Registered Dental Assistant or Dental Assistant

Family HealthCare Network•Porterville, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Dental Assistant is responsible for preparing the patient for dental treatment and assisting the dentist with various clinical dental procedures. This role involves supporting and monitoring patient flow in the back office, preparing appointments in advance, and assisting in the distribution of patients among dental providers. The assistant will keep patients informed of wait times and ensure proper system flow. Understanding general front office workflows is necessary, with the ability to support the front office and schedule appointments when needed. The position also includes performing various initial aspects of the patient visit, such as greeting patients, escorting them to the operatory, obtaining vital signs, reviewing health records, and ensuring consent forms are completed. Key responsibilities include operating dental radiographic equipment, disinfecting and preparing the operatory, sterilizing instruments, and assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures. The assistant will ensure patient comfort, provide post-treatment instructions, and offer oral health education. Additional duties include taking impressions, applying topical agents, removing dressings, applying fluoride, placing and removing rubber dams, and placing/removing matrices. The role also involves preparing and stocking operatories, monitoring supplies, discarding biohazard waste, and performing regular testing and cleaning of sterilization equipment and water lines. The assistant may also assist in other operatories or the front office as needed.

Requirements

Proof of completing a Radiation Safety Course.
Ability to prepare more complex documents in Microsoft Word, including creating tables, charts, graphs and other elements.
Ability to use Microsoft Excel to review and compile data, including the use of formulas, functions, lookup tables and other standard spreadsheet elements.
Ability to create basic presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Dental Assistant certification.
Valid CA driver’s license.
Job duties require the compilation of information prepared in effective written form, including correspondence, reports, articles or other documentation.
Effectively conveys technical information to non-technical audiences.
Regularly required to sit and use repetitive hand movement to type and grasp.
Frequently required to stand or walk.
Occasionally bend waist, twist waist, squat, climb, kneel, reach above shoulder height as well as below shoulder height, and/or move items up to 20 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Possesses work-related skills at a higher level than completion of high school, including formal written and verbal communications skills, computational and computer skills, mathematical, technical or health care related knowledge frequently acquired through completion of a trade school, para-professional, or certificate type program.

Responsibilities

Supporting and monitoring patient flow in the back office.
Scrubs appointments in advance to ensure proper lab cases, finances, and information is available for the patient visit.
Assists in the distribution of patients among dental providers, including walk-ins.
Keeps patients informed of wait times and ensures patients are properly flowed in the system.
Understands general front office workflows and is able to step in to support the front office when needed, and schedule patient appointments.
Greets patients in the reception area and escorts the patient to the dental operatory.
Obtains vital signs and patient data.
Reviews health record with the patient and updates clinical information such as current medications, allergies, medical and surgical histories.
Performs documentation in the patient’s electronic health record according to policy and training.
Assures completion of consent forms and signatures.
Operation of dental radiographic equipment for the purpose of oral radiography.
Disinfects/prepares the operatory, and sets up trays and dental armamentarium for treatment.
Sterilizing instruments under infection control protocol.
Assisting the dentist during a variety of dental treatment procedures: charting, restorative, prosthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, periodontics and pedodontics.
Assures patients feel comfortable before, during and after dental treatment.
Provides patients with instructions for oral care following surgery or other dental treatment procedures.
Provides oral health education and oral hygiene instruction as needed.
Explains as necessary dental treatment or procedures to the patient when questions are asked.
Take impressions for diagnostic and opposing models, bleaching trays, temporary crowns and bridges, and sports guards with proper pour-ups.
Apply non-aerosol and non-caustic topical agents.
Remove post-extraction and periodontal dressings.
Apply topical fluoride, after scaling and polishing by the dentist/RDA.
Place and remove rubber dams.
Place wedge and remove matrices.
Communicates with patients and suppliers (i.e., scheduling appointments, ordering supplies, coordinating equipment repairs, etc.)
Preparing and stocking dental operatories and monitoring adequate supplies in stock.
Discarding of Biohazard waste and sharps.
Accountable for weekly testing and weekly/monthly cleaning of sterilization equipment.
Responsible for daily and weekly cleaning of water lines in the dental operatory units.
Maintaining accurate and timely logs.
Assists in other operatories or in front office if time allows or need is determined by the supervisor.
Performs other duties as assigned or required for quality of care.
Performs other duties as assigned.