Dental
assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory duties.
They work chairside as dentists examine and treat patients. They make
patients as comfortable as possible in the dental chair, prepare them
for treatment, and obtain their dental records.
Assistants
hand instruments and materials to dentists and keep patients’ mouths
dry and clear by using suction or other devices. Assistants also sterilize
and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare trays of instruments
for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative and general
oral health care.
Some
dental assistants prepare materials for impressions and restorations as
directed by a dentist. They also may remove sutures, apply topical anesthetics
to gums or cavity-preventive agents to teeth, remove excess cement used
in the filling process, and place rubber dams on the teeth to isolate
them for individual treatment. |
