I am currently working as an assistant in my gap year! I would highly recommend as I feel I have learned a great deal that I will ~hopefully~ carry with me into my potential career as a dentist! I would say the most important thing is finding a dentist that is patient, kind, and willing to work with you. I was lucky enough to find a dentist that hired me soon after undergrad with only shadowing as my prior experience. It definitely can be stressful and demanding, especially in the beginning, but it is extremely rewarding. Again, I was trained completely on the job and this can be hard to come by so do not get frustrated if it takes some time to find a dentist willing to train you! Additionally, you may be required to take a radiology course to obtain your x-ray certification. Luckily, we have other assistants at my office with this certification so I just do not take x-rays
The dentist that I work for cared more about my DAT score than taking bitewings. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions!