How to become a dental assistant?

Education and training to become a dental assistant

To become a dental assistant, you must complete a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) in Dental Assisting. The training lasts 1500 hours and is offered during 13 months on a full-time basis in several professional training centers. It also includes 12 weeks of internship. The program includes oral anatomy and courses on the dental assistant profession.

To be eligible for training, the student must meet one of the following criteria:

• Hold a high school diploma (DES);
• Be 16 years old and have successfully completed the Secondary IV French, English and Math courses;
• Be 18 years old and have equivalent knowledge.

The job of a dental assistant

The job of dental assistant requires a double competence: to ensure the administrative management and the secretariat of the dental office and to assist the dental surgeon during his medical and surgical interventions.

What are the responsibilities of the dental assistant?

Dental assistants must be versatile as they must perform tasks related to the administration of the dental office while assisting the dental surgeon and dental hygienist. These tasks are related to prevention and treatment planning.

Among the administrative tasks, the dental assistant takes care of, among other things, the telephone and physical reception of patients, the follow-up of files, the management of stocks and the follow-up of payments to health organizations.

In the dental clinic, the dental assistant can help the dentist with various procedures (tooth extraction, fillings, devitalization, crowns). He prepares the room and takes care of the preparation of the material necessary for the various treatments.

The dental assistant can also pass on materials to the dentist and improve patient comfort. She gives post-operative advice to the patient.

What are the required qualities?

The dental assistant must be able to welcome the clientele that arrives in the dental clinic. She must enjoy human contact and be able to put patients at ease during their dental appointment.

The dental assistant must also enjoy teamwork and form a very good duo with the dental surgeon. She must also have good writing skills, interpersonal skills and organizational skills. Learn how to write your cover letter for a position as a dental assistant without experience.

Find a dental assistant job with Carrière Dentaire

For many years, Carrière Dentaire's mission has been to facilitate the recruitment and search foremployment for dental assistants and in the dental field in general.

Do you want to become a dental assistant? Are you interested in working in a dental office? We have a large number of full-time and part-time positions as well as internship opportunities. Check out our job offers and send us your CV. Learn more and discover employment and training opportunities for dental hygienists.