A dental assisting degree can get you started in an exciting field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that dental assistant will be one of the fastest growing occupations in coming years. To begin your career in dental assisting, you will need the proper training.

Training Programs

Training programs for dental assistants are available at community and junior colleges, technical institutes, and trade schools. Make sure that your program is one of the 265 accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. In order to gain admittance to these programs, you need your high school diploma. If you are still completing your high school degree and you know you would like to be a dental assistant, take as many classes as you can in science, health, and computer applications. These courses will prepare you for the demands of the dental assistant curriculum. In a one- to two-year dental assistant degree program, you will take classroom and lab courses and gain clinical experience.

Duties and Salary

Dental assistants can work side-by-side with dentists, in a laboratory, or as administrators in the dental office. Those who work with dentists sterilize instruments, hand dentists instruments as needed, and take x-rays. Dental assistants in laboratories make casts of patients' mouths and build temporary crones. Office dental assistants make appointments, check patients in, and handle the billing for the office. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dental assistants make about $13.62 per hour. Other job perks include paid vacation time, and, of course, dental coverage.

If you are looking for a job that should offer many openings within the next few years, a degree program in dental assisting is a great bet.

Source:
"Dental Assistants," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Online Degrees in Dental Assisting

High-Tech Institute

Dental Assisting Degrees Offered:

Dental Assistant
This program will qualify you to provide instruments and materials to dentists, keep patients’ mouths clear, sterilize instruments and equipment, and prepare tray setups for dental procedures. During a patient exam, you may also instruct patients on proper oral care, remove sutures, apply anesthetics to gums or cavity-preventive agents to teeth, and more.

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Penn Foster Schools

Penn Foster Schools, the largest accredited school of independent home study, offers more than 80 distance education career diploma programs. Students enrolled in these programs have the option of studying online, in print, or through a combination of the two. In addition, Penn Foster Schools offers high school diplomas and 22 different associate degrees. more

Dental Assisting Degrees Offered:

Dental Assistant
As a Dental Assistant, you'll need to know how to manage the dental office, schedule appointments, and update patient records. This program can help you learn these skills and many more. You'll learn valuable skills in courses such as Dental Terminology and Anatomy; Preventive Dentistry and Nutrition; Disease Transmission, Pathology, and Dental Emergencies; Radiology; and Pharmacology and Anesthesiology.

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Allied College

Dental Assisting Degrees Offered:

Dental Assistant
Dental assistants perform various patient care, office and laboratory duties in both small and large dental practices. They’re responsible for making patients as comfortable as possible, preparing them for treatment, and obtaining dental records. In this Associate of Applied Science Degree program, students will learn the fundamentals of dental x-ray, and will gain knowledge of proper laboratory procedures.

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