Dental Assistant (51413)

HealthLinc•Michigan City, IN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This role involves various levels of dental assisting responsibilities, from patient preparation and basic procedures to more advanced restorative work and administrative tasks. The Dental Assistant will work closely with the dental staff, contributing to patient care, equipment maintenance, and schedule management. The position emphasizes a commitment to quality improvement and patient-centered care.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
Licensed in the State of Indiana to take dental radiographs or holds a provisional license to be converted to State of Indiana License within 6 months of date of graduation from dental assisting program
Current CPR certification
At least one year of experience as a Dental Assistant (required for DA II and DA III)
Strong organizational and time management skills
Proven ability to work well in a team environment
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Knowledge of dental office practices, procedures and equipment
Knowledge of dental equipment maintenance
Knowledge of dental record keeping
Ability to follow HealthLinc policies and procedures
Operate a multi-line phone system and other office equipment including printers, fax machines, etc.
Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, EHR, online sources, etc.)

Nice To Haves

Graduate of a program for Dental Assistants accredited under the Commission on Dental Accreditations or agency recognized by the US Department of Education
Dental Assisting National Board Certification
At least one year of experience as a Dental Assistant (highly preferred for DA I)
Bilingual in Spanish

Responsibilities

Receives and prepares patients for treatment, including seating, positioning chair, and placing napkin.
Takes and records vital signs.
Identifies intraoral anatomy.
Performs mouth mirror inspection of the oral cavity.
Exposes and evaluates radiographs for diagnostic quality.
Charts existing restorations or conditions.
Provides patient preventive education and oral hygiene instruction.
Applies topical anesthetic to the injection site.
Identifies features of rotary instruments.
Places and removes dental dam.
Maintains field of operation during dental procedures via retraction, suction, irrigation, drying, placing and removing cotton rolls, etc.
Assists with basic restorative and intraoral surgical procedures, including prosthodontics, restorative dentistry, extractions, periodontics, and endodontics, using the concepts of four-handed dentistry.
Transfers dental instruments.
Places and removes matrix bands.
Places amalgam for condensation by the dentist.
Provides pre- and post-operative instructions.
Recognizes and responds to basic medical/dental emergencies such as post-surgical bleeding.
Removes sutures.
Phones in prescriptions at the direction of the dentist.
Takes preliminary impressions.
Selects and manipulates gypsums and waxes.
Mixes dental materials.
Pours, trims, and evaluates the quality of diagnostic casts.
Completes laboratory authorization forms.
Places and removes retraction cord.
Fabricates, places, and removes temporary crowns and cements.
Cleans and polishes removable appliances and prostheses.
Prepares procedural trays/armamentaria set-ups.
Performs sterilization and disinfection procedures.
Performs coronal polishing procedures pending appropriate certification achieved.
Applies topical fluoride and pit and fissure sealants upon achieving appropriate certifications.
Performs routine maintenance of dental equipment.
Maintains emergency kit.
Acts as a backup for the Dental Patient Services Representative as needed.
Engages in quality improvement initiatives that align with and support Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH).
Performs other duties as assigned.
Places, packs, and carves amalgam restorations (Level 2).
Places and shapes composite resin restorations (Level 2).
Applies liners and bases (Level 2).
Performs pulp capping procedures (Level 2).
Precepts dental assistant externs (Level 2).
Orders supplies and tracks inventory (Level 2).
Tracks lab cases and manages invoices (Level 2).
Facilitates and tracks Dental Equipment repairs (Level 2).
Completes all assigned Relias training on time (Level 2 & 3).
Performs all the duties of Dental Assistant I and Dental Assistant II (Level 3).
Directs billing tasks to appropriate personnel (Level 3).
Trains Dental Assistant I (Level 3).
Collaboratively monitors dental schedules (Level 3).