July 2020 – Dental Assisting is a fast-growing and exciting career!
If you’ve been to the dentist, you’ve met a Dental Assistant. In fact, the majority of the patient care in a dental office is provided by dental assistants.
What do Dental Assistants do?
Dental assistants:
Provide quality care patients
Take X-rays
Record patient information for medical records
Provide front-office support, including answering the phones and scheduling patient visits
Take dental impressions
How much money do Dental Assistants make?
Dental Assistants usually work full time at dentists’ offices and usually earn between $15 and $25 per hour. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the median pay for Dental Assistants is $40,080 per year.
Why choose Dental Assisting?
You should choose to become a Dental Assistant if you enjoy taking care of people and providing them quality care. More research is pointing to the connection between dental health and general health, and as more Americans take their dental health seriously, there will be more demand for Dental Assistants. In fact, the U.S. Burea of Labor and Statistics projected a 11% increase in the demand for Dental Assistants from 2018 and 2028. Most importantly, oral health is important regardless of economic times, so we project Dental Assistants to remain a stable and secure career during economic downturns.
Can I become a Dental Assistant?
Yes, you can! Typically, there is no higher education requirement to become a Dental Assistant, so you can start your career as Dental Assistant without needing a college degree. Check out Arch Dental Assistant Academy and similar programs to start gaining the knowledge and skills for your new career in as little as 9 weeks.
What is Arch Dental Assistant Academy?
Arch Dental Assistant Academy is an ingenious blend of online and in-person learning designed to help you land a job as a Dental Assistant.
Online
Your online learning experience will last 9 weeks. Class sessions are 2 hours long on Saturdays. During class, students will meet with an instructor who will review what they learned during the week and review that material as needed. Instructors will also demonstrate how to perform certain lab exercises and watch students as they complete those labs.
Students can expect to commit approximately 7 hours to their at-home learning. This includes video content, interactive modules, reading, and other activities.
Students will receive at-home lab kits which include:
Typodont
basic instrument set
RINN X-Ray assembly
Blood Pressure kit
Alginate
Cement
Mixing bowl
Mixing pad
Spatula
Impression trays
During the online portion of the program, you will gain most of the knowledge and skills you need to become a Dental Assistant from the comfort and safety of your own home.
In-person
Your in-person learning experience is the cherry on top of our program. It consists of 2 full, 10-hour days of training at one of our regional training sites.
Students will complete the following labs:
Room setup, sterilization, and tray setups
Moisture control and infection control on Dexter head
Radiographs on Dexter head, pouring up and trimming impressions, curing temporary cements and crowns.
Once you complete the in-person lab training, our Campus Managers will help you secure a 40-hour externship to guarantee your hireability.
Once completed, you will be ready to begin your career as a Dental Assistant!