A Dental Assistant Program Isn’t Necessary to Pursue a Career as a Dental Assistant
A career as a dental assistant can be very rewarding and provide many benefits, including flexible hours and a good salary. There are dental assistant programs that can set you forth on this career path, but you also have the option of on-the-job training, as dental assistants are a good deal different than dental hygienists. Dental assistants generally sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare and lay out the instruments and materials required to treat each patient, take dental x-rays and obtain patients’ dental records. As you can see, a dental assistant program isn’t a necessity for this kind of work, although those who want to go through one can generally do so in a year or less.
Dental hygienists, on the other hand, are required to go through a dental hygienist program and graduate from an accredited dental hygienist school. Dental hygienists do much more technical work than dental assistants, as they examine patients’ teeth and gums and use various devices to clean teeth. They will also scrap away plaque, remove calculus and stains, provide an examination of a patients teeth and gums before a dentist comes along to offer a final evaluation and much more.
Dental hygienists are an invaluable part of any dentist office, and they are among the fastest growing occupations in the United States. If you want a recession proof job in Orlando, Florida in these tough economic times, consider enrolling in a dental hygienist program. It will send you toward a career that is very satisfying and stable, and, like a dental assistant, you’ll have flexible hours and the option of working in more than one dental office, if you so choose.
With job stability, flexible hours and good pay being among the primary benefits of becoming a dental hygienist, what’s not to like?
