Dental Assistant

Welcome to The 2011 Hot Jobs Guide

• Why It’s Hot:

Dental assistant job opportunities are expected to grow a tan even more torrid pace than medical assistants, an enormous 36%. This places dental assistant among the fastest growing occupations. With more and older people holding onto their teeth and increasing focus on preventative dental care in the young, dental assistants are in a great position to find jobs for the foreseeable future.

• What You’ll Do:

Dental assistants work under a dentist’s supervision to conduct the day-to-day operations of a dental practice. In general the dental assistant’s primary responsibilities lie in three areas: Patient care includes obtaining patient charts and laying out equipment to be used during procedures, settling the patient in the treatment chair, and performing noninvasive procedures to prepare the patient for the upcoming procedure. Dental assistants are also charged with teaching the basics of oral hygiene and instructing patients in follow-up care. Office duties include patient records, receptionist duties, fielding phone calls, scheduling patient appointments, and confirming upcoming appointments. Some dental assistants also perform light bookkeeping activities and inventory control. These dental assistants may send invoices, receive payments and order supplies as needed. Finally, laboratory duties include prepare casts from oral impressions, cleaning and polish removable bridges and dentures, and making temporary crowns. Additionally, some dental assistants double as radiology technicians, taking and processing x-rays of patients’ mouths.

• What You’ll Earn: