Working as a dental assistant without a license

[swindoll]

Has anyone had any experience with this? I have at least 6 months until ds starts, and getting a job in a dental office would be ideal. Do you guys have any suggestions? Thank you!

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[JLT223]

Every state is different. I worked as one in NY without any certification.

 

[Confused1617]

Yep!
I work as one and don't have a certificate. When I was shadowing, I had the assistants teAch me everything and when I finished my 100 hours I started working full time at another office. I take X-rays, prophy and sealants. Just find someone willing to hire you. My pay is low though so I think that's why the dentist doesn't mind!

 

[zoey1234]

I've been working as an assistant without a certificate for three years. It depends on the state. The pay will be lower but since you have only 6 months left, it's not worth it to spend money and study for one. Most offices like to hire and train pre-dents cause they pay us less for same labor.

 

[okiedokeartichoke]

I've also been working as an assistant without certification. I was luckily offered the job after shadowing a dentist for a few weeks. The other dental assistants have been happy enough to train me on certain things. I'm also not paid much though, but then again, I don't do as much as the other DA's since I'm still a beginner. If you really want to work in the dental office, perhaps you could see if the dentists you've shadowed are hiring. If not, Craigslist is great to sift through.

 

[ncide]

In my state of Washington you need to register with the department of health prior to practicing.