Many people who join the dentistry field often find themselves focusing on two types of critical services: personal aesthetics and health care. These two major categories entail significant diversity and scope, which then requires the coordinated efforts of highly trained dental health professionals. Among these professionals are dental assistants.
Who Is a Dental Assistant?
Dental assistants are members of a dental team whose primary role is to provide support to dentists to ensure they provide efficient dental treatments. Dental assistants have several roles, and their presence in the dental field is to help dentists who perform most of the technical aspects of dentistry.
The General Duties of a Dental Assistant
Dental assistants are professionals who possess a broad set of skills, including people skills, technical skills, and administrative skills. Dental assistants perform administrative tasks and clinical tasks at the same time, depending on where a dental operator needs assistance. Other times, they help out with dental procedures or scheduling dental appointments.
The Primary Duties of a Dental Assistant
Primarily, dental assistants are expected to provide patient care, often as an ever-present fixture as the dentists serve patients. If you have been to a dentist, you have met an individual who passes instruments to the dentists. That was most likely the dental assistant. However, passing instruments is only one of their many duties. A dental assistant also performs technical duties, such as preparing you for dental surgery. A dental assistant will also likely be the one to assist during certain dental procedures, such as tooth extraction, fillings, and crowns. When you want to have a gap filled by a dentist, the dental assistant will take dental impressions or molds of your mouth.
Given that a dental assistant is not tasked with extremely technical procedures, they are the people you will most likely find when you visit a dental clinic. If you need general dental procedures, you can always ask for a dental assistant who will polish your teeth and explain to you the proper dental hygiene you should observe to keep dental problems at bay. Come to our office today and meet our friendly dental assistants!
Many people who join the dentistry field often find themselves focusing on two types of critical services: personal aesthetics and health care. These two major categories entail significant diversity and scope, which then requires the coordinated efforts of highly trained dental health professionals. Among these professionals are dental assistants.