3 Reasons to Consider a Career as a Dental Assistant

Dental assistants are literally the assistants for dentists, and they may work alongside the dentist or with dental hygienists. Here are 3 reasons to consider a career as a dental assistant. We’ll address real reasons why you’d want to consider this career path aside from working with a variety of people and actually helping people.

You’ll Earn a Good Salary Quickly

When someone says they want to work in medicine, the first thoughts are becoming a doctor, dentist or nurse. A full nursing title requires four years of schooling, while doctors and dentists spend close to a decade earning their certifications. However, you could become a dental assistant with only a year or two of education. In some places, you could step into the job with only a high school diploma and receive paid on the job training. You will find employers prefer those with at least a one year dental assistant certification.

If you add other certifications on to your resume later like being able to do laser treatments to treat bacteria in the patients’ gums or X-rays, you’ll be on your way to earning as much as someone with a bachelor’s degree. Once you earn enough credits to become a dental hygienist, you’ll double your salary. And some dental offices will provide educational assistance to help you do that, or you could work part time in the office while going to school.

Increasing Demand

Demand for dental assistants is increasing on every front. An aging population has deteriorating teeth. And dentists are increasingly recommending quarterly cleanings for patients with some conditions. These conditions may include diabetes and other conditions to help protect one’s teeth. This is on top of the improved education of the population in the value of preventative dental care like cleanings and population growth. All of this means that demand for dental assistants is growing faster than the population as a whole. And that’s aside from dentists recognizing the economic value of delegating more and more tasks to dental assistants so they can focus on the few minutes of the exam that only they can do. To learn more about what dental assistants do and how to join this field, go to best-dentalassistantschools.com.

Great Working Conditions

Medical professionals may work in difficult situations. A doctor will sometimes have to deal with patient with horrific conditions, while the ER nurse sees patients bleeding out from injuries. Working as an X-ray technician means that patients are in extreme pain even as you try to diagnose the injury. Compare this to dental assistants working in a clean, well-lit environment where patients are easy to manage. Even patients with mouth pain will be a breeze, since others are going to provide local or general anesthetic for them.

As you can see, becoming a dental assistant has its fair share of advantages. Dental assisting allows you to earn a decent pay rate with only a year of school. Also, the demand for dental assistants is strong with working conditions. These conditions are among the best for those in the medical field.