Dental Assistant

Dental Assistant

 Dental Assistant

The Dental Assistant plays a vital role in supporting dental professionals during patient treatments while ensuring a clean and organized clinical environment. Responsibilities include assisting with procedures, taking and developing dental x-rays, maintaining infection control protocols, providing patient education on oral hygiene, managing patient records, and facilitating effective communication between the dental team and patients. 

The Dental Assistant contributes to the overall efficiency and quality of patient care within the dental practice.

General Duties include:

• Assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures
• Taking and developing dental radiographs (x-rays)
• Asking about the patient's medical history and taking blood pressure and pulse
• Serving as an infection control officer, developing infection control protocol, and preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment
• Ensure each dental operatory is cleaned and sterilized at all times.
• Helping patients feel comfortable before, during and after dental treatment
• Providing patients with oral care instructions following surgery and other procedures, such as the placement of a restoration (filling)
• Teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health, including tooth brushing, flossing and nutritional counselling
• Taking impressions of patients' teeth for study casts (models of teeth)
• Relaying information regarding patients from operatory to front desk
• Managing patient re-call
• Reviewing and updating dental inventory and submitting orders to the front desk
• Updating patient cards both manually and digitally
• Follow up calls to update and check on each patient
• Answering and responding to telephone, email, text message, WhatsApp and all other communication mediums
• Greeting patients upon arrival and providing all appropriate forms
• Performing office management tasks as directed by the office manager
• Communicating with patients and suppliers, which may involve scheduling appointments, answering the telephone, billing and ordering supplies
• Ensuring the waiting room, bathroom and overall office is kept clean at the start of the day, between patients and at the end of the day.