Supervisor Dental Assistant - Claremore Clinic

Cherokee Nation•Claremore, OK

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisor Dental Assistant provides direct supervision and instruction to assigned staff while performing chair-side assistance and dental therapist functions within the boundaries of documented education, training, supervised experience, professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience. The position provides health care services to eligible individuals in accordance with the self-governance compact and funding agreement between the Cherokee Nation and the United States under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The role includes planning and distributing daily work, scheduling adequate support for dentists, training staff, overseeing clinic supplies, assisting with examinations and procedures, recording information, taking and processing radiographs, and performing basic laboratory tasks. Duties also include oral hygiene and nutrition instruction, placing restorations in teeth prepared by a dentist, and carrying out certified coronal polishing, sealant, and nitrous oxide assistance functions as applicable. The position follows infection-control and personal protective equipment requirements and complies with applicable rules for record security, retention, and confidentiality.

Requirements

High school education or a general education degree (GED).
Four additional years of experience.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to present information effectively and respond to questions from managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Ability to calculate figures and amounts including discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume, and apply basic algebra and geometry.
Ability to solve practical problems involving a variety of concrete variables where standardization is limited.
Ability to interpret written, oral, diagrammatic, or scheduled instructions.
Obtain a Dental Assistant Permit from the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry within 30 days of employment and maintain it throughout employment.
Obtain any required permits issued by the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry; existing expanded-duty permits for coronal polishing, sealants, or assisting in nitrous oxide administration need not be re-registered.
Certifications must be obtained through a program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or an Indian Health Service Facility and maintained throughout employment.
Meet and maintain pre-employment and periodic background investigation and adjudication requirements for child care.

Responsibilities

Provide direct supervision and instruction to assigned staff.
Practice only within the boundaries of competence established by documented education, training, supervised experience, professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience.
Plan daily work distribution and organize schedules to provide adequate support staff for scheduled dentists.
Provide training and supervise ongoing training for assigned staff.
Oversee clinic supply maintenance, maintain supplies, and order replacements as needed.
Provide chair-side assistance and accurately record examination information and treatment performed.
Take, expose, develop, and record pertinent information on radiographs.
Set up dental instruments and materials for examinations and procedures.
Clean and polish teeth and apply topical fluoride to help prevent cavities.
Take impressions, pour and trim casts for study models, and perform other basic laboratory procedures as needed.
Provide chair-side assistance to staff members as needed.
Clean, disinfect, and sterilize instruments, equipment, countertops, and related facilities.
Describe treatments and procedures to patients and provide oral hygiene and nutrition instruction.
Place restorations in teeth prepared by the dentist according to established standards.
When coronal-polishing certified, polish coronal tooth surfaces or prepare teeth for band cementation or bracket bonding; identify calculus, plaque, and stains; apply disclosing agents, fluoride, and desensitizing agents as directed; assess removal of plaque and stains; maintain the polishing armamentarium; and maintain aseptic techniques.
When sealant certified, place pit and fissure sealants on permanent and primary teeth as directed; assess patients, prepare and isolate teeth, educate patients or parents, use dental materials appropriately, follow infection-control practices, and maintain the sealant armamentarium.
When nitrous-oxide certified, assist a dentist or dental hygienist with nitrous oxide administration, patient assessment and monitoring, return to pre-administration status, and post-operative care and instructions; maintain CPR. Dental assistants do not administer nitrous oxide.
Follow personal protective equipment guidelines.
Comply with applicable state and federal regulations governing the security, safety, and confidentiality of behavioral health records.
Maintain verifiable records at an institution or facility with a published records-retention policy meeting or exceeding applicable federal, tribal, and state requirements.
Maintain confidentiality of client information unless disclosure is authorized in writing or required by law or court order.
Provide Human Resources with copies of licenses and certifications, including renewals, upon receipt.