If you are looking for a new career that allows you to be social, will give you excellent job security, a multitude of options of where to work, and will give you plenty of opportunity for advancement, dental assisting might be right for you. If you haven’t thought about dental assisting, you may be intimidated by the training process, but dental assistant training offers a quick, affordable, and flexible training period that will thoroughly prepare you for a new career.

A dental assistant smiling at the camera.

Dental Assisting is About More than Just Teeth

Dental assisting does have a focus on teeth, dental health, and dental work. But the career can be about more than just teeth. There is an increased focus on relating dental health to overall health, and as a dental assistant, you’ll be trained to look for abnormalities in teeth that can be indicative of a bigger health problem, such as heart disease, diabetes, and bone and joint health. You can work with the dentist and other staff to help lead your patients to a healthy lifestyle.

In addition, there are many different career opportunities that can come from dental assistant training, such as working on the administrative side of the dental profession in insurance and billing or dental equipment sales.

You’ll Be Training for a Very Social Career

Working as a dental assistant is great for those who love to be social. As a dental assistant, you will interact with different people all day long. Dental assisting is a hands-on, social, and interactive career. You will communicate with patients throughout their visit as well as with the other dental staff. The dental office functions best when all team members are interacting with each other to keep the office running smoothly, and patients are far more likely to feel at ease when you are willing to interact with them. While you don’t need to be incredibly social to succeed as a dental assistant, good interpersonal skills will certainly contribute to your success.

Dental Assisting Training Will Be Over Faster than You Think

You may think that moving to a specialized career in the dental field would require years of training in an expensive program, but that’s not the case. Most dental assistant training programs can easily be completed in under a year with a flexible class schedule that allows you to balance school, a job, and your family while training for a new career. Dental assisting programs balance class settings where you’ll learn the information you need with clinical training to give you hands-on experience working with dentists and technicians. It may not be a long program, but the amount of information and training you will get is substantial. The instructors, clinicians, and staff will all work to make sure that you feel prepared and confident for your career as a dental assistant.

You’ll Move from Training to Working Quickly

Since dental assistant training is a short program, you will be able to move from training to working very quickly and will find yourself in a fast-growing career with plenty of opportunity for advancement. Dental assistants are in demand and employment is projected to rise for several more years. Dental assistants can make a competitive salary early in their career, with wages predicted to increase over the next several years as well. Coming from a dental assistant training program that provides clinical training and externship opportunities, you will have a built-in network to rely on when it’s time to get your first job as a dental assistant and many training programs even offer job placement assistance. Many graduates from dental assisting programs find themselves having their pick of positions when they’re ready to begin working.

After Dental Assistant Training

Dental assistants work in dental offices during the day, helping the dentist with exams and procedures, right? Yes, but that’s not the only place you can work as a dental assistant, and that likely won’t be all you do. There is a lot of variety in what your role will look like as a dental assistant, where you work, and even when you work. While many dental assistants will work a typical shift in a traditional dental office, there are dental clinics that operate outside of traditional hours, such as hospital or emergency dental clinics, dental school clinics, public health clinics, and specialty clinics. Dental assistants may not even work in a traditional clinic environment, as dental assistants can also have the opportunity to work for insurance companies or as dental product sales representatives. With additional training, dental assistants can take on more tasks and specialize their roles. All dental assistants will be trained in how to prepare tables and trays, how to properly sterilize equipment, how to take a history and communicate that information, how to chart and document, how to take dental images, and how to assist the dentist. Many dental assistants also take on administrative tasks, such as greeting patients and scheduling appointments. As you can see, there is a lot of variety in working as a dental assistant.

Becoming a dental assistant is a fulfilling career that can give you many different options to fit your personality and schedule needs. Dental assistant training is a quick and affordable way to start a new and in-demand job. When you go through a dental assistant training program, you can be confident that you are well prepared for your new career. To learn more about how we can help prepare you for success as a dental assistant, contact South Florida Dental Assisting School today.