Dental Assistant (51499)

HealthLinc•La Porte, IN

20d•Onsite

About The Position

This role involves a tiered approach to dental assistance, with responsibilities scaling from basic patient care and radiography to advanced restorative procedures and administrative tasks. As a Dental Assistant I, the focus is on patient preparation, vital signs, basic oral inspections, radiography, charting, preventive education, and assisting with basic restorative and surgical procedures. Dental Assistant II expands on these duties by including the placement and shaping of composite resin restorations, ordering supplies, inventory tracking, and facilitating equipment repairs. Dental Assistant III encompasses all duties of Levels I and II, with added responsibilities in directing billing tasks, training junior assistants, and monitoring dental schedules. All levels are expected to adhere to HealthLinc's quality improvement initiatives and complete assigned training.

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 (not required but highly preferred for DA I but 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
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
Bilingual in Spanish
Ability to follow HealthLinc policies and procedures

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.
Using the concepts of four-handed dentistry, assists with basic restorative and intraoral surgical procedures, including prosthodontics, restorative dentistry extractions, periodontics, and endodontics.
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.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Placing, packing and carving of amalgam restorations.
Places and shapes composite resin restorations.
Applies liners and bases.
Performs pulp capping procedures.
Precepts dental assistant externs.
Orders supplies and tracks inventory.
Tracks lab cases and manages invoices.
Facilitates and tracks Dental Equipment repairs.
Completes all assigned Relias training on time.
Performs all the duties of Dental Assistant I and Dental Assistant II.
Directs billing tasks to appropriate personnel.
Trains Dental Assistant I.
Collaboratively monitors dental schedules.