maandag 19 december 2011

Dental Assistant Training: Is It Time For A Career Change?

By Johnny Aston


The main focus of this article is dental assistant training. Most dentists today choose to employ assistants to help them with their day to day tasks. These various tasks that must be completed daily include managing paper work, assisting in patient treatment, taking x-rays, cleaning of materials, and everyday laboratory work.

Dental assistants are different from dental hygienist because they are not properly licensed to carry out various treatments and procedures the hygienist and dentists are able to perform. Often referred as dental nurses, these assistants are still very valuable despite not being licensed. One must initially complete dental assistant training in preparation for the CDA (Certified Dental Assistant) exam. In order to become active for practice, all assistants must pass this four hour exam. Several different methods of training programs are available.

One method is to complete a two year associates degree program through a university or community college that offers dental assistant training. A GED or high school diploma is required before entering an associates degree program. It is preferred, however, most dental practices do not require their assistants to have an associates degree. Although, having an associates degree would help tremendously for those seeking career advancement later, since most dental hygienist have a two year degree.

The second method a person may enter a training program is through a technical institute or a vocational school. With more focus given to hands-on development, this training is often faster paced. A GED or high school diploma is needed upon entering the one year vocational schools. The majority of students who complete this course become dental assistants.

Although rare, in some states individuals are able to work under a dentist's supervision and get on-the-job training in preparation for the CDA exam. This is possible because many states are able to hire individuals who are not certified in the field that they will be training towards certification at a later date (the rules and regulations vary from state to state). If learning through on-the-job training, one must work under the dentist's supervision for two years before being eligible to apply for certification.

Clinical study courses and theory courses are the main divisions for dental assistant training. Included classes for the theory course are office fundamentals and procedures and dental science. The clinical study courses will include classes geared towards taking x-rays, equipment maintenance, and updating patient's records. One year technical institutes and vocational schools offering dental certificate programs will usually include classes as previously mentioned.

Most programs that offer diplomas will provide more classes that expand further into the clinical study courses. Some of the classes that these universities or community colleges might offer are human biology, radiology, oral anatomy and other subjects that are related. These students will be able to seek employment in the fields of periodontics or orthodontics after completing these classes.

In comparison to diploma programs, the associates degree programs will have even more classes in dental assistant training. Various classes that can be expected are impression making, safety and health classes like OSHA, dental procedures, and many more. These classes all have their place in prepare the students for the CDA exam and for a career in dentistry.




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