Dental Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

Summary: The dental assistant will serve an integral role in assisting patients of Grace Dental to achieve and maintain optimal oral health. The dental assistant will provide educational and clinical services, as well as perform clerical and maintenance tasks to ensure quality, efficient care.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Patient Interaction:
  • Monitoring schedule to maintain efficient patient flow.
  • Politely ushering patients from waiting area to treatment area.
  • Preparing patients for treatment (chair positioning, napkin placement, providing patient protective eyewear, etc.).
  • Providing pre-operative and post-operative instructions.
  • Addressing patient’s chief complaint and any questions/concerns raised.
  • Helping patients feel comfortable before, during, and after dental treatment.
  • Guiding parents and patients through the process before treatment.
  • Teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health.
  • Initiate referrals as needed by dentist and arranges appropriate follow-up.
  • Acts as a communication link between dentist and front desk.
  • Providing superior customer service to all patients.
  • Recognizing and responding to basic medical and dental emergencies.
  • Monitoring patients while nitrous oxide is being administered.
  • Maintaining patient confidentiality through HIPAA compliance.
  • Advocating for Grace Health and its respective mission.
  • Participating in local community affairs and events including school screenings, presentations, events, and any opportunity to promote a positive image of Grace Health.
• Chairside and Expanded Duties Assisting:
  • Preparing operatory for planned or emergency dental procedures.
  • Documenting oral examinations, including reviewing/updating medical and dental history.
  • Taking blood pressure and pulse measurements when needed.
  • Obtaining radiographic images using appropriate technique, as requested by dentist.
  • Keeping all operatories appropriately stocked with needed supplies and instruments.
  • Maintaining and sterilizing all equipment and instruments according to manufacturer/clinic guidelines.
  • Cleaning clinic’s evacuation system according to equipment guidelines.
  • Properly disposing of hazardous and infectious waste per policy.
  • Assisting dentist with a variety of treatment procedures using four-handed dentistry.
  • Maintaining field of operation during dental procedures using retraction, suction, irrigation, drying, etc.
  • Following universal precautions.
  • Taking impressions (preliminary and final) and fabricating diagnostic casts.
  • Performing other duties as assigned by dentist or supervisor.
• Office Management:
  • Performing office management tasks.
  • Maintaining equipment records for maintenance and operational purposes.
  • Ordering clinical supplies.
  • Cross training with front desk to provide coverage as needed.
  • Completing laboratory authorization forms.
  • Preparing dental lab boxes and labeling for mailing.
  • Developing system to manage lab cases and deliveries.
  • Performing other duties as assigned by management.

OTHER ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Grace Health recognizes that managing patient care is a team effort that involves clinical and non-clinical staff. All employees must embrace a team-based approach to patient care and understand that each role is important to our success.
• Team members must demonstrate excellent team communication and coordination to provide quality patient care.
• Care coordination includes communicating with community organizations, health plans, facilities, and specialists.
• Care team members understand and embrace the concept of population management and proactively address the needs of patients and families served by this practice.
• Team members must demonstrate skill and knowledge related to effective communication with vulnerable patient populations.
• Team members must participate in Continuous Quality Improvement activities within the organization to ensure patients receive high quality care.
• All team members will be involved in the process of improving quality incomes.
• Team members will participate in the review and evaluation processes of practice performance and help to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Team members will participate in Grace Health's advocacy program.

GENERAL DUTIES:

• Follow policies and procedures of the office, including administrative, clinical, quality assurance, and personnel.
• Maintain good attendance (daily, meetings, and other assignment tasks).
• Maintain timely documentation of all work assignments.
• Maintain patient confidentiality.
• Routinely keep supervisor informed about attendance and job assignments.
• Flexible in being able to multitask.
• Work effectively and at an efficient pace.
• Work cooperatively with providers, administration, and peers.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to assist in advancing Grace Health’s mission and to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

SKILLS:

• Basic computer skills are required.
• Experience with Dentrix software is preferred.
• Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel preferred.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: 

• High school diploma. Completion of dental assisting program preferred.
• 1 year of dental assisting preferred.
• Licenses or Certifications:
  • Radiography certificate
  • Current CPR certificate

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit; and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Grace Health is a faith-based, federally qualified community health center (FQHC). We provide primary health services to underserved, underinsured, and uninsured individuals in the southeastern Kentucky region. Our mission is “to show the love and share the truth of Jesus Christ to southeastern Kentucky, through access to compassionate, high-quality, primary health care for the whole person”. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Grace Health provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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