting patients and recording any changes in their dental or medical history.
  4. Assisting the dentist during treatment and/or a procedure by providing the correct instrument when needed.
  5. Providing patients with instructions as it pertains to recovery at home or how to improve oral hygiene habits in-between appointments.

If necessary, you may also find yourself helping a patient become familiar with their oral device as well as assisting in their initial fitting (i.e. retainer). You will also be expected to capture any X-Rays as well as use additional equipment that produces necessary images to help the dentist when preparing a treatment plan.

When a patient leaves, you will also assist in many administrative tasks, such as billing, scheduling appointments, processing insurance forms, and updating patient records. At the end of the day, you will be responsible for managing inventory and ordering any supplies.

Apart from the day-to-day responsibilities, it’s important to remember that as a dental assistant, you are to help patients maintain a level of comfort during this visit. This may include helping an individual remain calm if they are experiencing dental anxiety as well as listening closely to their concerns and questions.

About Dental Assistant Pro
For more than 25 years, Dental Assistant Pro has been providing aspiring dental assistants with essential knowledge and hands-on skills learning. Our philosophy is the best dental assisting training should be taught in a dental office at an affordable cost, so why not take a chance and enroll in our 10-week course schedule? It’s now more affordable than ever to become a dental assistant! To learn more about us, visit our website or call (614) 202-3919.

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Reviews From Our Students

Kenzie Clark
Kenzie Clark
13. August, 2022.
Great experience!!
kaitlyn mcgarvey
kaitlyn mcgarvey
13. August, 2022.
Quick easy way to get a dental assistant certificate. Quick way to get into the dental field. More job opportunities opened after I received the certificate. Also received radiology license from class. Instructor is easy-going & bubbly personality.
Kaitlyn Waits
Kaitlyn Waits
13. August, 2022.
Enjoyable, quick program to get into a dental office. I'm looking forward to starting my new career
Sydnee Burgess (Syd)
Sydnee Burgess (Syd)
13. August, 2022.
It was a great experience! I was very nervous about dental and wasn’t sure how much I’d like it but through this experience I feel a lot better about going into the field. Jeanie who is the instructor is also a very warm person and truly cares for each of her students and their growth in the field.
Abby Morehouse
Abby Morehouse
11. May, 2022.
Such an amazing program! Would recommend this to anyone looking for a career in dentistry.
Lilly Collins
Lilly Collins
7. May, 2022.
Had an amazing experience as a student in the Lebanon program! The instructors Abby and Jeanne are amazing and have taught me so much from skills to job search, i will be forever grateful for their help and this experience.
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn
7. May, 2022.
Dental Assistant Pro is a wonderful program! The instructors, Jeanne and Abby, are very welcoming and do a great job at teaching their students. This program teaches you all of the basics and allows you to enter at an entry level dental assisting position at any Office. It was very convenient having classes only on the weekends and was so much fun!
Megan Sellman
Megan Sellman
7. May, 2022.
I went to Dental Assistant Pro from 7:30am-12pm, Jeanne and Abby made the program very fun and enjoyable! I learned a lot from this program and they made it easy to learn.
kiranpreet kaur
kiranpreet kaur
7. May, 2022.
I am only 18 and a Dental assistant now. I went to Dental Assistant Pro at Lebanon. It was a wonderful and thorough program. Jeane and Abby made it so easyyy to accomplish my goal. I learnt a lot in this program- X-rays, impression, diagnostic caste model and a lot of other things. Hands on training, awesome experience!!!!! Loved it 😊