So you are here because you are interested in dental assistant training, whether you want to become a dental assistant or even further your education to be a dentist or a hygienist I have some information that will definitely help you get on the right path. As I have discussed before that dental assistants are open to many opportunities to work in different environments if they choose to, such as prisons, jails or even special oral offices that do just braces as an orthodontics assistant. These are just a few of the places you can work as a dental assistant that will pay you a little bit more in most cases.
With the way the economy is these days, most of the offices will only take on assistants that have some form of dental assistant training. When there were more job opportunities back in the day they might bring anyone in and give them on the job dental assistant training – but these days they want someone with experience. They will probably take a liking to someone that has worked as a dental assistant before that has some experience under their belt, if they can’t find that then they will go for someone that has had accredited dental assistant training from a program or school.
There are many different schools and depending on which state you are in will determine how long the course is – what it is they teach and what type of certifications you will have up completion of the dental assistant training. For instance some schools may make it mandatory for you to learn CPR while others do not, but tell you that it will help on your resume if you get CPR certified by just taking a CPR class, which it will.
Some other types of dental assistant training classes that may or may not be included in the course are radiology and expanded functions – as they were not included in the course that I took. The radiology course was just one Saturday class that cost me around 150 bucks – and it basically just covers in more detail how to properly take and read x-rays, definitely a good qualification to have under your belt if you are trying to get a job as a dental assistant. Now remember the price and time is just how it is in central Florida, this could and more than likely will differ greatly depending where you are located.
The other training is called expanded functions – and here in Florida when I took it, it was a 2 day course on the weekend, 16 hours, and cost me around 250 bucks. What this course does is give you a qualification that will allow you to get more hands on when it comes to working. Such as crown work and teeth polishing along with many other things. As I have said before, what a expanded function dental assistant is able to do will depend on the state as every state has different requirements, so you will have to look into that more depending on what state you are in.
If you can get all of that dental assistant training out of the way you will definitely be ahead of a lot of the graduates in your area. Just because you complete a course or an accredited school does not guarantee you a job as a dental assistant. You will have to get your resume out there to as many offices as possible – especially these days during the recession everyone is trying to get employed or stay employed any way that they can.
As far as dental assistant pay goes – it can range from about 28,000 a year up to 39,000 a year – again depending on what state it is that you are working in. If you are working in a prison as a dental assistant you may make a little more than those that work in the offices. This again will differ and pay will be based on experience and qualifications too. So the pay is great but most dental assistants receive great benefits as well. Some of these benefits that dental assistants receive will include paid vacation and paid holidays, uniform allowance, 401(k), free dental care and health insurance. Many dental offices will also reimburse you for school if you go to further your education in the dental field – say if you wanted to become a hygienist or a dentist.
So in a nutshell that is really all you need to know about becoming a dental assistant. If this sounds like something that you may be interested in then get on the phone and find a school to enroll in. There are many dental assistant training courses that are out there, just remember the qualifications I went over and make sure that all of those are offered in the course and you will be on your way to a great and wonderful career as a dental assistant.
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