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Dental assistants are important members of the dental health team, sitting shoulder to shoulder with dentists and hygienists as they assist on basic, to involved, dental procedures. Dental assistants need to have good manual dexterity, the ability to learn the anatomy and physiology of the mouth and the personality to work with patients, many of who are very frightened, in a calm manner. Dental assistants have a relatively good job outlook, though the position is not as in-demand, and doesn’t pay as well as other allied health positions.



Featured Dental Assistant Schools

Allied College

Locations In Fenton & Maryland Heights, Missouri
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Antonelli College

Located in Jackson, Mississippi
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ATI Career Training Center

Locations Include Cities In:
Oklahoma & Texas
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ATI College of Health

Located in Miami, Florida
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Berks Technical Institute

Located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
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Career Centers of Texas

Locations Include:
Corpus Christi & El Paso, Texas
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Central Florida Institute, Inc

Locations: Orlando & Palm Harbor, FLorida
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Charter College

Canyon Country, California
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Daymar Institute

Programs In Tennessee Including:

Murfeesboro, TN
Nashville, TN
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Everest College

Offers Several Programs Including Dental Assisting In Various Cities Across Multiple States.

Locations Include: California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, and Virgina.
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Everest Institute

Offers Several Programs Including Dental Assisting At Various Locations Including:

Austin, Texas
Brighton, Massachusetts
Dearborn, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Houston, Texas
Jonesboro, Georgia
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Norcross, Georgia
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High-Tech Institute

Several Programs Including Dental Assistant Offered At Various Locations Including:

Irving, Texas
Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, Nevada
Nashville, Tennessee
Orlando, Florida
Sacramento, California
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Illinois School of Health Careers

Chicago, Illinois
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IntelliTec College

Grand Junction & Pueblo, Colorado
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IntelliTec Medical Institute

Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Kaplan Career Institute

Offering Several Programs Including Dental Assistant.

Locations Include:
Boston, Massachusetts
Dearborn, Michigan
San Antonio, Texas
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Kaplan University - Omaha

Located in Omaha, Nebraska And Offering Several Programs Including Dental Assistant.
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Kaplan College

Offers Dental Assistant Programs At Various Locations Including Several In: California and Texas.
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Medical Careers Institute

Offering Various Medical Career Programs Including: Dental Assisting

Locations Include:
Newport News, Virginia
Richmond (West End), VA
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Miami-Jacobs Career College

Offers Various Degrees Including:
Dental Assisting - Associate Degree Of Applied Science

Locations Include:
Springboro, Ohio
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Miami-Jacobs Career College - Columbus/Sharronville

Miami-Jacobs Career College, formerly The Academy of Court Reporting

Offers Various Degrees Including:
Dental Assisting - Associate Of Applied Science Degree

Locations Include:
Columbus, Ohio Sharonville, Ohio
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Milan Institute

Locations Include:
Amarillo, Texas
Boise, Idaho
Nampa, Idaho
Sparks, Nevada
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San Joaquin Valley College

Offers Dental Assisting Programs At Various Campus Locations In California.
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Texas School of Business

Several locations around Houston, Texas
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The Bryman School

Phoenix, Arizona
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Thompson Institute

Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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UEI College

Locations Include:
Chula Vista, California Huntington Park, CA Ontario, CA San Diego, CA Van Nuys, CA
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UEI

Featured Program: Dental Assistant

Locations Include:
Jacksonville, Florida
Morrow, Georgia
*Formerly known as Advanced Career Training (ACT)
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Vatterott College

You can train for a new career in an environment that blends classroom instruction with hands-on training!
Programs Include: Dental Assistant Diploma

Featured Locations:
Omaha, Nebraska
Springfield, Missouri
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The requirements to become a dental assistant vary significantly by state. Many vocational and community colleges offer one year certification programs. Other states require two year’s associate degrees. To be admitted, candidates generally need a high school diploma or a GED. As part of your education, you will likely learn anatomy, physiology, instrumentation, radiology and infection control. Additionally, you will be graded on your clinical time when you will display the skills you have practiced in a classroom setting. Many employers will want you to be a certified or registered dental assistant that involves passing a national exam and proving your educational background. Dental assistants are responsible for caring for and cleaning dental instrumentation, making sure it is sterile and in good repair. They will also set up instrumentation in the proper order for various procedures and pass that to the dentist or hygienist. They may help develop X-rays, assist the dentist with extractions and may be responsible for basic tasks like cleaning patient rooms.




Because patients are often frightened and are of all ages, dental assistants need to have very calm and reassuring personalities. They need to have good manual dexterity and eyesight as well to manage instrumentation. It is extremely important that they enjoy working as part of a team. They may be exposed to x-ray radiation, but the job is not terribly physically demanding. Much of the assistant’s day is spent sitting on a stool beside the dentist. Dental assistants have a starting pay of about $12.50 an hour, increasing to about $14 per hour after a few years. Most dental assistants are employed by private dental practices and thus benefits vary significantly. Many dental assistants have limited benefits. The larger practices and clinics offer more in the way of paid vacation and insurance than smaller practices. Unless you work in a 24-hour emergency dental clinic, working hours are generally reasonable although there may be some evening and Saturday work. Dental practice environments are generally pleasant and well-lit and your work “wardrobe” will usually consist of very affordable scrub uniforms. Some dental assistants specialize, working in orthodontics, children’s practices, oral surgery or cosmetic dentistry. Additionally, some seek to further their education and become dental hygienists or dentists themselves. What are the disadvantages of pursuing a career as a dental assistant? Working with frightened clientele, lower than average job pay and benefits, and an allied health field that is not as in-demand as others. But there are advantages also, which include limited educational requirements, a pleasant work environment and a sense of pride in what you do.



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