Every dentist inevitably requires a couple of assistants to perform certain routine tests and tasks, so that he can devote his whole time and energy to the core procedures involved. With the workload of dentists increasing, they are expected to employ even more dental assistants, making this a hot career to target.
As a dental assistant, your job will demand that you perform tasks like sterilizing and disinfecting various equipment and instruments, laying out the materials and instruments required for every patient and managing and updating the patient’s records.
The yearly salary of a dental assistant ranges from $22,270 to $46,150 according to a May 2008 Occupational Employment and Wages survey. The median annual earnings are estimated at $32,380.
Generally, the starting salary for most dental assistants is substantially lower, but with experience and training, the figures are bound to increase. Your average dental assistant salary also depends on whether you are working as a full time or a part time dental assistant. More than 80% of the dentists are known to reimburse their dental assistant’s education fees according to the American Dental Association.
Average Pay for Dental Assistant:
Higher Than You Might Expect
Dental assistant salary ranges also depend on where and what type of industry you are employed in, and if the industry is privately run, or is federal, etc. The current estimates for typical dental assistant salaries are given below:
Type of Industry |
Hourly mean dental assistant wage |
Annual mean dental assistant wage |
Colleges, Universities, professional schools |
$15.56 |
$32,370 |
Federal Executive Branch |
$17.39 |
$36,170 |
Offices of dentists |
$15.96 |
$33,190 |
According to 2006 statistics, there were around 280,000 employed dental assistants. Most dental assistants held jobs in dental offices. A Low number of dental assistants were working in the State, Federal and local government branches or in physicians offices.
Incredible Opportunity For You: Join the Ranks
of One of the Fastest Growing Professions
The job growth for dental assistants is expected to increase at a very fast pace, with a growth of about 29% by 2016! This is very high and near to unheard of.
In fact, employment for dental assistants will surpass many other occupations. So dental assistanting can be quite a lucrative and in-demand job option for you. It's reassuring to know that the job prospects for dental assistants are good now, and are only expected to get better.
Many dental assistant positions are offered as on-the-job training opportunities, which help those who are untrained get experience and knowledge. But most dentists prefer more experienced assistants who might have completed a dental-assisting course.
Certification is a basic requisite when applying for the post of a dental assistant. It represents a candidate’s professional capability and qualifications in the field of dental assisting. It's recommended that candidates undergo some sort of training or an educational course because that will undoubtedly add to their resume, and increase their salary.
The training and certification are perhaps the most important requisites, because any dentist will want to hire an individual who has good knowledge and is adept at this job. Generally the individuals interested in taking up a job as a dental assistant should have studied subjects like biology, health, chemistry etc. They are expected to have undergone some sort of training program for becoming a dental assistant to get a diploma or a certificate to prove the same.
A Dental Assistant is a Dentist's Right Hand
A dental assistant is as good as a dentist’s right hand because the dentist cannot be expected to do every little task like laying the equipment and instruments for every patient, updating the patients’ medical records, cleaning and sterilizing the instruments, etc. The dentists’ requirements are very similar to a surgeon or a doctor and need to be assisted for every small need so that they can focus entirely on treating their patients.
The job profile of a dental assistant demands flexible working hours. It is expected that most would have to devote around 35 – 40 hours of work every week. Depending on the number of hours that you work and number of days that you put in, your salary will vary accordingly.
You can consider a dental assisting job as a means to higher skilled and even better paying jobs. A position as a dental assistant is taken up by many just to help them gain first hand knowledge and experience, helping them in their future endeavours.
Today, people are more aware of proper dental care and the demand for dental services is bound to increase. Due to this, the pressure on dentists to scale up their services will only skyrocket the demand for dental assistants and cause in increase in the dental assisting pay scale over the next few years.
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