Dental assistants are required to help the dentist in various kinds of tasks like taking care of patients, official tasks and laboratory jobs. However, they are forbidden to perform the licensed tasks performed by the dental hygienists. Dental assistants help the dentists in their work. Their work is to make the patients comfortable during the treatment and organize their dental reports and records.

Dental Assistants stand along with the dentist and help him during the treatments by handing him the required tools and equipments. They are required to thoroughly clean the instruments and equipments, assemble the instruments on tray for the treatments and advise the patients regarding the precautions to be taken after the dental treatment.

Many dental assistants perform the task of preparing lotions and the material for creating impressions, conduct the necessary dental tests and deal with the collected x ray films as advised by the dentist. They cut stitches or sutures as well. They are also required to apply disinfectants and give anesthetic injections on the affected area for the treatment. They clean the extra amount of filling material used during the process of filling. If required, they also fix rubber clips to mark out the infected teeth for separate treatment.

The assistants who have been assigned with the laboratory duties are required to prepare teeth holder from the moldings created, take care of the hygiene of the appliances and instruments and make short-term usable teeth fittings or crowns. Those who have been assigned official duties give appointments to the patients, keep the treatment records updated, forward bills, collect payments and keep the supplies of the material updated as per the requirements.

Although the dental assistants receive some professional training from the dental assisting courses offered by certain institutes , they usually learn their skills during the job process. Students who are interested in this career should opt for biology, chemistry, health, and office practices as the mainstream studies from the beginning itself.

The working environment for these assistants is clear and hygienic. It is recommended that they should wear clinical gloves, masks, eye gear and suitable garments to safeguard themselves against infection and diseases. Dental assistants should also strictly abide to the safety measures to leave minimum scope for the risks involved during the process of x-ray and tooth examination.

Earlier, the hourly earning of a dental assistant was average, but with increasing demands for dental assistants, the job prospects and salary packages are increasing. Apart from this, there are several job openings in this field due to employment growth. New openings also keeps coming up for replacing the people who transfer to other professions, take retirement or quit due to other reasons.

The major thing required in this job is reliability and good manual dexterity. In fact, in some states, it is mandatory for dental assistants to be licensed or registered. They may also be required to clear an examination to prove their abilities. Dental workers, who conduct complicated radiological tasks are required to complete the required qualifications. Therefore, not only dedication but professional qualification and certification is also required for this job.