Assisting in Dental Office

[paymaant]

Hey guys,

I was lucky enough for a dentist to allow me to come work in his office as a way of giving me more clinical experience in preparation for dental school. My question is: How should I assist the doctor? I offered to clean tools and shadow him when working on patients but is there anything else I can do? Thanks for your help!

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[Duriel]

You can take xrays, impressions, and make models. Explaining treatment plans is also pretty fun to learn. There is all sorts of stuff you do on a day to day basis.

 

[lululime]

You can take xrays, impressions, and make models. Explaining treatment plans is also pretty fun to learn. There is all sorts of stuff you do on a day to day basis.

Unless you're certified, you cannot do any of these things. Not legally anyways...

Small things you can do that dentists and their assistants appreciate include disinfecting chairs and surfaces after each patient visit. You can prepare the trays that they usually set up for general stuff like NPE's. You can socialize with patients and keep them company while they wait for the dentist. Also, you can put on and take off the lead vests for x-rays.

 

[rpatel8]

Unless you're certified, you cannot do any of these things. Not legally anyways...

Small things you can do that dentists and their assistants appreciate include disinfecting chairs and surfaces after each patient visit. You can prepare the trays that they usually set up for general stuff like NPE's. You can socialize with patients and keep them company while they wait for the dentist. Also, you can put on and take off the lead vests for x-rays.

In many states, you can be office trained to work as a dental assistant and you can legally do things such as take impressions, pour models, lab work, chair side assisting, etc.

 

[Duriel]

In many states, you can be office trained to work as a dental assistant and you can legally do things such as take impressions, pour models, lab work, chair side assisting, etc.

Yep.

 

[lululime]

lol sorry, I didn't know about that. I thought Duriel was being sarcastic. Sorry Duriel!!

 

[HeyCharlie]

Hey guys,

I was lucky enough for a dentist to allow me to come work in his office as a way of giving me more clinical experience in preparation for dental school. My question is: How should I assist the doctor? I offered to clean tools and shadow him when working on patients but is there anything else I can do? Thanks for your help!

Cleaning up filthy bloody trays, saliva splattering on your face as you suction, smelling rancid rotting teeth, yeah I wouldn't call that lucky. Where do I sign up?

 

[paymaant]

Cleaning up filthy bloody trays, saliva splattering on your face as you suction, smelling rancid rotting teeth, yeah I wouldn't call that lucky. Where do I sign up?

Well Charlie, if you are passionate about dentistry you have to be able to deal with that stuff on a daily basis. I appreciate the fact that the dentist was willing to bring me into his office to gain clinical experience. No doctor has to do such a thing but it was a nice gesture that he did so. Just sayin...

 

[Duriel]

Cleaning up filthy bloody trays, saliva splattering on your face as you suction, smelling rancid rotting teeth, yeah I wouldn't call that lucky. Where do I sign up?

This is very true.

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=792000
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527523

 

[DavesNotHere]

Well Charlie, if you are passionate about dentistry you have to be able to deal with that stuff on a daily basis. I appreciate the fact that the dentist was willing to bring me into his office to gain clinical experience. No doctor has to do such a thing but it was a nice gesture that he did so. Just sayin...

I disagree... Being a dentist is fine...assisting is awful

In d school you will have to assist upper class man, residents and your peers...and it gets really old really quickly

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

Well Charlie, if you are passionate about dentistry you have to be able to deal with that stuff on a daily basis. I appreciate the fact that the dentist was willing to bring me into his office to gain clinical experience. No doctor has to do such a thing but it was a nice gesture that he did so. Just sayin...

I agree. Some may not like the idea of assisting ("Smelling rotten mouths for free? Psh, no way!") and some may see it as a good opportunity to see what a dentist has to see regularly. If you're wondering what exactly you would have to do, that's probably a question for the dentist you might assist for.

 

[HoustonDAT]

Cleaning up filthy bloody trays, saliva splattering on your face as you suction, smelling rancid rotting teeth, yeah I wouldn't call that lucky. Where do I sign up?

bloody trays - wear gloves

splattering saliva - wear a face shield

smelling rancid teeth - wear a mask

getting a great opportunity for 1 on 1 mentoring in your dream job in exchange for a little help around the place - lucky deal

Assisting experience won't make you the greatest dental student/dentist. However, it will help you to better stomach the "unpleasantries" of dentistry. Or you can start screaming like prepubescent Charlie at the sight of blood and saliva.

If the office has some slow time (i.e. no patients) and you find yourself with nothing to do, you can always go up to the front desk and take the initiative to help file charts or so. You should ask the front desk how DMOs, PPOs, care credit, etc. work. You can see what exactly needs to be done to collect insurance payments. You can get a general feel for how much procedures cost. The dentist will appreciate you going the extra mile, and will be more likely to go the extra mile for you.

 

[ukrdon2006]

I did some assisting here in New York State. I was just out of undergrad and not at all certified. It was pretty cool to have a job like that before dschool. I was able to eventually assist in collecting instruments for upcoming appts. Impressions you can do, sterilization you can do, cleaning the operatory you can do. I even was able to assist in RCTs, which was a trip! Take the time to learn the instruments and burs etc. This will surely help you later on.
Good luck!!!

 

[Duriel]

smelling rancid teeth - wear a mask

Masks are worthless for smells

 

[HeyCharlie]

bloody trays - wear gloves

splattering saliva - wear a face shield

smelling rancid teeth - wear a mask

getting a great opportunity for 1 on 1 mentoring in your dream job in exchange for a little help around the place - lucky deal

Assisting experience won't make you the greatest dental student/dentist. However, it will help you to better stomach the "unpleasantries" of dentistry. Or you can start screaming like prepubescent Charlie at the sight of blood and saliva.

If the office has some slow time (i.e. no patients) and you find yourself with nothing to do, you can always go up to the front desk and take the initiative to help file charts or so. You should ask the front desk how DMOs, PPOs, care credit, etc. work. You can see what exactly needs to be done to collect insurance payments. You can get a general feel for how much procedures cost. The dentist will appreciate you going the extra mile, and will be more likely to go the extra mile for you.

It's too bad some people are clueless when it comes to recognizing when a post is meant to be playful and facetious. I really wonder about some future dentists and how they'll be able to understand their patients' needs when they are challenged with basic reading comprehension lol.

 

[HoustonDAT]

Masks are worthless for smells

You can always add a drop of skin safe fragrance oil to the inside of your mask. The scent is so strong that it'll mask any foul aroma.

It's too bad some people are clueless when it comes to recognizing when a post is meant to be playful and facetious. I really wonder about some future dentists and how they'll be able to understand their patients' needs when they are challenged with basic reading comprehension lol.

Sorry dude, I was debating on if your post was sarcasm or not. I figured I'd bite in order to make the point that if anyone is squeamish on spit or blood, they better be pre-something else.

 

[Duriel]

You can always add a drop of skin safe fragrance oil to the inside of your mask. The scent is so strong that it'll mask any foul aroma.

I volunteered at a place that had scented masks... I was in heaven