Dental Assisting

Now is the time to pursue a career in healthcare. To get started, enroll at the college, then prepare to submit a program application using the instructions on this page. Admissions specialists are available to help you by phone or by email.

What You Will Learn

 As someone interested in becoming a dental assistant, you care about the health and well-being of people. You are eager to work with a team dynamic in the workplace.

You can multitask, and you have great communication skills, which will help you maintain positive, effective relationships with both dental staff and patients.

In the dental assisting profession, your attention to detail is a very important skill to ensure that patients receive the proper care that they deserve.

Dental assistants work in dental offices and other related areas as integral members of the dental team.

They help dentists in the delivery of dental treatment and perform chairside and related office and laboratory procedures.

On a typical day, a dental assistant who delivers patient care will:

• obtain patient dental records and history

• make patients as comfortable as possible before, during, and after dental treatment, prepare patients for treatment, and take blood pressure and pulse

• pass instruments and materials to the dentist and maintain a clear working field by using suction or other devices

• sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare tray setups for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care such as tooth brushing, flossing, and nutritional counseling

• prepare materials for teeth impressions and restorations, take impressions for models, as well as expose radiographs

• remove sutures and remove excess cement used in restorations

In the dental assisting program, you will learn about the best practices in dental treatment and patient care. In clinical experiences, you will practice chairside etiquette and complete related office and laboratory procedures.

You will learn about infection and hazard control techniques, instrument and equipment operation, health and safety standards, orofacial anatomy, dental material storage, dental therapeutics, preventative and diagnostic measures, patient scheduling, and patient records management.

Upon completion of the program, you will:

• be able to demonstrate competency in the knowledge and skill required to systematically collect diagnostic data, including medical and dental histories, vital signs, assisting with and/or performing extra/intraoral exams, dental charting and documentation, radiographs, preliminary impressions, study casts, and occlusal registrations

• be competent in the knowledge and skill required to perform a variety of supportive treatments, including managing infection and hazard control protocol consistent with published professional guidelines, preparing tray set-ups, preparing and dismissing patients, applying current concepts of four-handed chair-side assisting, assisting with and/or applying topical anesthetic, assisting with and/or placing and removing rubber dam, assisting with and/or applying fluoride agents, providing patient preventive education and oral hygiene, providing pre- and post-operative instructions prescribed by a dentist, maintaining treatment areas, administering CPR when indicated, fabricating custom trays, cleaning and polishing removable appliances, fabricating provisional restorations, and manipulating dental materials

• demonstrate competency in the knowledge required for business office procedures, including managing telephones, controlling appointments, performing financial transactions, completing insurance/reimbursement forms, maintaining supply inventory, managing recall systems, and operating business equipment to include computers 

• demonstrate ethical decision-making skills and adhere to state and federal laws and standards within the profession

• choose appropriate oral communication and interpersonal skills when working collaboratively with patients, coworkers, and the public