Dental Assistant

Essential Job Functions

• Setting up
• Helping patients feel comfortable before, during, and after dental treatment.
• Asking about or verifying when necessary a patient’s medical history and taking blood pressure and pulse.
• Taking and developing dental radiographs (x-rays).
• Chairside assisting.
• Providing patients with instructions for oral care following dental treatment procedures.
• Teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health (like tooth brushing, flossing and nutritional counseling.
• Provides routine post-operative instructions to patients.
• Serving as infection control officer, developing infection control protocol and preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment, and the patient’s area.
• Keeping operatories stocked and sterile.
• Maintaining dental equipment.
• Taking impressions of patients’ teeth for study casts (models of teeth).
• May apply non-aerosol and non-caustic topical agents.
• May remove post-extraction and periodontal dressings.
• May place and remove elastic orthodontic separators.
• May hold anterior matrices.
• May remove sutures.
• May apply topical fluoride after scaling and polishing by the Dentist, Hygienist, or Dental Supervisro RDA-Clinic Coordinator.
• May place and remove rubber dams.
• Other dental or chairside duties assigned by the supervisor.
• Mouth mirror inspecting oral cavity to include charting of obvious lesions, existing restorations, and missing teeth.
• Placement and removal of temporary sedative dressings.
• Prepare charts and records of patients and maintain patient records indicating the type of work performed.
• Observe professional and ethical standards of the job.
• Follow clinic protocols.
• Comply with OSHA regulations. 
• Comply with AHS health and safety rules and procedures.
• Comply with Human Resources requirements such as attending periodic in-service training, meeting annual health exam requirement, submitting proof of CME and license renewals, etc.
• Assist in providing orientation to new employees including newly-employed front desk assistants, Dental Assistants, Registered Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist, Dentist, etc.
• Be willing to assist in other tasks as requested when appropriate and time allows.
• Attend regular department meetings and organization-wide staff meetings.
• Promote teamwork and a positive work environment in the department.
• Participates in agency-wide quality improvement program processes and performance improvement teams to ensure excellence in the quality of services provided across the agency. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Must show proof of high school diploma 
• Minimum of one year paid professional dental assisting work experience 
• Fluency in English and Cantonese, Vietnamese or Mandarin.

Certifications, Licenses & Registrations

• Passage of Radiation Health and Safety examination
• Passage of Infection Control examination
• Valid X-Ray Certificate
• Current CPR card