Dental assistant reddit

Dental assistant reddit

drpiomodi. At first, it seemed like such a cool job to have on a casual basis with full training provided. One thing is a concern with a dental assistant is getting a job. . Getting a $20 an hour job is going to be more worth it than a $12 an hour job. I make decent enough to pay my bills, university tuition, and rent, and few other things. Here’s a couple questions I have. I love my current job, 3 months Dental assistants do a lot more than set up, blood pressure readings, and x-rays. So I just finished my first week working as an orthodontic assistant. The median annual salary is $38,660, according to the BLS. Fully certified dental assistants are almost always in demand. It’s a lot more medically involved than it is dental. RDA’s can do whatever they set their mind to and work in any speciality they’re passionate about. I’m also leaving for basic soon so tips or any advice is needed!! Here’s what we mean: Line one: Write down the positions or titles you want as your next role. My mom now is a paraeducator with the school district after assisting for 30+ years. I am using smarterDA and mometrix to study, am still nervous though and was hoping for tips on how to do well. Dental assistant school and dental school are different, so you will likely need additional education after going to dental assisting school. goPuff operates in over 500 US cities through 200 fulfillment centers. Enjoy it. It can be how you learn you love dentistry, and will make hygiene school much much much easier. I studied to be a dental assistant for a bit and then Covid hit. parisbear1110. It depends on a few factors but here is a general breakdown on what we expect from our new dental assistants: Be able to properly sterilize including taking down a room to make sure it is sterile for use. You can pivot to front desk, or office managing. Hopefully your school provided a study guide so you can base it off of to make flash cards and study it will stick if you go over them. I did a lot of standing around and observing. I just looked out of curiosity and dental assistant jobs are starting at 14$ to 20$ an hour, DOE. shadyrabbits. The big "Walmart" dental offices pay girls with (TONS of) experience up to 26$-28$ plus benefits. Endo I heard is the easiest but I think you get paid the most I think being an oral surgeon assistant. I help with sterilization, and surgery set up. But as an oral surgeon assistant I do a lot of tasks. As such, I am bounced around to different doctors constantly, all of course with different ways of doing things. I would even practice as a dental assistant for a few years before going to hygiene, but that is just my opinion. I learned everything from working in offices. I heard that Ca was getting an increase in minimum wage for health care workers but I was reading and it didn’t mention anything about the dental field. Are videos and other little perks nice? I feel behind in life. Assistants consistently get exploited to have to pay for their own training. I was a male dental assistant and surprisingly the office I was at only had 1 female DA. Look up what your state allows for dental assistants to do. The average wage for anybody with any experience should be $20, and specialty assistants like ortho, prosthodontics, and oral surgery should well be into the twenties. Quizlet and flash cards in general are your friends. Share. I can answer pretty much any question you had about dentistry, dentists, procedures, drugs, x rays, teeth, gums, fluoride, grills, etc. It depends if you like dental after your working interview. a lot of that comes down to repetition and making yourself comfortable with Dental Assistant will not make so much money. I’ve only done general myself. AccomplishedJuice484. " source. Friday the older dental assistant came into my office very agitated going off about how the other dental assistant doesn’t help and how she mentioned something to her about how to properly sanitize the hand-pieces and the other DA got an attitude with her and said she’s still new. This line is about your future as a Dental Assistant, so these don’t necessarily have to be jobs you’ve previously held or currently hold. How was your experience as a dental assistant? The lead assistant wasn’t interested in teaching me. I’m a dental assistant in Los Angeles. Typically there’s only 1 assistant in the entire career field who deploys as a dental assistant and it’s usually a TSgt. Maybe find a nice online dental assistant dictionary. I like to think I'm good with my hands but I cannot for the life of me go fast. Learning to be a great dental assistant can help you know what kind of I’m sure sterilization, wiping chairs, equipment, learning how to set up X-rays, learning how to suction. My starting salary in a rural area was $125K working 4 days per week. Dental assistant (4y031) Hello! Female, age 20. This sub is a place for Dental Hygienists, Dental Hygiene students, and the general public to ask questions and comment about dental hygiene. 6 months isn’t even really enough to grasp everything and jump into it. In Alberta, you need to be licensed through the College of Alberta Dental Assistants to perform most hands-on duties. ago. I've done dental assisting before. I started working at my current office last month. But the pay is almost the same grocery store clerk. And yes, I would say you do end up building a tolerance to the things you find kind of nasty. • 17 hr. New grad here, the office I joined has a very toxic work environment and the front desks and assistants gossip all day, manager play favouritism etc recently I was given a new assistant who worked previously with another doctor for three months but is Welcome to reddit's unofficial community for the goPuff delivery service. I like working with guys in the dental workplace. rdh83. Now as an employee of a dental office, he does the majority of my dental work for free. I’ve been working as a dental assistant for about 2. Which you can get your dental assistant certification at UF, it’s only a weekend course. Started as a DA and after a couple years changed to OM. 7. Hello, I have been an orthodontic assistant for a couple of months now, I am looking into getting my dental X-ray license, does anybody have any tips or study recommendations to pass, Thankyou! You will not reach $76-$92k per year as an assistant. If you eat through lunch, the boss dentist moves around the sch for the assistant & other dentist to eat. You can move up to become an RDA, RDAEF or even become an dental hygienist! Hygienists make i think about $30-$50/hr. Please read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before submitting questions. You asked for a dental assistants opinion, so you got it. Definitely not weird at all. The more experience the more you can get paid. Leave that office. I organize consultations for the doctors and prepare Find a shorter and cheaper course and yes I attended college full time while taking a dental assistant course and I was hired straight out of school. I've been a dental assistant for 18 years now in Illinois. You're telling readers that you believe you’re ready to succeed in the following roles. The starting wage for a dental assistant fresh out of school, a total rookie who knows nothing, should be $15/hr. Just got done with my MEPS physical. More studies—conducted only in dental offices with current standards of scavenging and equipment—are needed to show if there truly is an association between nitrous oxide exposure and adverse reproductive and pregnancy events. dennislover. Good luck. That’s late in life being not married and lack of social life. If you want to go a step further look up a dental tech/ design dictionary (I’ve dabbled in design) since they usually need to know more specific anatomy terms. You are closely working with the dental officers treating patients, the relationship between officers and enlisted is different in this field compared to other jobs in the military. Been practicing a few years. Cord packing question -dental assistant. I hate dental assisting. Please read the rules for clarity. I make good income because like I stated in my previous post, offices seek me because I have a lot of knowledge that is beneficial to their office, so Teaching at Community College is the highest paid DA teaching job and the only DA-related job where you can earn 6-figures. I have trained DA's fresh out of the program and was shocked to see what little they knew. My moms old coworker became an aesthetician. They can receive on the job training in many places. Schooling for that is a minimum 2 years after pre-reqs are done. Depends where you live it can be from $15+ . Yes they make more money, but they are doing the same thing every day. Regular EFDA’s can polish fillings and they can also make/adjust and cement temporary crowns. As a dental assistant I am everybody’s b*tch. I believe you can re write the test if you fail. I would NOT pay such a high price, unless it is at a college and those credits count towards a degree that you are going to do something else with. Once my COLLECTIONS were high enough, I started earning 22% of my collections. I've noticed most positions require certificates (X-ray), licenses, and school but sometimes those without experience can get hired. You get to learn and see a lot of cool stuff. I only had 8 Saturdays’ worth of studying (crash course which focused mostly on ICE/RHS). Hygiene is competitive entry and having experience in a dental office and being a dental assistant will definitely help you get in. We're actually transparent and forthcoming with information in this subreddit, and won't ask you to work for slave wages. There’s a vet tech where I take my pet rats who used to assist. DENTAL ASSISTANT EXPERIENCE. Hello all! I’m 23, tired of barely living paycheck to paycheck, and would like to get myself a big girl job so I can finally be stable. So although you want to pass the first time, don't think your career is over before it begins, that kind of think will just stress you out more. I was the only assistant for an implant specialist. I’ll be 28 or so. I disrespected by my dental assistant today in front of the patient. Depending on the state, you may be asked to take x-rays, stir and take alginate impressions or digital scans, pour models if it is an analog office, etc. Job Assistance. It’s; 10 hours a day, 4 days a week . • 7 mo. Hello ~ So basically I’ve been in school for some time now studying pretty aimlessly. It has all the information you need. Understanding how to handle/set up the sterile tray table is important, everything after that is easy. As the director of a Dental Assistant school (WDAS. It is typical to make $16-$23 per hour as a dental assistant so you will have a hard time repaying My advice: Don’t fuck with the sterile field, keep it sterile. From there, whatever job opens up first from your list is what you’re booked for. But that doesn't mean that you can't become a dentist after becoming a dental assistant. It really does vary. Sort by: mille2. Heck, you can make more at a security offer with $13-$16 hr. As for TDYs, it’s really just humanitarian missions to underdeveloped areas or trainings (Prophy School, Infection Control Seninars, etc…). You will begin to dread work every day and hate being an assistant. I couldn’t imagine 9 weeks and then having to write the board exam. Didn't know they were that hard up for help. Great boss. Be prepared for a lot of extensive medical histories. After 4 years there, I was earning about $180K before taxes. Depends on the state and the assistant’s certification. All posts must be approved by a mod before they will show up so be patient with us. A reddit community for dental students (students studying to become dentists BDS, DDS, DMD, etc) to share the latest news, articles, ideas, and anything else pertaining to the field of dentistry. Ask me anything. Reply. Until then, take precautions to protect yourself and your unborn child. Like I said, it depends on your definition of gross and what you personally don’t like but dental assisting can be a little gross, yes. It took me 5 years to finish my bachelors now I’m 24 thinking of taking prerequisite which a year or two then do dental hygiene which is 2 years. ADMIN MOD. 5. There’s hands on stuff later down the line where you learn to take X-rays and impressions, etc. Keep asking around and I hope you you find the guidance you need to make an informed decision. I took a two year gap between undergrad and dental school and worked as a dental assistant for a pediatric and ortho practice. The dentist would allow them to get away with a lot because they were the ones “bringing in the money”. Because I was a 1099 worker, I paid taxes every quarter instead on only in April. I had the same experience at one particular office I work at. According to the U. Why don’t you ask to get more details but those are basic dental assistant skills Money is really low for high cost of living Try dental hygiene if you even want dental starting sometimes $50 There are lots of terms for the instruments, procedures, prosthetics and locations/anatomy of a tooth. I’ve decided that I just need to get a certificate of some kind…. I got offered to work with General dentist for $25/h , about 8 hours a day. A lot of questions about what duties you can/cannot perform. My mom had a dental crown put in, and immediately felt her bite was off. Hey all, I am currently working as a dental assistant in an extremely large office with about 20 providers. If possible practice and test with a rinn. Dental Professional, Any thoughts? Also salaries in the dental field are going up - It's a great time to go to dental school. $22 as a certified dental assistant, not nationally certified, in California. Assisting and hygiene are completely different, no task is the same at all. If we work into lunch, we have to either hurry & clean then eat or leave it, eat, & whoever was able to eat earlier will help clean your room while you eat. we scan for cerec and sometimes seems like it would have been easier to scan had I never packed anything. Patient’s medication lists are important. Stay after as much as possible to practice technique. I’ve been an assistant for 11 years and it’s a dead end job, you don’t get paid enough for the amount of work you do, there is no work life balance amongst other treacherous things. info) I recommend researching into weekend courses. •. 5 years. That was my only intro to dental assisting before landing my current job. And that’s a super easy fix- put in your 2 weeks. Still stayed in dental for 7 years after getting out. Does anyone have any reviews or information that can help me choose between the two or recommendations at other IAMA Dental Assistant, AMA. In my experience the program is not worth it. The ceiling for dental assistant pay, and I'm talking someone who has a decade or more worth of experience, is about $25/hr. AF dental assistant here: I haven’t been to tech school in three years so I’m not sure if/how much it’s changed. Assisting gives you the knowledge you need to run an office later if you want. without having to dilute it and nice it up like doctors have to. I am a sophomore in a Texas community college. After a couple years, I just moved into a new wfh job for a newer company called Dandy. Most of the officers I interacted with were really cool, some were jerks-just like dentists out here lol. Check in, check out, gathering all necessary paperwork, ID, ins cards, etc. People say I can have a social life while studying or pursuing dental hygiene. ) After EDDA you will probably get a bump to 13$-14$ You will probably top out around 22$ working for a small PPO only office. Check out the r/PAstudent subreddit once accepted and r/physicianassistant after graduation. If you get right into hygiene school, just go for it. Individual_Shirt_228. However, (Idk how much you've looked into it already so I apologize if you are already aware of this) it is pretty rare for people to get right into hygiene school without first completing a bunch of prerequisites. I’ve experienced some picky dentists before, and I don’t take it personally anymore, but I’ve been working at new office for a little over a month now with 5 dentists working there in total on different days. Dental assistants do a lot and on top of that are expected to keep the office clean. Dental Professional. I’m about to quit and go back to Food Services. It’s a really unique but subjective job…some people love it, some people It's a nice TDY in a decent city. It's a good career choice. Dental assisting to nursing. (Orthodontist assistant, oral surgeon assistant, endodontist assistant, etc…) but the work is a load. If you're asking if the $2,500 investment is worth it, it depends on the wages offered in your area. Student loans are cheap = interest rates are incredibly low right now. Award. Dental hygiene has tremendously changed. • 7 yr. Dental assistants can work in any speciality related to dentistry but hygienists are very limited in what they can do. CDA exam tips/questions. However I feel as though it may feel weird to some people if they were one of the only male employees in the office. I also did an internship at an oral surgery office, where I got along really well and landed a job there as well. I work at a dental office assisting with dental surgeries. You’ll need to look up the college in the province you are moving to. Feel free to find help and ask questions. The DBC website says 25% of questions are regarding patient treatment and care, 35% regarding dental procedures, 10% regarding dental speciality procedures (all mine were ortho questions), 30% regarding safety. I will NEVER recommend anyone to go into this field unless you’re the dentist. Waste of trade school (for myself, personally). And that is exceedingly rare, and only really in a high end specialty office. And thats not even for EFDA im pretty sure. • 3 yr. Working faster as an orthodontic assistant? Advice. I worked at a specialty office so it wasn't as stressful or hectic. I said fuck that and found work elsewhere. I would come home with my legs aching terribly from running back and forth the entire day and wanting to go into solitary mode from dealing with difficult patients the entire day. I find it really hard to believe inexperienced DAs are actually asking for $30 an hour. This is THE subreddit for all pre-physician assistant students seeking help with their applications. To get a raise at work, I need to pass the DANB RHS (radiation health & safety) exam but I don't know how I should prepare! the test itself cost $270 so I really don't want to spend much on a $130 study I worked as a dental Assistant for specialist office. dentist is being unnecessarily rude to me. I have never worked as a dental assistant. Online dental assisting courses aren’t something I’ve researched, but I can’t imagine any of them being a good use of your time/money. There are no education or training requirements for this level of dental assisting. I applied as a dental assistant trainee (no experience necessary) with Aspen Dental but they have yet to email or call me about my application. Even if things really have changed that much in a few years, my guess is it has to do with a trend in corner-cutting in how a dental office operates. It comes with time and plenty of exposure. (Dental assisting school is only a 10 day class most places. Also assisting is extremely demanding since you basically have to try and read the dentist’s mind. School ranges from 6 months - 2 years, depending which college you attend and if you attend in person or online. Typically 7-15 AFSCs on your list, and most recruiting squadrons require you to list a certain number of jobs from the critically manned list, and it’s pretty common for them to limit the amount of medical jobs you can list. It can be a really physically demanding job and mentally draining. You will though as a Hygienist; in my area they make $375-$400 per day. We hired her in November. I love dentistry, but assisting is not a long-term career if you are the main income earner in the household. Dental assistant did what dentist was supposed to do and messed up. When I began applying for jobs, many were starting at 10$ (2007ish). I've been assisting for a long time, nothing has really changed too much as far as prepping and cord packing but lately I've been having an immediate bounce back of gum tissue, and a ton of bleeding. Dental assisting is great for a lot of reasons. Hi, RDA (registered dental assistant) here with 12 years of experience in a few dental specialties. 20K subscribers in the DentalHygiene community. This subreddit is NOT affiliated with GoPuff in any way. There are so many offices that are willing to train new dental assistants with no experience. Hi, I'm thinking about taking a Dental Assistant course and so far the only available options at this time are private colleges at either CDI or Oxford Learning College. Thanks for this! RHS x-ray DANB exam help. I’m expected to treatment plan patients and answer their questions about insurances, I’m also the janitor, sterilizer, stocker, orderer. Moved into dental tech working for Glidewell as a designer because they trained from nothing and I thought it would be fun. Practices are working smarter and more efficient and are paying associates more. YOU are not the problem. I have general chairside scheduled for next week, then am going to take ICE/RHS together a month later. The doctor payed for her certification on her 2 year anniversary. • 2 yr. We returned the next day (today) because it didn’t feel right and saw another dentist, since the original So I entered a one year program to become an assistant and landed a job with the dentist I've gone to my whole life. It’s not a glamorous or completely well paid job but at least I was happy and I wasn’t completely anxiety ridden all shift. In surgery I do one of 3 tasks, suction, pass instruments, or hold the patients head. When I research how much dental assistants get paid in Maryland average is $22/hr. Lots to consider. I'm joining the ANG after a 10 year break in service from AD Army and will be going to an interview for this position soon. Dental hygiene is a broad topic so we are pretty lenient on topics. Pretty much 99% of dental assisting skills you learn in school will be learned by physically doing it and repeating it over and over again until it turns into muscle memory. I am a certified dental assistant. This sub is a place for Dental Hygienists, Dental Hygiene students, and the general public to ask…. 2. They can be accessed from the sidebar as well as the TOP menu bar. Hey everyone, so I am getting ready to take the CDA exam. They work 2-3 days a week. I am planning on going to dental school and pursue dentistry as career. I went to community college to get a degree for dental assisting but got hired for admin straight out of school and realized I loved it more than assisting. Even in LA jaws would drop when I asked for 17. A dental assistant I (DA I) in Virginia may perform basic supportive dental procedures specified by the state dental practice act under the direction of a licensed dentist. • 8 mo. I ended up switching over to front desk and have made upwards of $24 with room to grow. 3. Dental assistant here. In New York, we trained all our assistants on the job. I’ve been looking into becoming a dental assistant and was about to enroll into an online college that offers courses to become a dental assistant, but just figured out my state ( South Carolina ) doesn’t require you to have any certifications. My cousin works with me, with no certificate, after two years she’s making $18. I’m being over worked for the measly $17/hr that I get. I am close with my old office employees and the office manager there told me with my range of duties I am knowledgeable of I should get getting a pay of $25-$30 an hour. I recently just signed my contract for the job Dental Assistant. Dental Assistant Ontario, Canada CDI or Oxford Learning College. I will be swearing in soon. You learn so much working in a dental office and honestly I didn’t have many shadowing hours previously so it was a great way to make sure I wanted to invest in the time and money before starting school. Live-Individual-4925. Jul 6, 2017 · Dental assisting is one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States. I wanted to hear other people’s opinions or experiences with this job. Louisiana assistants start off 10$ out of school. I did dental assisting for a year before I got into dental school here in Aus. Also in Florida you can get a dental assistant job without any certification. I think. But many dental assistants say the salary isn’t keeping up with demand. My internship was 10 hours’ worth of shadowing and I never got any hands-on before graduating. The alternatives are a fast track program of 6 months, or a full program of 1 year. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), dental assisting will grow 11 percent by 2030. Dentist here: Some states have different requirements. All that on top of what I do with my patients active treatment, chart prepping and note taking. 1. Dental radiography Xray license. San Antonio is a great town for prior service I read that as "4 year old dental assistant" at first. And I’ve talked with assistants who worked ortho and LOVED it. As someone in the front you will see EVERY patient the assistants in the back see, TWICE. Notice how there isn't front desk schools. The dental assistant did it, and one of the dentists came in at the end and said it looked good. The dr/office is the problem. Later came all the back/neck strain from holding the aspirators uncomfortably, sterilising all the instruments after every patient and also cleaning the practice itself. In Minnesota, all dental assistants must be licensed. Be able to properly sterilize and package instruments per infection control standards. I used to cry in the middle of procedures at my old office. Being a DA is a lot. You’ll never be able to learn and feel happy and confident there. I learned so much during that period. Just study so that you can get ur certification. As an assistant you will be lucky to start at $15, and you'll likely make less than that. I agree, longer the better. Tbh maybe it was because it wasn’t for me but it paid a lot more to deal with the insurances rather than on front lines This sub is a place for Dental Hygienists, Dental Hygiene students, and the general public to ask questions and comment about dental hygiene. hello! I'm an orthodontic dental assistant that was trained on the job from zero education/background in dentistry. As the other person said, you have to be more social in the front whereas in the back your hands are in the patients mouth so there's not much talking. It is time for you to start looking for a new employer. Also, sometimes I am asked to leave my home office and go to other offices within the practice Right now other hygienists are accepting below $40/ hour which is bringing the salary down quite a bit. It’s great that as a dentist you are thinking about what the solution is, but as an assistant I know that the #1 way good employees would feel appreciated would be sufficient pay and medical. The main difference is variety. Some questions about dental materials. It’s where I was before becoming a DA. S. The two dentists that worked their were terrible as well they were mean and have zero patience. In my state an EFDA with restorative functions certification can place and adjust fillings. I don’t think overtime hours exist for dental. Also, some of those schools are just ways dental offices get new hires and instead of spending money on training an assistant, they make the person spend three thousand dollars to get trained first. The boss and other personnel should give you a training period and materials to help you understand how that office runs. Making about $14/h when a started 2 years ago and now I make about $19h. I'm entirely new to the dental field but wanted a career change and have a friend who works at this office and said they'd be willing to train me. But I’ve talked with assistants who worked endo and LOVED it. You’re not overreacting this is definitely a frustrating situation. I prepare the patient for surgery with monitors and I start the IV (which I was taught on the job to do). It does pay more and if you're a social person with great phone skills you'll be much happier. There is only one dentist that I’m having issues with at this office. Hands-on work, good pay, & practical career. bp mx pd de fy mi yg qp gf kd