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A Career in Dental Assisting - A great job, in a great environment, with a great future
Do you enjoy helping people? Do you love to watch them smile? Have you always wanted to work in a fun and fast paced environment where you can make a real difference? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then a career in the growing field of dental office assisting may be the right choice for you. Even as manufacturing and other parts of the economy continue to struggle, the need for health care remains strong. That strength translates into a growing need for trained and qualified medical staff - not only nurses, doctors and dentists but all of the support staff who are vital to keeping those practices up and running.
The truth is that few medical offices would be able to function without the dedicated hard work of their support staffs. From office managers and file clerks to specialists like medical coders and dental assistants, medical practices rely on the expertise and knowledge of their staff to process insurance billings, schedule tests and procedures and make sure patients arrive for their appointments on time. Without this dedicated support, few medical and dental practices would be able to function as efficiently as the patient's in our nation deserve.
The role of a Dental Assistant
The role of the medical assistant or dental assistant is one of huge importance and one of the most critical parts of the practice. The dental industry has changed a great deal in recent years, and those changes have greatly impacted the way the typical dentist does business.
The strong emphasis on prevention of cavities through good nutrition and fastidious dental hygiene has paid off in a big way, and the result is a shift in the number and types of dental procedures. Currently dentists do a lot of cosmetic procedures like tooth whitening, bleaching, adult braces and the like. These procedures are quite different from the old standard of endless tooth fillings and crowns, and these procedures also require a different type of support structure. A qualified dental office assistant can be a godsend in such a changing world.
In addition to the changes in the variety of dental procedures being performed, there has also been a marked shift in the way those procedures are paid for. The world of dental insurance has changed a great deal, and many dentists are feeling the pinch in the form of reduced reimbursements, stricter billing rules and the need to see more and more patients in order to keep the practice profitable. That means more of the day to day tasks of the office, from greeting new patients to billing the insurance companies for their care, falls to the dental office assistant. With so much riding on their shoulders it is easy to see why this career offers both superior job security and above average wages. If you are looking for a career instead of just another job you may want to see what dental office assisting is all about.
