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Dental Assisting

As a dental assisting student, you will learn to work chairside with the dentist in the care and treatment of patients.

Questions? Call 440.891.7732

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 chairside 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

High School Credit Senior Year
Dental Assisting:  3.0

Certifications
Dental Radiology Certification
First Aid/CPR
Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)

Potential College Credit
*See your Polaris Counselor for more information on college credit agreements.

Program Resources
Junior Program Fee & Supply List
Senior Program Fee & Supply List
Dental Uniform Information

Uniform Ordering

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)

  • Business Office Manager/Receptionist
  • Circulatory Assistant
  • Dental Lab Technician
  • Endodontic Assistant
  • General Chairside Assistant
  • Hospital Dental Clinic Assistant
  • Hygiene Assistant
  • Insurance Manager
  • Oral Surgery Assistant
  • Orthodontic Assistant
  • Pedodontic Assistant
  • Periodontic Assistant
  • Prosthodontic Assistant
  • Sterilization Assistant


Future Opportunities with Further Education

  • Dental Equipment Repair Technician
  • Dental Hygienist (RDH)
  • Dental Laboratory Technician
  • Dental Sales Representative
  • Doctor of Dental Surgery – Dentist
  • Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA)
 


Teacher: Rachelle Pickwick
Email:
  rpickwic@polaris.edu
Education:  BS in Education, Kent State University
Certifications:  CDA, CODA
At Polaris Since:  2000
Industry Experience:  23 years in the dental industry


Teacher: Dina Trizzino
Email:
  dtrizzino@polaris.edu
Certifications:  Certified Ohio Dental Assistant (CODA) and Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA)  
At Polaris Since:  2022
Industry Experience:  11 years working in dentistry 
Interests & Hobbies:  Dina enjoys spending time with her fiance Cody and their dog Bernard, attending Browns & Indians games, and running in the Metroparks.


Dental Assisting 2022-2023 Advisory Members

Ms. Ashley Denunzio, Westlake Dental Associates
Mrs. Catherine Gallagher, West Park Dental
Mr. Ken Hawkinson, Patterson Dental
Dr. Mark Iacobelli, Iacobelli & Sala
Dr. Edward Jimenez, Edward Jimenez DDS, Inc.
Dr. Jeff Rosenthal, Cleveland Dental Management
Dr. Stephen Sala, Iacobelli & Sala
Dr. Peyman Vaziri, Parkway Endodontics
 
7285 Old Oak Blvd., Middleburg Heights, OH 44130
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