Dental Assistant Degrees: Growing Demand Makes Dental School Students Say Ah!

There's a reason many dental school students have big smiles (and it's not just that they get free dental care). The reason is this: the US Department of Labor projects that two of the fastest growing occupations are Dental Assistant and Dental Hygienist.

The fact is that an aging population is keeping their teeth longer, and needs more dental care. Today's dentists seek to delegate as many routine tasks as possible, such as cleaning and preventive care, to dental assistants and dental hygienists. Dentists can then concentrate on more challenging and profitable tasks.

The result is that job opportunities are abundant if you're interested in becoming a dental assistant or dental hygienist.

Dental Assistant: the First Line of Care
As a Dental Assistant, you're likely to be one of the first people patients meet. Your job is to prepare them and make them feel comfortable. Among your duties, you might

• take the patient's medical history, blood pressure and pulse
• take and develop x-rays
• prepare and sterilize instruments
• work alongside and assist the dentist as needed
• and more.

A good dental school can train you to be a dental assistant in less than one year. That's a quick way to get the satisfaction of a career that helps people feel better.

Dental Hygienists: Licensed to Clean
As a dental hygienist, you have additional training that helps you leave the world a cleaner place every day. You're a licensed oral health professional, focused on preventing and treating oral diseases. On the job you might

• Review your patient's health history and dental chart, conduct an oral cancer screening and take and record blood pressure
• Expose, process, and interpret dental X-rays
• Clean teeth using a variety of methods
• Apply cavity-preventive agents such as fluorides and sealants to the teeth
• Teach patients proper oral hygiene techniques to maintain healthy teeth and gums

To become a hygienist, you need to take one of the accredited dental hygiene education programs in a college or university. You also need to take written and clinical exams before you can practice.

Sources:
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Dental Assistant:http://bls.gov/oco/ocos163.htm
American Dental Association on Dental Assistant: http://www.ada.org/public/education/careers/assistant_bro.asp
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Dental Hygienist: http://bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm
American Dental Hygienist Assocation: http://www.adha.org/
Facts about Being A Dental Hygientist: http://www.adha.org/careerinfo/dh_facts.htm