If you are thinking about transitioning into being a dental assistant, then it’s important to know all of the benefits that will come with it!

 

Or…

 

If you are already a dental assistant and you are looking for some key benefits that you should be looking for at your next practice, we have you covered!

 

So what are some of the benefits to becoming a dental assistant?

 

Most individuals that pursue becoming a dental assistant enroll in a post-secondary education program. This doesn’t require going to any form of medical school or being in the program for multiple years. 

 

The average program takes somewhere between 8 to 12 months depending on how extensive it is, what state you’re in, as well as any other regulations that are necessary.

 

Well, it isn’t necessary, according to the American Dental Association that a large portion of dental assistants take the Dental Assisting National Board’s (DANB) Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) examination. This will help show your employer, as well as any patients that may inquire, that you are certified and knowledgeable from your training to accurately and competently perform the position. 

 

A significant motivation for most individuals going into a health-related industry is helping others. As a dental assistant, you will be helping others maintain their oral health or work to assist hygienists, and dentists improve the patient’s oral health that may have been neglected. 

 

From advising individuals on their pain that they are having due to their oral health to answering questions that the public may not know the answers to. 

 

Whether that be disproving some common myths like we have here, or explaining why they really do need to floss despite no one wanting to.

 

Helping others feel better, and improve their health in general, will be a major pro going into this field.

 

As you stay in the dental assistant career path, you will be able to gain additional raises and have other opportunities open to you. 

 

One of the biggest opportunities is to continue your education and become a dental hygienist. Becoming a dental hygienist can lead to increased responsibility, as well as an increase in pay.

 

It’s important going into any career that you have the opportunity to advance If you apply yourself to do so.

 

Deciding to pursue this further education may also be paid for by the practice you’re currently working at as a dental assistant if they offer that. Being able to pursue that education, while not having to take as much time off work assists financially. This goes into our next benefit.

 

The dental assistant position typically has the flexibility to dictate some of their own hours, and their own availability. Most commonly these are separated into either full-time work, or part-time work.

 

Having this flexibility depending on the practice that you are employed by, would allow you to pursue the education required to become a dental hygienist as was mentioned above if you were so inclined.

 

One thing that makes any job feel like it is going slowly throughout the day, is when there are periods of downtime or tasks of a cyclical nature. Well, you will have some standard responsibilities that you will be in charge of conducting each day, but your position will be changing every single day. Some days you may have to be examining medical records to pull information, while others you will be setting up for in-depth dental x-rays.

 

The most stressful thing for anyone when considering a career, or job options, is knowing that they will be able to actually get a job after going through the training. Luckily, it’s projected that this shouldn’t be a problem when it comes to the position of a dental assistant.

 

The job growth projection in the United States is on the rise. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected employment of dental assistants should grow somewhere around 7% from 2019 to 2029. If we were to take the average growth rate for most occupations in the United States, this would be above average.

 

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics credits this increase projection with the research that has been continually finding the link between oral health and general health. Finding these links should lead to an increase in the measures being taken for preventative dental care.

 

With even more job security on the horizon, you shouldn’t have to struggle to find positions that you want, at practice is that you want to work at. We are always going to be here to help as well, you can view all of our dental assistant positions wherever you are.

 

 

Although there is a lot of book knowledge that you need to learn in order to port form in this position, there are a ton of programs that allow you hands-on experience in learning.

 

This can range from shadowing procedures being done, shadowing x-rays being conducted, and externship positions of working in the office until you complete your courses and certifications.

 

However, you will still be expected to go through the course, and pass the milestones that are set in place to measure your understanding. Understanding the basic science, and anatomy behind the tasks you will be performing is still required.

 

So now that you may be interested in becoming a dental assistant, you can check out some more of our information regarding the position.

Maybe after reading this you are interested in working towards becoming a dental hygienist, or how get paid more as a dental assistant? We have resources for that as well.