what's a reasonable salary for a dental assistant?

[savvysearch]

Does anyone know what a reasonable asking price is for the job of a dental assistant? I have about 6 months experience at a free-clinic. I'm thinking about $15/hr. Is that asking too much?

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[jmill0]

Does anyone know what a reasonable asking price is for the job of a dental assistant? I have about 6 months experience at a free-clinic. I'm thinking about $15/hr. Is that asking too much?

I guess it depends on where you are. If someone walked into my office with only six months experience and asked for $15, I'd thank them for coming in.

For $15 an hour, you sure as heck better be certified as an assistant, have a coronal polishing certificate and nitrous monitoring and be able to place restorations if you have six months experience. If you can't do all that, you're expecting too much. Hell, I pay a gal with 30+ years experience with all that stuff minus the restoring teeth (not legal in my state) $18 an hour and she's be best assistant I've ever had.

I'd start someone that was certified with six months experience at about $10-12 and hour. Without certification they would get about $8 as they can pretty much just suck spit... I can get anyone to do that.....

Just my opinion.......

 

[aphistis]

Does anyone know what a reasonable asking price is for the job of a dental assistant? I have about 6 months experience at a free-clinic. I'm thinking about $15/hr. Is that asking too much?

Here's a helpful thread from the Dental forum that might help you out: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=253414

 

[polarnut]

for los angeles, i'd say around $11.

 

[La Miraflorina]

Does anyone know what a reasonable asking price is for the job of a dental assistant? I have about 6 months experience at a free-clinic. I'm thinking about $15/hr. Is that asking too much?

It all depends on what you can do and where you are living. In FL, a certified assistant can make $17-20+/hr while a non-certified assistant makes $8-12, as far as I know. I think FL, in general, pays less than other states so your best bet would be to look up salary averages in your area.

 

[savvysearch]

I should mention Im in OC, California. Well, that probably means that it's out of the question for me. I don't want to make anything less than 13/hr.

So how much should I ask for a lab technician job that is non-dental? I have a BS in biology.

 

[trust068]

i think in CA $13 is average and $15 would consider as high pay. you should be happy that if they would pay you $10 per hour considering you dont have any certificate. $8 will be a more realistic value tho.

Dental tech need certificate and training too. biology BS doesnt mean anything to them....they only want people with good hands

 

[MissingPolaris]

I have been working as dental assistant for alittle more than two years with NO certifications still and getting paid $16/hour. I live in Texas. Some offices are looking for more than just certifications and experiences, personalities and attitudes are very important. Also, it depends on area/location of the office and patient pool. If the office is a medicaid office, maybe lower. If u work for cosmetic dentist, maybe higher. Many other factors.

 

[dentalstudent99]

Does anyone know what a reasonable asking price is for the job of a dental assistant? I have about 6 months experience at a free-clinic. I'm thinking about $15/hr. Is that asking too much?

ASSISTANTS WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE RARELY GET OVER $12/HOUR.

WORKING AT A CLINIC IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

 

[SirShagaLot]

ONE MEELLLLLLLLYYYYUUUUUUUUUUNN dollars!!!!!!

 

[kew]

In Logan UT, which is about the worst place to work as a dental assistant, I topped out at $7.50 after 2.5 years. I was the fastest and best dentist he said he had ever seen in all his years of practice (22 yrs). I was his only assistant and ran the whole show with a full schedule every day. I took pride in how well I did and wanted to prove to myself every day how proficient I could be. I taught myself how much a dental assistant really could do if they had to. This will help me out of dental school. It will also help me to know how to pay the good ones to keep them around. A good dental assistant can make the world of difference in an office. I do agree that they need their pay, but when you get stingy with how much you ask for, it's a pretty big turn-off if that's the way you start it off. I would approach it more like, "Hey, this is what I think I'm worth, but I'm willing to start lower because I understand that you should probably see it for yourself before you actually give me that amount." Then make sure it's mentioned when the re-evaluation should take place and you can go from there. At least by that time, they know they want you and they are willing to pay you more to keep you around. That is....if you are everything you claimed to be. I on the other hand didn't know how good I would be, and they just enjoyed the cheap labor for as long as they could. Cheap bastarrdds.

 

[Dutchboy]

In Logan UT, which is about the worst place to work as a dental assistant, I topped out at $7.50 after 2.5 years. I was the fastest and best dentist he said he had ever seen in all his years of practice (22 yrs). I was his only assistant and ran the whole show with a full schedule every day. I took pride in how well I did and wanted to prove to myself every day how proficient I could be. I taught myself how much a dental assistant really could do if they had to. This will help me out of dental school. It will also help me to know how to pay the good ones to keep them around. A good dental assistant can make the world of difference in an office. I do agree that they need their pay, but when you get stingy with how much you ask for, it's a pretty big turn-off if that's the way you start it off. I would approach it more like, "Hey, this is what I think I'm worth, but I'm willing to start lower because I understand that you should probably see it for yourself before you actually give me that amount." Then make sure it's mentioned when the re-evaluation should take place and you can go from there. At least by that time, they know they want you and they are willing to pay you more to keep you around. That is....if you are everything you claimed to be. I on the other hand didn't know how good I would be, and they just enjoyed the cheap labor for as long as they could. Cheap bastarrdds.

Utah dentists are cheap!! My friends wife is making simular pay to what you posted in South Jordan Utah. But my wife works for a dentist who pays her 15 bucks an hour in the same city. So I guess it really depends on who you work for and if they are a cheap ass.

 

[HermeytheElf]

Even with a couple years of experience, I'd say between 10 and 12 dollars and hour is pushing it. Another thing to keep in mind is that every dental office does things differently, so your experience really isnt going to help you that much. I know lots of dentists who would much rather hire someone with little or no experience than someone whos been a dental assistant at another office for 10 years...they say its easier to train someone who doesnt know what theyre doing than for someone whos been around to unlearn everything from their last office and learn how things are done at the new office.

 

[dentalstudent99]

In Logan UT, which is about the worst place to work as a dental assistant, I topped out at $7.50 after 2.5 years. I was the fastest and best dentist he said he had ever seen in all his years of practice (22 yrs). I was his only assistant and ran the whole show with a full schedule every day. I took pride in how well I did and wanted to prove to myself every day how proficient I could be. I taught myself how much a dental assistant really could do if they had to. This will help me out of dental school. It will also help me to know how to pay the good ones to keep them around. A good dental assistant can make the world of difference in an office. I do agree that they need their pay, but when you get stingy with how much you ask for, it's a pretty big turn-off if that's the way you start it off. I would approach it more like, "Hey, this is what I think I'm worth, but I'm willing to start lower because I understand that you should probably see it for yourself before you actually give me that amount." Then make sure it's mentioned when the re-evaluation should take place and you can go from there. At least by that time, they know they want you and they are willing to pay you more to keep you around. That is....if you are everything you claimed to be. I on the other hand didn't know how good I would be, and they just enjoyed the cheap labor for as long as they could. Cheap bastarrdds.

Realistically, how much should an assistant make to sit and do suction? They get the trays ready, do preps and clean instruments. thats what? 1 step up from a janitor sweeping floors? Any monkey can do it. Its easily learned by just shadowing a dentist. Therefore, there are little to no skills necessary and it should not pay more. People bagging groceries at Krogers work harder than a dental assistant does and they make even less. Its merely a job for the uneducated. sorry if the truth gets to anyone. Jobs where you can learn how to fully function within 2 weeks are not going to pay more than $10 ever. Sorry.

 

[Cyclysm]

Realistically, how much should an assistant make to sit and do suction? They get the trays ready, do preps and clean instruments. thats what? 1 step up from a janitor sweeping floors? Any monkey can do it. Its easily learned by just shadowing a dentist. Therefore, there are little to no skills necessary and it should not pay more. People bagging groceries at Krogers work harder than a dental assistant does and they make even less. Its merely a job for the uneducated. sorry if the truth gets to anyone. Jobs where you can learn how to fully function within 2 weeks are not going to pay more than $10 ever. Sorry.

that is pretty much the attitude that makes a dentist terrible to work for. the assitants, hygienist, and desk staff are what make an office run. think about trying to run a practice without them. i would rather mop floors than work for somebody with your attitude. hopefully it changes once you actually have a hint of experience.

 

[makushin]

.

 

[kew]

Bump

 

[kew]

Realistically, how much should an assistant make to sit and do suction? They get the trays ready, do preps and clean instruments. thats what? 1 step up from a janitor sweeping floors? Any monkey can do it. Its easily learned by just shadowing a dentist. Therefore, there are little to no skills necessary and it should not pay more. People bagging groceries at Krogers work harder than a dental assistant does and they make even less. Its merely a job for the uneducated. sorry if the truth gets to anyone. Jobs where you can learn how to fully function within 2 weeks are not going to pay more than $10 ever. Sorry.

You're right, the assistant you described can be done by anyone with two hands and half a brain. Which is what most assistants I believe deserve. But there are a select few that go way above and beyond the norm and actually dictate everything that really goes on in the office. They're calling patients, they're ordering and checking inventory, they're fitting in extra patients because they know they can handle it, (which puts a few hundred dollars extra in the Doctor's pocket each day), they're improvising half of the day with all the different things the doctor could do to certain patients, they're sending things off to lab and receiving them and calling to make sure they'll be there on time, they're doing impressions, pouring them up, and actually making the night guards or bleach treys, they're entering and updating information into the computer about the patients, they're getting to know the patients and making them feel comfortable so that they come back, they're answering the patients questions, they're taking x-rays, they're mounting the x-rays, OHH YEAHH and YOU'RE RIGHT THEY ARE SUCTIONING AND CLEANING, ......but I guess that's just the same as bagging groceries. You can go ahead and hire the grocery bag worker to work for you, since that's all you really expect out of your assistant. I'll hire my kind of assistant and watch happy optimists like yourself figure it out the hard way, that is if you ever figure it out at all.

 

[litlmisa]

As an assistant I have been able to make in a private practice $18 an hour in general and over $20 in specialty (in Oregon). BUT-I am fully certified (CDA, EFDA, EFODA) and have over five years of experience. I think pay should reflect what you can do and what you are responsible for. Someone who is just chairside will get less than someone who does all the chairside duties, plus ordering, inventory, charting, minor billing, hospital cases, and/or the lead postion in charge of a team.

An assistant can be just an extra set of hands or they can be a very vital part of the practice. A good assistant will reflect a good team and good treatment to the patient. Remember that they are usually the first one to talk to the patient, explain the planned treatment, and be there as another resource for the patient to use. Many patients will ask the Doc and get answers they don't really understand and often they will ask the assistant to clear the questions up when the doc is out of the op. Some people are afraid or intimidated by doctors, assistants are who they will talk to.

An assistant will help your practice run smoothly taking care of minor bumps in the road or they can become a pain in the ass if they are incompetent. A good assistant is one worth hanging on to and paying well. Some assistants (just like people in all jobs) don't have pride in the work that they do and screw it up for those of us that do.

 

[TucsonDDS]

Pay your assistant what you think they are worth. If you think they are worth $6/hr, let them know that is what you are going to pay them. Then when the next assistant says they want 7 you can turn them down and wait for another to apply. Eventually you will get one that will work for $6/hr and life will be grand. Then you will have to fire them when they come in drunk, feel up the sedated women, notice the high speed on ebay looks suspiciously familiar. People on this forum need to realize that assistants, hygeinists and front office personel are vital to a well run practice. Sure you can do it all yourself, after all how hard is it to suck spit but I think all you people will realize that it is a waste of your time to sterilize equiptment and set up ops when you can pay someone else 14/hr to do it.