Dental Assisting Skills

Sample Skills/Skill Headings

Sample Skill Statements

• Escort patient to correct office and prepare for treatment
• Sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment
• Operate air, water and suction devices
• Select and prepare dental instruments for surgical procedures, such as extractions, impactions, implants, local anesthesia, suture placement/removal, biopsy
• Select and prepare instruments for orthodontic procedures, such as bonding and cementing/removal, archwire formation/placement/removal, fluoride treatment, impressions
• Clean and sterilize rooms, restock supplies
• Expose and process x-rays, including extraoral, digital and panoramic radiographs
• Experience in extra-oral and x-rays for children and edentulous patients
• Experience in exposure techniques, processing, mounting, and evaluating radiographs
• Prepare materials for making impressions of teeth
• Pour impressions, trim models, and prepare orthodontic appliances and equipment
• Prepare and position dental dams
• Prepare dental liners and cements
• Mix dental cements and bases
• Prepare mixtures and remove excess dental cement used in filling teeth
• Make baseplates and bite rims
• Prepare tray setups for dental procedures
• Assist dentist with various procedures, including fillings, root canals, crown preparations, composites, teeth cleaning, emergency exams and X-rays
• Assist dentist during exam and procedures, passing instruments, providing suction, retracting patient's tongue, and mixing filling materials
• Assist dental hygienist while sealant is applied to teeth
• Work as part of a dental health care team, including dentists, dental hygienists, dental lab technicians and denturists
• Conduct preliminary examinations
• Assist with scaling, polishing and flossing of teeth and fluoride and sealant application
• Perform laboratory work: pouring, trimming, and polishing study casts
• Cast models of teeth; make temporary crowns and bridges
• Polish and repair dentures
• Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts
• Fabricate temporary restorations and custom impressions from preliminary impressions
• Clean teeth, using dental instruments
• Remove stitches and apply numbing agents to gums
• Apply protective coating of fluoride to teeth
• Assist with tooth bleaching appointments
• Perform coronal polishing and cement removal, amalgam polishing and margination, rubber dam placement and removal
• Clean and polish removable dental appliances, such as bridges
• Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs
• Review patients' health histories to ensure no medications are being taken that might interfere with anesthetic injection
• Record exam and treatment information in patients' charts
• Knowledge of setting up treatment plans
• Knowledge of tooth charting terminology, abbreviations and symbols and tooth-identification systems (Universal, Palmer, International)
• Instruct patients in post-operative care and oral hygiene
• Instruct patients in brushing and flossing techniques, diet and nutrition
• Train new employees
• Train staff in aseptic techniques and safe handling of hazardous materials
• Bilingual - provide translation services
• Bill patients, receive payments, submit and track insurance claims
• Knowledge of third-party payment plans and insurance codes
• Process dental insurance claims
• Give patients estimate of insurance benefits for dental procedures
• Handle accounts payable and receivable
• Knowledge of OSHA regulated clinical safety policies, procedures and protocols
• Familiarity with medications and drugs used in dentistry
• Knowledge of various types of anesthetics and techniques
• Assist in administration of local anesthesia
• Working knowledge of all types of dental and palliative materials for a variety of dental procedures: gypsum products, amalgam, composites, cements, sealants, bonding agents, acrylic resins, porcelain, bleaching agents, various impression materials
• Familiar with medical emergency procedures and office protocol, including equipment, supplies, medications and patient vital signs
• Maintain health and safety records
• Carefully follow radiation safety measures
• Consistently implement infection control procedures and management of hazardous materials
• Perform weekly monitoring of dental sterilizers
• Schedule and confirm patient appointments
• Inventory and order dental and office supplies
• Maintain a well-organized office inventory system
• File items alphabetically, numerically, chronologically, and by subject matter
• Greet patients, answer phones, pull charts
• Responsible for opening and closing dental office, operatory, sterilizing area, darkroom and laboratory area
• Comfort children who are apprehensive by explaining procedure steps and talking to them
• Calm anxious patients during routine or difficult procedures