I've been a dental assistant for almost two years now. Today I will be teaching you how to be a dental assistant and what our duties are. First and most important is your uniform. You can wear any color of uniform but it all depends on the office you work in. Next Shoes, the type of shoes must be comfortable and white so you can see if any blood or chemical spilled on you. Also you will need a mask that covers you from the nose to chin. Gloves are very important too, but sometimes it depends on the patient who might be allergic to latex and it's require to get non-latex gloves. As dental assistant you have many duties. For example you will have to set up the room you and the doctor will be using. Then you will have to help assist the doctor in anything he or she needs help with. Finally is cleaning up the room which is the most important thing of the day.
When you are about to set up the room you have to make sure the room is clean. Once you checked everything is neat in clean. You'll go in the back and get the patient chart and bring it back to the room. Then you will look in his or her chart and read what the doctor wants to do for today. For example today he or she needs a filling done. Then you go to the lab room and get all the supplies you need for the procedure. You will need a cotton tip applicator with topical anesthetic, a syringe with anesthetic and either a short or long needle. Next you will need etching gel, primer and adhesive, a micro-brush medium or large, a mixing well, a curing light, composite shade A2 or A3, articulating holder and paper, and wedges. Then you need to set up the instruments that you the dental assistant will be using which is a burnisher, condenser, and flat instrument. Next you'll add the suction tips in the high and low evacuator suctions and cup with water. Then you will set up all the instruments that the doctor will be using. For example he or she will need a basic set up (mirror, explorer and cotton plier), air water syringe tip, high speed hand-piece and low speed hand-piece, enhance polishing cup, enhance polishing point and bur block.