Dental Assistant Salary
A dental assistant salary will range from 12 to 21 dollars per hour with the median annual salary of a dental assistant being 33,324 dollars. Dental assistant salaries will also depend on the number of hours that a person puts in and many assistants also supplement their income by taking part time jobs with different dentists to get additional earnings. A dental assistant salary should also include other benefits such as paid holidays and vacation, free dental care, paid sick leave, the 401[k] pension plan, uniform allowance and health insurance.
Many dental assistant jobs provide regular work and one might only have to work for 3 or 4 days of the week. Since the work of a dental assistant is to provide an extra set of hands to the dentist, a good dental assistant can expect to receive regular pay increase, if he or she proves invaluable to the dentist.
The size of a dental assistant’s salary also depends on the skills that have been acquired by the assistant and the location of the clinic in which they work As with any profession, a good dental assistant should see a progressive rise in his or her salary as their skill level improves with time and experience.
Dental assistants have different work requirements as compared to dental hygienists and after the treatment. They also provide information to the patients regarding post-operative care and methods to maintain general oral health. They also need to take dental x-rays and to process them, place rubber dams during dental treatment, take out excessive cement or other fillers used during the filling process, and also help in removing sutures after dental surgeries. A dentist might pay a decent dental assistant salary, if he or she sees good potential in the assistant.
To become a dental assistant, one might have to complete a dental program, which would include theory and practical training in a laboratory and also internship in a dental clinic. Most programs last up to 1 year and there is a certificate or a diploma awarded upon successful completion. All programs require a high school diploma or any equivalent form of education and some require additional science related courses before admission.
Private schools also offer short term courses, but they are not recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Different states have different requirements on the licensure, registration and the certification required by the dental assistant for him or her to operate. Dental assistant jobs are projected to grow at the fastest rate of 29% from 2006 to 2016, according to reports.