POSITION PURPOSE: Dental assistants greatly increase the dentist's efficiency in delivering quality oral health care and are valuable dental care team members.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND BASIC DUTIES:
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Assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures.
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Taking and developing dental radiographs (x-rays).
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Asking about the patient’s medical history and taking blood pressure and pulse.
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Serving as an infection control officer, developing infection control protocol, and preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment.
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Helping patients feel comfortable before, during, and after dental treatment.
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Providing patients with instructions for oral care following surgery or other dental treatment procedures, such as placing a restoration (filling).
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Teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health. (e.g., tooth brushing, flossing, and nutritional counseling).
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Taking impressions of patient’s teeth for study casts (models of teeth).
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Performing office management tasks that often require the use of a personal computer.
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Communicating with patients and suppliers (e.g., scheduling appointments, answering the telephone, billing, and ordering supplies).
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Helping to provide direct patient care in all dental specialties, including orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and oral surgery.
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Other duties as assigned.
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Evaluates the effectiveness of the care given by interdisciplinary care, identifies problems, and guides team members in their solution.
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Participates in training, orientation, competency assessment, and education of new employees.
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Communicates clearly, concisely, and accurately, creating a working climate that provides growth and job satisfaction for personnel.
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Serves as a resource person to other staff in the area of one’s own clinical expertise.
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Acts professionally, reflecting the mission of the Community Health Center, and demonstrates compliance with all policies, procedures, and federal/state regulations.
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Demonstrates ongoing service excellence skills.
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Maintains economical and efficient Dental Assistance care in a clean and safe environment.
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Participate in performance improvement activities as requested.
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Demonstrates ongoing understanding of corporate compliance policy.
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Participates in meetings and conferences and demonstrates a genuine desire to develop strategies for improved clinic operations and a high level of patient care.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
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Demonstrates ability to consistently perform job duties as outlined in the job description.
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Demonstrates and supports service excellence standards outlined in the Employee Handbook.
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Demonstrates commitment to professional growth and competence.
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Demonstrates compliance with patient confidentiality 100% of the time.
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Handwriting is legible 100% of the time.
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Knowledge of the Dentrix software program
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Familiar with insurance coverages.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:
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High school diploma or equivalent
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Dental Assistant Certification from an accredited school
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PA Certification/Registration
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X-Ray Certification
Experience:
Three (3) years of dental assisting experience
