Dental Assistant II

Dental Assistant Job

General Summary Of Duties: Responsible for assisting the Dentist(s) and Dental Hygienist(s) in the direct provision of primary care dental services to patients of the center. Responsible for sterilization, preparation and inventory control of dental instruments and supplies.

Supervision Exercised: None

Essential Functions:

Patient Management

• Greet patients when they sign in and monitor arrival time
• Escort patients to treatment room
• Seat patients and have proper set up for procedures
• Show care and concern and help patients feel comfortable
• Obtain and review health histories according to office protocol
• Try not to leave patient unattended in the chair
• Anticipate and assist dentist's needs at all times
• Perform expanded functions and other tasks as assigned by the dentist
• Mix dental materials
• Ensure all patients' questions are answered thoroughly before they leave
• Chart all patients and record date, service rendered and any changes
• Escort patients from the treatment room
• Ensure proper treatment notes are recorded in patient's chart
• Perform clinical procedures as practice act allows and as directed by dentist
• Give patient instruction and demonstrate, when necessary
• Monitor patient flow
• Notify Patient Support Specialist if a patient should be called in the evening after a difficult appointment

Treatment Room Management and Sterilization

• Check to ensure that dental units are ready, stocked and clean at all times
• Oversee cleanliness of the treatment room according to sterilization procedures
• Disinfect treatment rooms according the OSHA regulations
• Sterilize all instruments and hand pieces according to OSHA regulations
• Organize trays, instruments and treatment room drawers at all times
• Ensure that office sterilization procedures document is on display
• Send out promptly and monitor all dental laboratory cases
• Implement a preventative maintenance/cleaning schedule for dental equipment
• Maintain dental office emergency kits and nitrous and oxygen tanks
• Follow laboratory procedures according to office protocol

Records Management

• See that records are stored securely and handled in compliance with legal requirements, including HIPAA privacy and security regulations, if applicable
• Accurately file patient information
• Arrange patient charts and radiographs for next day's appointments
• Track cases and referrals to and from other doctors
• Assist in the administration of the recall system

Inventory Management

• Monitor inventory and order dental office supplies as needed
• Ensure that treatment rooms are stocked at all times

Office Participation

• Help in other areas of the office when necessary (i.e., phones, unpacking supplies, completing insurance forms, moving dismissed patient records, etc.)
• Be an active participant in staff meetings
• Promote team concept by interacting with others in the office

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience: High School Diploma; Graduate of an ADA accredited dental assisting program or dental assisting experience preferred; Coursework in dental instruments and procedures; Compliance with state dental practice requirements (i.e., x-ray requirements, OSHA training, etc.); Legible handwriting for notations in patient charts; Computer skills desired; Commitment to continuing education for career development.

Language Skills: Ability to read, write, speak and comprehend written documents fluently.

Mathematical Skills: Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical solutions.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Candidate must be a Certified Dental Assistant; Current CPR certification; All candidates will be required to submit to a criminal background check and screening as part of pre-employment.

Physical Demands: Prolonged sitting or standing may be required; Those physical movements and the degree of mobility, manual dexterity and eye-hand coordinator normally associated with dental assisting in general practice dentistry will be performed on a repetitive basis; Frequent exposure to communicable disease, body fluids, toxic substances, medicinal preparations, radiation and other conditions common to a clinical environment may routinely be encountered.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.