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A great dental team has a skilled and knowledgeable dentist and reliable and wise dental assistants. Dental assistants not only help around the office, clean teeth, take radiographs, but they also directly help in dental operations such as filling cavities, placing crowns, and more. This post will go more in-depth to dental assisting duties. Keep [...]

Becoming a dental assistant is often a stepping stone to other jobs. Many become basic duty dental assistants because they want to learn more about the dental field. After they are dental assistants, many go on to become expanded duty dental assistants or continue with schooling to become dental hygienists or dentists. [...]

As of October 2020, the median salary for a dental assistant in Illinois is $39,486 per year. Most dental assistants work hourly shifts, are on-call for emergencies from time-to-time, and depending on the clinic’s policies, will have paid holidays. Most dental clinics in Illinois will also offer benefits including a health care plan and a [...]

WHAT IS AN EXTERNSHIP? You’ve definitely heard the term “internship” thrown around, so what is an externship? A dental assisting externship is focused more on the experience and is typically shorter. As a future dental assistant, you’ll shadow different dental assistants throughout your externship, try some hands-on techniques, and learn more about [...]

As qualifications to become a dental assistant vary from state to state, in Illinois, there are no qualifications to become and start working as a dental assistant. So technically, you can begin to work as soon as you accept a job offer as a dental assistant. While it’s not required to receive training to be [...]

Dental assisting externships develop incredible job opportunities. Landing a job interview is only half of the process, here are a few tips for interviewing. COMMUNICATION IS #1 Consistent communication before, during, and after the interview is key. When you call the dental office or drop off your resume, leave [...]

While in most states you don’t need to meet any educational requirements to be a dental assistant, many states require dental assistants to pass the Radiation and Health Safety exam before taking patient’s radiographs. This exam covers everything from positioning radiography equipment to get the best images possible to ensuring the safety of the patient, [...]

Since dental assistants are always on their feet and engaged in their work, sometimes it’s easy to become tired. Here are a few tips that will help you stay on top of your game around the office. GREAT SCRUBS Many dental offices have a dress code or system for the assistants to [...]

Your resume is a dental clinic’s first impression of you. Not only do you want to demonstrate your skills in the dental assisting field, but you’ll also want to show off your personality, organizational skills, communication skills, and more. While writing your resume, here are a few elements you’ll want to include. [...]

Be On Time Treat your externship like a job! It’s your chance for the clinic to learn how great you are. Be on time, clean, and ready to learn. At the end of your externship, you can either apply to the same clinic you externed at as a dental assistant or you can [...]

Dental assistant’s responsibilities and duties vary from clinic to clinic depending on the type of dentistry performed at the clinic and the staff make-up. Sterilization and Cleaning Each dental clinic is equipped to sterilize hand pieces, drills, drill burs, and other equipment throughout the day. It’s the dental assistant’s job to take [...]

Prepare Your Thoughts Before heading into a meeting to negotiate your salary, prepare your thoughts by writing down why you think you deserve a raise. Write down what you can do, but also what you will do. Knowing your worth is essential. Know Your Value Actions that merit raises are [...]

The American Dental Association (ADA) only recognizes one dental assistant certification in the United States: The Dental Assistant National Board (DANB) certification. While not every state requires dental assistants to be DANB certified, it’s still a great idea to pass their exams to be certified. The CDA (Certified Dental Assistant) certification is a DANB certification [...]

Dentistry isn’t everyone’s favorite cup of tea. Procedures can be invasive, uncomfortable, and even give some people the chills just by talking about dental drills and explorers. Improving our communication with patients can help ease their fears, help them feel comfortable and welcome, and provide a support group that’s ready to face their dental procedures [...]

Within the world of dental assisting, you could be a general, orthodontic, periodontia, pediatric, or other type of dental assistant. Each type of dentistry has its own differences, daily routine, pros and cons, and culture associated with the area. With the variety of specialties, you will find the work culture and routine you’ve been looking [...]

Fulfilling Career As a dental assistant, you’ll find helping patients rewarding every day! Since there are many fields of dentistry, you’ll decide what groups of people to help. If you love helping children, pediatric dentistry can be very fulfilling as you help children conquer their fears of the dental chair. If changing people’s lives by [...]

Working as a pediatric dental assistant is a lot like being a general dental assistant, but all of your patients are 18 years and younger. Most of your patients will be on the younger side, so they might need some extra help to get through their appointments. It’s important for pediatric dental assistants to stay [...]

Throughout the field of dentistry, you’ll find specialized clinics that do specific procedures and services. While general dentists often perform general procedures, dentists that specialize in oral surgery will spend their time in surgery centers. Each specialized field has specialized dental assistants too that are trained to work in that specific field. As you become [...]