Dental Assistant

Part Time Dental Assistant 2The Department of Corrections is seeking to fill a part time Dental Assistant 2 at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City. Duties include patient preparation and positioning; treatment area preparation; use of sterile techniques; administration of dental care and treatment as directed by professional staff; use and maintenance of dental equipment, instruments, and supplies; instructing patients in proper oral hygiene; and collection and maintenance of patient and/or clinical research subject data and records.Dental Assistants assist dentists in the general or specialized treatment of patients in routine, emergency, and clinical research procedures in areas of diagnostic, preventive, restorative, periodontal, endodontic, pedodontic, orthodontic, oral surgery, and prosthodontic dental care.Graduation from high school or equivalent education and one year of experience in a dental practice using four-handed techniques in a wide range of procedures, collecting and recording patient's medical information, exposing, processing, mounting and labeling radiographs, and applying dental sterile techniques and infectious control and exposure procedures; OR graduation from high school or equivalent education, successful completion of a recognized one-year dental assistant training program, and one year of experience working with the public collecting and recording information and/or explaining and clarifying basic information; OR one year of experience as a Dental Assistant I in Nevada State service; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience as described above.Assist dentists using four-handed dental assisting techniques in operative, endodontic, oral surgery, orthodontic, pedodontic, prosthodontic and periodontal procedures by performing oral evacuation, fabricating temporary crowns, custom trays, taking impressions, mixing cements, and assisting in the application of light cured material; anticipate and provide the dentist with the appropriate materials, instruments and equipment.Change arch wires, apply ligatures, cement temporary crowns, remove excess cement, perform coronal polishing, remove sutures, apply and remove periodontal pack, apply temporary restorations, and apply topical fluoride treatments, sealant and anesthetic as directed by a staff dentist.Receive and seat patient; interview patient to clarify the purpose of visit; update patient medical history and document any other pertinent information; prepare and arrange dental instruments, materials and equipment appropriate for procedure; expose intraoral and extraoral radiographs as directed by dentist or following standard protocol; process, mount and label radiographs; enter information into chart or computer as dictated by dentist or hygienist.Answer patient questions by explaining and clarifying basic information regarding the treatment plan, sequence of treatments, result of non-treatment, and patient's responsibilities including insurance and co-payments; secure patient signature on informed consent forms for special procedures, as required.Apply sterile techniques and infectious control and exposure procedures when preparing for, during and upon completion of each dental treatment; disinfect and clean treatment rooms and contaminated trays; apply dental radiography infectious control protocol; handle and dispose of sharps and hazardous materials according to established federal and State OSHA standards.Provide basic oral hygiene instruction to patients; demonstrate proper tooth brushing and flossing methods; discuss the importance of diet; furnish patient with appropriate oral hygiene literature; provide patient appropriate pre- and post-operative instructions.Maintain medical, dental supply and material levels; assist in the inventory process and notify appropriate staff when supplies are needed; receive and store supplies and materials.Maintain and perform basic repairs to dental and laboratory equipment and report major malfunctions to appropriate personnel.Perform laboratory procedures as allowed by State law such as taking impressions, preparing study models and making simple denture repairs.Using basic keyboarding techniques, enter information into computer database such as treatment records, prescriptions, charting, changes in health history, ADA codes, patient data, and set up return appointments.In a Correctional setting, receive and evaluate inmate requests for dental services; seek clinical guidance from the dentist regarding request for non-routine services; establish appointment schedule and maintain list of requests that are not scheduled; and make all required arrangements with security staff to ensure inmates are notified and transported to scheduled appointments.At the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine, perform front office operations to include, but not limited to: assist in establishing and monitoring work schedules and appointment schedules; greet patients in person or over the telephone; provide information to patients regarding requirements and guidelines, treatment, insurance, and payment options; review patient accounts, process referrals, and submit pre-authorizations to insurance providers for approval; coordinate communications with insurance companies; collect payments, prepare daily bank deposits, and ensure payments reconcile with daily patient management financial reports; research and resolve billing and claim denial issues; review patient records for completion of dental treatment and resolution of financial obligations.Perform related duties as assigned.This job specification lists the major knowledge, skills and abilities of the job and is not all inclusive. Incumbent(s) will be expected to have knowledge, skills and abilities from a previous level.Working knowledge of: sterile techniques and infectious control procedures and protocol; four-handed dental assisting techniques; oral hygiene methods and techniques; the theory and practices of dental assisting; exposing intraoral and extraoral dental radiographs; dental radiography processing, mounting and labeling techniques; dental and medical terminology sufficient to document patient's health and dental history; standard preparation and arrangement of dental instruments, materials and equipment appropriate for variety of dental procedures; ADA procedure codes.Ability to: perform four-handed dental assisting techniques to oral evacuate, fabricate temporary crown, take impressions, mix cements, and assist in the application of light cured material; explain and clarify information to patients regarding treatment plans and patient's responsibility.