Dental assistant question????

i just decide to become a dental assistant, i need to know what classes i need to take, how long it takes, salary, and anything else that could be helpful....

Dental assistant question????
well i took a dental assistant course and it only takes 7 months if you go to a trade scholl in your area, but most dental office will trained you and you dont have to go to school you will have to call local dental offices and ask because all you need is a high school diploma but going to school will give you an advantage a head ups of what to expect. The pay is not all that most dental offfices start at $10 and hour but you can work your way up my friend has been a D.A assistant for 8 years now she at 16hr. I dint continue to persue my career in dental assisting because after i did the externship I change my mind. That job is not as easy as it seems you have to know all the instrument and all the procedures even though you aint performing them becuase you have to hand the dentist the right instrument it is very stressful. I have to give this little boy an x-ray and the little rat bit my fingers then i had to give an old man an x ray his breath smell like old mouth water and he chew tobacco and he had all type of green stuff in his mouth and it was slob all over my hand i couldnt take it. you have to be on your feet all day and just wasnt for me but if you think you can handle it then good luck but i say go for the front office the dental receptionist all they do is answering phones, check in patients , insurance forms, and file and sit all day. oh yeah and dental assistant have to learn this thing call charting it is a headache you have to knoe the name of every tooth and what order the tooth is and mark it on the patient chart every time its crazy but dont let me discourage you good luck
Reply:It depends on the counry where you are..some countries require a Dental Assitant with 2 years diploma, and you need to work like a real Dentist too. cleaning, extracting, washing, rinsing, and even acting as the dentist secretary even....an all around assistant in fact...the salaryu isnt much, but you get commisions on how many teeth you can extract or clean that day and generally you ahve to have at least 6 months to 1 year dental experience and best if you go to outreach on field dental assignments...
Reply:Ericka T has given you a decent answer for the US, including her salary information. You might have a different perspective on ths job, though. I had one assistant RETIRE from teh field after almost 40 years, so she liked it. (She started before I was a dentist.) I have one now who has been doing it for 17 years who plans one working until she is 62 (Social Security age) and another who has been doing it for 13 years who plans to stay with me until I retire. SO, some people really like it.





Contact your local Vo-Tech school as most have a DA program. You CAN train on the job, but if you go to a one year (8-9 month school year) program at a tech center, you will be "programmed" to take your license board and x-ray certification examination right along with the rest of your class. If you want these certifications - and they make it easier to get a job with better pay - you can do it on your own, but it is much easier if a school helps you as part of their regular program.
Reply:www.bls.gov type dental assistant in tells you everything
Reply:I'm not sure wat classes u need to take but I juss started @ a Dental Office 2 months ago to do on the job training to be an assistant %26amp; now I hate it so I would suggest that u not pay for classes %26amp; juss call some denist in ur area %26amp; c if they would train u.