Dental Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

The Dental Assistant performs a variety of dental assisting duties while promoting quality dental care for patients and a safe environment of minimal stress.

Dental assistants are required to follow the filed rules and regulations of the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners. The Dental assistant assists the dentists and hygienists, teaches the patients how to care for teeth, communicates effectively with patients / parents, maintains equipment and inventory, and follows universal precautions and all OSHA requirements.

Essential Functions

• Greets and seat patients, reviews health history, takes vitals, and follows Rooming patients process.
• Prepares and assists with exams and any other dental procedure ordered by Dentist as well as nitrous oxide when ordered by Dentist;
• Takes impressions of patients' teeth as ordered by Dentist.
• Exposes oral radiographs as ordered by Dentist.
• Contributes when developing infection control protocol as needed.
• Prepares and sterilizes instruments and equipment.
• Quickly and efficiently completes turn over in operatories.
• Helps patients feel comfortable before, during and after dental treatment;
• Provides patients with instructions for oral care following surgery or other dental treatment procedures as ordered by Dentist;
• Responsible for daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning and maintenance by following the posted checklists, signs off as completed;
• Participates in Policy and Process maintenance for Dental pod as assigned
• Check patients out with reception per process;
• Accurately inputs CDT and ICD-10 codes into EHR as ordered by Dentist;
• Performs other duties as assigned by Dentist and / or Dental Manager;
• Displays professional interpersonal communication, self-motivation, and professional conflict resolution.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Minimum Qualifications

Education : A high school diploma is required. A minimum dental assistant training course is required and three (3) years of experience is preferred.

Wyoming State X-ray License, and first-aid training are required.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and abilities required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position routinely deals with sensitive and confidential information and documents, requiring the utmost privacy and confidentiality.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand for long periods of time, walk, stoop, bend, sit, handle papers, have good manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination, type and operate computer equipment, reach with hands and arms, talk, see and hear.

Some travel by auto and airplane may be required and some overnight stays.

Work is performed in typical, fast-paced dental office environment. Some exposure to toxic chemicals, radiation, potentially infectious materials and increased noise level may occur.

Some travel by automobile may be required, as well as possible short-term assignment to other clinic sites, including possible air travel and overnight stays.