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Dental Assisting
No trip to the dentist office would be the same without a highly trained dental assisting staff. As a Dental Assisting student, you will learn to work chair-side with the dentist in the care and treatment of patients. Along with the basic dental laboratory procedures, you will learn dental terminology, the use of instruments and equipment, x-ray procedures, preparation of dental materials, and dental office management skills.
The dental assistant performs many tasks requiring both interpersonal and technical skills. If you have strong communication skills, enjoy working with your hands as well as your mind, and want a career with responsibility, you will find the Dental Assisting program to be a rewarding experience.
Upon completion of this program, you are eligible to take the Certified Ohio Dental Assisting Exam to hold the title of CODA (Certified Ohio Dental Assistant), to become Dental Radiology Certified and receive your CPR certification.
Credits
High School Credit Junior Year
Dental Assisting: 2.5, Technology: .5, Anatomy & Physiology: 1.0
Potential College Semester Hour Credit
College Tech Prep: 7.0
Program Resources
Current Program Fees:
Junior: $ 227.00
Senior: $ 125.00
Teacher: Rachelle Pickwick
Email: rpickwic@polaris.edu
Education:
BS in Education, Kent State University
Certifications: CDA, CODA
Years at Polaris: 12
Industry Experience: 23 years in the dental industry
Skills
- Instrument transfer
- Oral evacuation and retraction
- Sterilization
- Infection control
- Tray setups and procedures
- How to expose, process and mount x-rays
- How to use dental computer software
- Orthodontic procedures
- Dental anatomy
- Use Dental materials
- Equipment maintenance
- Patient tooth charting
- Patient education
- Chair-side assisting
- Dental office management skills
- Take Digital x-ray images
- Use Intra-oral camera
- Dental Specialties
- Employability skills
Equipment
- Autoclave
- X-ray machine
- Digital x-ray Equipment
- Model trimmer
- Dental hand-pieces
- Dental unit
- Vacuum former
- Vacuum system
- Curing unit
- Ultrasonic cleaner
- Automatic processor
- Amalgamator
- Intraoral camera
- Dental x-ray processor
- Air compressor
- Computers
- ProCart II
Career Options
(as a Certified Dental Assistant)
- General chair-side assistant
- Endodontic assistant
- Orthodontic assistant
- Pedodontic assistant
- Periodontic assistant
- Oral surgery assistant
- Prosthodontic assistant
- Hygiene assistant
- Hospital dental clinic assistant
- Dental lab technician
- Circulatory assistant
- Sterilization assistant
- Insurance manager
- Business office manager/receptionist
Future Opportunities with Further Education
- Dental Hygienist (RDH)
- Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA)
- Dental sales representative
- Doctor of Dental Surgery – Dentist
- Dental equipment repair technician
