Are you interested in pursuing a career as a dental assistant? If you are really interested in working as a dental assistant, you should feel confident knowing that job prospects are expected to be very strong. Oral health care is important to people and this industry can withstand the challenging economic times we live in. Dental offices will continue to need dental assistants, who play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operations of the office. Dental assistants have several important responsibilities, including treating patients with respect, educating patients about oral health care and aiding dentists with various procedures. It is important you understand more about the work environment and hours involved in working as a dental assistant.

As a dental assistant, you can expect to work in a very nice and comfortable environment that is clean and well lighted. A dental office is geared toward providing a pleasurable experience for patients, which benefits you as a worker. A dental assistant’s work area is typically near the dental chair so they can properly arrange tools and medication as required by the dentist. If you want to become a dental assistant, be prepared to wear gloves, masks, eyewear and protective clothing to safeguard yourself from diseases since you are working in a medical setting. It is very common for dental assistants to work between 35 and 40 hours a week. However, if you do want to become a dental assistant you must prepare for potential fluctuations in hours. Your services may be needed more or less depending on different times of the year. Depending on the dental office you work at, you may need to also work on weekends or evenings.

Working as a dental assistant provides several benefits to you. There is tremendous job security for this position because dentists will always require the help of quality dental assistants. You will have the opportunity to work in a very comfortable environment that is well lighted and relaxing in order to satisfy patients. You must be prepared to wear protective articles of clothing while working as a dental assistant to protect yourself from potential diseases. You should also be prepared to generally work between 35 and 40 hours a week, though this could fluctuate slightly up or down in some instances.

Are you currently working in one of the nearly 300,000 dental assistant jobs in The U.S.? Are you interested in further career advancement? There are several opportunities you have to advance your career. You have to make an important decision, however, which is whether or not you are willing able to pursue further education. Let’s take a closer look at the options you have to advance your career to the next level.

Dental assistants can proceed to become office managers, dental-assisting instructors or dental product sales representatives. However, the reality is that further education is required for significant career advancement in dental assistant jobs. A common career that many dental assistances advance to is that of dental hygienist. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 300 dental hygiene programs approved by the American Dental Association’s commission on Dental Accreditation in 2008. Prospective dental hygienists can two years of coursework at community colleges or dental schools. Students will gain familiarity with such concepts as pre-clinical hygiene and orofacial anatomy. In order to pursue positions in clinical practice or the teaching field, it is necessary to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree. When earning a bachelor’s degree, be prepared to take courses in dental hygiene procedures. If you are pursuing a master’s degree, be prepared to be exposed to research and theory in the dental hygiene field. All prospective dental hygienists will have to ultimately earn state licensure.

Of course, working as a dental assistant may have inspired you to become a dentist. After all, dental assistants work closely with dentists to complete various procedures on patients. You must be prepared to complete extensive further education to become a dentist. You must complete a bachelor’s degree preferable in a pre-dental program. It is important that you maintain a high grade point average, as it will weigh heavily in the admission process to dental school. You will have to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) and then apply to accredited dental schools. You grade point average, DAT scores and recommendations will be critical in the admissions process.

Dental assistants do have the opportunity for career advancement based on the training they receive from their dental assistant jobs. Two common advanced career paths include becoming a dental hygienist or dentist.

The cover letter is one of the most important components of your application to dental assistant jobs and can make the different between getting hired and getting rejected, especially in this ultra competitive job market. The cover letter presents the first opportunity you have to tell a prospective employer about yourself in your own words. There are several tips you must follow in order to ensure that your cover letter stands out and remains in the mind of dental assistant employers.

The most important strategy you must adopt in writing an effective and powerful cover letter is to personalize it. Absolutely avoid using To Whom It May Concern and even Dear Sir or Madam on your cover letter because it sounds like all the spam in your inbox. You have to take it upon yourself to conduct some research and determine exactly who will be reading your cover letter. This will allow you to include an appropriate greeting in your cover letter. You also must research about the dental practice and its needs and integrate this into your cover letter. This will really show prospective employers that you are dedicated, well-informed, and motivated. Employers love spotting these character traits in dental assistant job candidates. It is also imperative that you address the specific job position you are applying for and highlight the relevant qualifications and strengths you have that would make you a strong candidate. You have to aggressively sell yourself to prospective employers through your cover letter. Why should the employer reading this cover letter hire you? It is important that you are concise and to the point in your cover letter. Employers are busy people and they do not have much time analyzing and dissecting convoluted cover letters. One final advice I have for you is to consider hiring a professional editor to look over your cover letter. A professional editor can really help polish your cover letter and in a competitive job market, any edge you can muster out can be crucial.

It is important that you really handle your cover letter with care. It is the first chance prospective employers have to really get to know you. A positive impression can make all the difference in the world in successfully finding dental assistant jobs.

When interviewing for dental assistant jobs, there can be a lot of waiting in anticipation, which can cause undue stress and anxiety. There’s a wait after submitting your resume for consideration for a job to see if you’re going to land an interview. There’s a wait after an interview to see if you’re going to be offered a job. And if you are offered a dental assistant position, there can even be a wait to receive a formal offer package. While these waits can be stressful, it’s important to know when to take action and when to be patient.

So You’ve Been Offered a Dental Assistant Job!

That’s great news. But let’s say that the hiring manager tells you that they’re going to present a formal offer to you within a certain number of days and you haven’t heard or seen anything yet. This can be a very challenging time to sit back and wait. You’ve come so close to landing that job, but now your on pins and needles hoping to have that offer in your hands. And the doubts begin to creep in. “What if they’ve given it to someone else?”

Don’t Stop Your Job Hunt

Even if you’ve received an informal verbal confirmation that you’re going to be offered a dental assistant position, don’t put your job hunt on hold. If things don’t materialize, you want to be moving in the right direction. Cover your bases by keeping your search active in the event that the offer doesn’t show up.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

If you have been informally notified that you should be expecting an offer, ask when you might see it. If you have a concrete idea of when the hiring manager expects to present a formal offer to you, then you’ll know how long to wait before following up.

Follow Up

If the stated amount of time passes and you still haven’t received a formal offer for a dental assistant position, don’t hesitate to cal the hiring manager to ask where they are in the process. Any number of things might delay the hiring process, but by following, you show that you’re interested in the opening and are taking a proactive approach.

Again, while waiting for an offer for a dental assistant job, the most important thing to do is to continue your search. By just stopping cold when you have a good felling about a position, you’re only going to be very disappointed if the offer never comes through.

To set out on your path to becoming a dental assistant and earning a dental assistant salary, you first step will be to find openings in your area and begin setting up interviews for those dental assistant jobs. However, finding a rewarding dental assisting position begins, as all jobs do, with the interview process. The job interview is not always the most enjoyable part of the job hunt, but by following a few simple tips, you can great increase your chances of success and at the same time, prepare yourself to go into the interview with confidence.

Begin With Practice Interviews

We all know the typical interview process looks like. We submit a cover letter and a resume to an employer and then hope to get called in for an interview. Once we attend an interview, we start off with some small talk about the job and ourselves, answer a series of questions posed by the employer, and then follow up by discussing any questions that we might have for the employer about the job. However, while most dental assistant job seekers know almost exactly what to expect in an interview, very few actually practice the interview beforehand. This is a critical step in order to appear prepared and confident in the interview for a dental assistant position.

To begin with, you can find a number of lists of potential interview questions online from sites such as Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. Once you have found a list of potential interview questions, go through them and give some thought to your answers, using past experiences as frequently as possible for reference. After you’ve given some thought to those answers, you should actually practice answering the questions aloud just as you would in the interview.

Understanding Behavioral-Based Interviews

Additionally, you should prepare to answer questions which are behavioral-based. An increasing number of employers, including those hiring for dental assistant openings, are beginning to phrase questions which count on you to actually refer to past work or educational experiences as opposed to just providing hypothetical answers. The best way to prepare for behavioral-based interview questions is to write a list of 5 or so past experiences from school or the workplace, and decide how those experiences fit into the potential interview questions. Remember to stay on-target and positive with your responses.

Be Prepared

In addition to practicing the interview itself, you need to prepare for getting to the interview on time, bringing what you need, and being dressed appropriately. Nothing can cause more anxiety leading up to a job interview that rushing to get there on time. Know the location of the interview, exactly how long it will take you to get there, and what you plan to wear. Also plan on bringing along a few copies of your resume for interviewers and yourself.

Don’t Discuss the Dental Assistant Salary During the Interview

While it’s highly likely that you will want to know the dental assistant salary for the position for which you are interviewing, the first interview is generally not the time to discuss this. While the dental assistant salary associated with the position is important, asking about it early on in the interview process indicates to a potential employer that you are thinking more about your pay than proper patient care.

By properly preparing for the interview process, you’ll be on your way to finding a great position and a rewarding dental assistant salary.

While many employers and states do not require dental assistant to hold professional certification, there are many reasons to hold this important credential not the least of which is an increase in the average dental assistant salary.

Currently, state requirements for dental assistants fall into three categories:

• States which allow dental assistants to perform any and all duties without certification
• States which require certification to conduct specific procedures within a dental practice, most notably radiological testing and x-rays
• States which provide specific guidelines for all dental assistants relating to certification and renewal

Regardless of the state in which you reside or plan to practice, there are many arguments for obtaining certification as a dental assistant. For some educational programs, this will be the final step in successfully completing the required curriculum as some of the course material will require certification, however, this is not always the case. If you plan to attend a dental assistant program, find out if they are accredited and offer assistance in obtaining certification as a dental assistant.

Why to Become a Certified Dental Assistant

Higher Dental Assistant Salary: One of the most obvious reasons to sit for the certification exam is the impact which it can have on the median dental assistant salary. While holding certification itself may not garner a higher wage, it will allow for expanded job duties and responsibilities which can command higher pay.

Employment Opportunities: Additionally, many dental practices will only hire dental assistants who hold professional certification. This ensures that their staff members have achieved a qualified level of professional training and will be able to offer a high quality of care to the patients within their practice.

Career Advancement: Lastly, career advancement opportunities for the dental assistant tend to be much more prevalent for those individuals with professional certification. To hold many supervisory positions, certification is required. Once you have several years of work experience on your resume, you may also consider instructional positions with a community college, vocational school, or online degree provider. These positions will nearly always require the candidate to hold professional licensing as a dental assistant.

As you can see. there are many reasons to obtain certification within this exciting field in addition to its effects on the dental assistant salary. If you are currently enrolled in a dental assisting certificate program, or perhaps are already working in the field, consider enrolling for dental assistant certification. It can have many positive impacts on your career as a dental assistant.

Here at the Dental Assistant Salary and Career Center we have a simple goal: to provide useful resources to help you best prepare for an exciting career as a dental assistant. While the dental assistant salary can be very rewarding and draws many candidates into the field, the actual day to day work that a dental assistant carries out can be incredibly gratifying. If you have spoken to a dental assistant who is already working in the dental field, then you’ll have probably already heard that this can be a terrific career choice for individuals who are hoping to enter into the field of dentistry or health care in general.

Dental assistants have become a cornerstone of the average dental practice and as such, can find job placements available in all areas of the country. While the dental assistant salary itself can vary widely by the type of size of practice, the duties are often very similar across them. The dental assistant carries out a large number of duties in the average dental practice including:

• Preparing and stocking treatment rooms
• Ensuring that the practice is stocked with adequate dental supplies
• Assisting in educating patients on proper dental hygiene routines
• Sterilizing tools and instruments
• Exposing dental radiographs
• Taking and creating patient impressions
• Mixing the required dental materials for a treatment
• Often they assist with numerous front office administrative and billing tasks

As you can see, the ideal candidate for any dental assistant position will not only have a proper education and background in necessary clinical topics, but will also excel in communicating with patients on an interpersonal level. This will often be the most rewarding part of the job for any dental assistant as you can have a direct impact on the quality of life of your patients.

We hope that you enjoy your visit to the Dental Assistant Salary and Career Center. Please feel free to browse our articles and resource, including our Dental Assistant Jobs page, where you can find a number of openings in your area, as well as our Dental Assisting Programs directory. This resource will allow you to find online certification programs which help to get you on your way to earning a dental assistant salary.

Earning a dental assistant salary and becoming a dental assistant can sometimes be career choices that happen by circumstance and many dental assistants do a great deal of their training on the job. However, going to a community college to get the training that you would get on the job without having to learn everything as you go will help you with understanding what to do as well as getting a job. It’s a lot easier to hire someone who knows what to do than it is to teach someone how to do their job. Typically, a diploma or certificate is awarded once the one year program on how to be a dental assistant has been completed.

When looking for a job as a dental assistant it’s important to know what makes a good resume. Make sure to list all educational and work experience as well as what it is that is wanted out of the job. List outside skills that are possessed which will serve to make the resume more appealing. These don’t necessarily have to be directly related to the job that is desired. For instance, dental assistants are people who have to be timely, organized, and good listeners. Write a paragraph explaining how this is applicable to the job. While moving is not necessary, it might be the best option in certain cases which involve wanting more options and less competition or simply because a person wanted to move anyway.

Those who are looking for work as a dental assistant will need to follow all of the normal guidelines that exist when searching for a job. If you have gone to a school, take advantage of any job placement or consulting services that they offer. While dental assistant jobs, and their dental assistant salary, are expected to grow over the next few years, it can still be difficult to find work, especially in an area that does not have many dental offices. It might take weeks or even months to find a job but all you have to do is keep applying to any jobs that open up and follow up with those who you’ve applied with to let them know that you’re definitely still interested.

If you’re interested in working in the dental field and find the dental assistant salary competitive in your area, consider entering into this exciting career arena.

If you’re interested in earning a dental assistant salary, you may be interested in knowing what a typical day looks like in this profession. There are quite a few different types of professionals working together in a dentist’s office to make sure it functions smoothly. The dentist is the one that does the main protective and restorative procedures necessary to maintain the cleanliness and health of your teeth. They hygienist is the one that gives the fluoride treatments, does the cleanings, and X-rays if you need them. Many people don’t realize that there is another professional helping out, and that is the dental assistant. They are the one that assists the dentist during things like crowns, root canals, and filling procedures.

The things that a dental assistant will usually do involve making sure the dentist always has the tool they need. At the same time, they will be working to make sure that the patient is comfortable and keeping an eye out for anything that doesn’t look right. They can also hold the suction tubes in place and develop X-rays when that is needed. When they’re not helping out in an actual procedure, a dental assistant will typically do things like sterilize the equipment and handle the huge amount of paperwork that always needs to be done.

Because of all these tasks and duties, it is easy to see why a dental assistant would be so necessary in a dentist’s office. A dental assistant salary varies between $25,000 to more than $37,000 across the United States. The working hours are usually Monday through Friday from 8 in the morning until 5 at night, though many dentists might decide to keep their offices open on Saturdays as well. In that case, the hours might be a little different. Either way, the work week usually spans about 40 hours, making it a very good pay for the amount of time required to work.

So if you are interested in the health sciences, particularly in mouths, and want to land a high paying, secure job after a relatively small amount of schooling, being a dental assistant might be for you. Since people care more than ever about the health of their mouths, the demand for dental assistants is only expected to rise in the coming years.

Are you thinking about becoming a dental assistant, but want to learn more about this career and the dental assistant salary before doing so? If so, you may have many questions about the nature of the work, the projected job outlook, training that is needed and the salary you should expect to make. If your questions surround the dental assistant salary range, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that those in this field make a decent wage for a single person. Of course, this will depend in part on the part of the country in which you live along with other factors.

As of May 2008 the median annual wage for a dental assistant was $32,380. What exactly does this number mean though? The median is a boundary line between the top 50% of salaries and the bottom 50%. In other words, if you take the salaries of every worker in this field and list them from highest to lowest, the median wage line would fall right in the middle dividing this list into two equal halves. This is just one way to look at the dental assistant salary.

You may also want to consider the fact that the middle 50% of dental assistants make between $26,980 and $38,960. Those who made the most in this field, or those in the top ten percent, earned more than $46,150. In contrast, those in the bottom ten percent made less than $22,270. Your dental assistant salary will depend in large part on what type of practice you work in. Most work in a dental office, but you may find a position with either the federal, state or local government. Some physicians are now hiring dental assistants to work in their offices also as dental health and overall physical health are directly linked.

When considering a dental assistant salary, you need to consider more than just the actual wages you will be paid. Benefits can vary significantly from job to job and these need to be factored in also. Approximately 86%, in 2008, received paid vacation and over 50% received health benefits. Both may depend in part on whether you work full or part time. Overall though, when considering the dental assistant salary, it appears to be a job that pays a decent wage for the training required.