Dental Assistant - Mountwest Community and Technical College

Dental Assistant from Mountwest Community and Technical College is a Campus Associate Dentistry degree that prepares you for a Healthcare career. Program Description: The Dental Assistant Program is a cooperative effort between Mountwest Community & Technical College and Putnam Career & Technical Center. Dental assistants perform a range of patient care, office and laboratory duties. They are an integral part of the dental office, acting as a second pair of hands for a dentist. Ultimately, their role is to make certain that the examination of a patient is performed efficiently. Almost all jobs for dental assistants are in dental offices. Career Outlook: Job prospects should be excellent. Employment of dental assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016, due to population growth and greater retention of natural teeth by middle aged people and senior citizens. Additionally, numerous job openings will arise as recent dental school graduates replace the older dentist that were less likely to hire dental assistants . Career Description: Dental Assistants have many important duties in the dental office. They prepare the patient for treatment and obtain their dental records. During the examination of the patient, dental assistants hand instruments and materials to the dentist and keep the patient?s mouth dry by using suction of other equipment. Other duties in the office include sterilizing and disinfecting instruments, preparing the instrument trays for dental procedures, and educating patients on oral health care. Some dental assistants take x-ray film, and prepare materials for impressions and restorations. They also may remove sutures and apply topical anesthetics to the gums. Those with laboratory duties make casts of teeth for impressions and make temporary crowns. Dental assistants with office duties schedule and confirm appointments, keep patient records, send bills, receive payments, and order supplies and materials. Employment Opportunities: Dental offices Dental clinics Dental laboratories Government offices Physicians? offices View more details on Mountwest Community and Technical College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Dentistry courses.