Dental Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

• assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures
• taking digital dental radiographs (x-rays)
• asking about the patient's medical history and taking blood pressure and pulse
• helping patients feel comfortable before, during and after dental treatment
• providing patients with instructions for oral care following surgery or other dental treatment procedures, such as the placement of a restoration (filling)
• teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health;
  (e.g., tooth brushing, flossing and nutritional counseling)
• taking impressions of patients' teeth for study casts (models of teeth)
• performing office management tasks that often require the use of a personal computer
• communicating with patients and suppliers (e.g., scheduling appointments, answering the telephone, billing and ordering supplies)
• helping to provide direct patient care in all dental specialties, including orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and oral surgery