Dental Assistant

Duties and Responsibilities: To become a dental assistant first you have to perform a variety of patient care, office,and laboratory duties,and often work chair-side as dentists examine and treat patients. They make patients as comfortable as possible in the dental chair,prepare them for treatment,and obtain their dental records.

Salary:  $34,730-between $30,824-$38,397

Education:  It takes a relatively short period of time to become a dental assistant.Dental assiatants receive their formal education through acdemic programs at community colleges,vacational schools,technical institutes,universiities or dental schools. Graduates of these programs usually receive certificates. Although the majority of academic dental assisting program take nine to eleven months to complete, some schools offer accelerated training, part time education programs or training via distance education.

Demands or Needs for this profession: Employment of a dental assistant is projected to grow 18 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.Ongoing research linking oral health and general health will likely continue to increase the demand for preventive dental services.