r/DentalAssistant

Due to Hippa I can’t disclose a lot of information, but I was called to do an in person casual interview for an EFDA position at an office, but due to me having no experience they offered me a dental hygiene assistant job interview which I accepted because I’m desperate for a job haha.

After the interview the manager came out and asked me to do a working interview the next day which I accepted and let’s just say it was kind of a rollercoaster 🤣

The first part of the day before lunch went smoothly, I was just trying to learn the software, learning how to schedule new patients, learning the typical steps in the office, and the technology they had there as well as learning to independently seat patients.

The second part of the day after lunch I was tasked to take on a patient, and when I brought the patient in they said they are having a terrible day and was already rude. I brought them over to take a pano and they said “idk how to do this I’ve never had this done before.” But I patiently told them how to do it and got it done, but then afterwards the patient looked at the lead apron and got pissed that I didn’t put it on them (office policy said I didn’t have to put it on them because nowadays radiation is so low that it’s completely safe without it and we would put it on them if requested.)

I said I am sorry and that if they wanted I can put the apron on them when they got into the room when I did more X-rays which I did, the manager and hygienist was already outside in the hall telling me I didn’t have to do this and that they would step in at any moment and I was like “I’m fine 🤣 I got this.” And then I stepped into the room.

I completed the additional X-rays and told them what they were for to detect if there are any caries or periodontal disease. I just stayed calm and did my job. The patient then told me they had something to do after the appointment and hoped their teeth didn’t hurt afterwards and I asked what they were doing to create small talk and they said it wasn’t any of my business…. 💀

After that I still kept my cool and explained that I needed to polish and floss and that if they felt uncomfortable they could just raise their right hand, and they said ok. After staying calm and collected and communicating what I was doing the patient opened up about their life and we even started laughing in the room during the appointment.

When I walked out I was a bit shaken up since that was my very first “rude” patient that I had, but the manager and hygienist were standing there shocked 🤣

At the very end of the day the office manager showed me into her room and basically glazed me on how much well I did with dealing with the patient and said that even the seasoned veterans there could barely deal with them. I just appreciated their kind words and said “well I felt a lot stronger having you guys having my back and saying you would take over if I felt overwhelmed.” And she offered me the job right then and there.

When I walked out I told all of the staff there that I got hired and they all celebrated and even they glazed me on how well I did and I told them the same. It’s so much easier having a team behind you rather than feeling like you are tackling the patient alone.

But to me, that patient wasn’t a huge deal for me since I used to work in a nursing home in the dementia ward and constantly got slapped and degraded 🤣 so I was used to it. But at the end of the day I am grateful for that unruly patient coming in so I could prove my worth.

Thankyou patient, because of you I have a job 🤪

I’ve worked for the same office (one of those we are family here) for over 10 years, the current orthodontist has been there for 5-6 years. I recently had a complaint called in about me (the very first time for this) the person complaining felt like I was belittling because of their hygiene/tartar buildup on the braces and they felt I was rude to the training assistant. I’m overall very confused about the complaint because I don’t ever shame patients about their brushing I only ever try to educate them because I know how much it affects your life and how expensive it can be to fix the damage later on.
Im mostly upset because my manager/doctor (though they’ve said it took them by surprise as well and believe that I didn’t say anything wrong) still sorta implied I was in the wrong and told me I need to work on my tone of voice. They have also refused to let me know the patient that complained, which is also upsetting because I KNOW I didn’t say anything outlandish so I’m probably going to see this patient again and risk offending them AGAIN.
I take pride in the work we do and I want everyone to be happy with the smile we give them so this just makes it hard to keep doing this. I’ve been burnt out recently and this event just makes me want to leave the field all together.

Hey all! just wanted to share my experiences as a DA temp.
First off i wanted to say, i worked as a full time DA, part time DA and everything in between. and i have come to the easy conclusion that being a temp is the best job you can ever have as a DA.

The pros in my opinion:
- You make your own hours, work whenever you want!
- You get a say in your rate of pay, even if there are some limits, you can really ask for any pay rate!
- Every day is different, you get an exciting new experience every single time you work at a new office.
- You meet so many people of different walks of life and so many people in the healthcare space!
- you build good rapport with drs all around the city, you will always have good word spread about you.
- You don’t have to get sick of the same walls over and over (this was a big issue for me when working full time, i was extremely depressed looking at the same office every single day, felt like i was in an asylum)
- You aren’t expected to be perfect, you’re expected to know the foundation of assisting and be quick on your feet when adjusting to their wants and needs as an office specific.
- Ssooooo much room for growth, i have become such an incredible assistant from temping. i trust my skills and have a lot of confidence.
- if you hate an office, ya never gotta go back!

the only downsides:
- it can be hard to find work on occasion, sometimes offices in your area don’t need temps, this can last a week or so at a time where you can’t find ANY shifts.
- you can walk into an office that is falling apart, you have to be quick on your feet to adjust.
- some offices staff are cruel and mean, but you have to just ignore it.
- people bring up the taxes issue, cause we have to get ur own taxes done, i don’t mind it, and honestly the taxes aren’t very high in my experience. i’m still paid drastically more than a FT or PT assistant

Hi everyone!

I’m a baby DA and have just started my externships. I’ve completed my first week and I think I’m making good impression so far.

Aside from the “working interview” part of externships and learning, how could I possibly go about asking to be paid during my time here?

My school was not very helpful with finding anything paid for obvious reasons but bills are beginning to pile up and I’m getting stressed.

I’m 20, start this Wednesday as a dental nurse apprentice. I’m super nervous. I have no idea what to expect as every practice is different. My first day will be paperwork, so anyone share their experiences from their first day to few months? I’m also super nervous I’ll have the dentist hate me if I make a mistake :0!!

I’m the only DA and the first employee hired at a startup dental clinic owned by a husband-and-wife dentist team. I’ve been here for about 8 months, and because I’m the only person working at the back, I wear a lot of hats: chairside assisting, sterilization, cleaning, organizing supplies, managing orders and deliveries, and even helping with promotional materials, creating documents, etc.

We only open 4 days a week and we’re usually fully booked from 10–6 with 30mins lunch, so there’s very little downtime.

I don’t mind keeping the clinical area clean or taking out the garbage at the back bc I consider that part of my responsibility. What’s frustrating me is the increasing number of general tasks I’m expected to take on.

Last Friday, we received a lot of deliveries, which left a bunch of empty boxes and garbage in the staff room. We have a cleaner who comes in every Saturday after hours to clean the clinic and help taking out the garbage. However, the wife dentist specifically asked me to take care of all the boxes and garbage in the staff room on Saturday, even though the cleaner was already scheduled to handle it later that day.

What frustrates me is that we have two receptionists working every day, and neither of them was asked to take care of the staff-room garbage. The staff room is a shared space, and they often leave it messy. Meanwhile, I’m the only person responsible for the entire back of the clinic and already have a long list of tasks to manage.

I’ve always been willing to go above and beyond, especially since I helped set up the clinic from day one. But I’m starting to wonder if I’ve become the person everyone expects to take care of whatever needs to be done simply because I’m the only DA.

For those who work in dental clinics, especially startup practices: is it normal for a DA to take on this many responsibilities? And is it reasonable for a DA to be expected to handle general staff-room cleaning when there’s already a cleaner scheduled to do it?

Hi: I have a new dentist. The technician of many years quit (who was excellent.) A dental assistant (as far as I know) took her place and her judgement is bad for one. The temporary she chose and placed is blueish, placed at an angle so it looks like I need braces, and it’s shorter than my surrounding teeth. No big, right? It’s temporary. But she took an impression for my crown that’s IN FRONT, then redid it, and I’m realizing I don’t trust her to have done a good job. How should I handle this to make sure the crown isn’t up to par—ill fitting or whatever else can go wrong from a poorly made impression? Should I ask about her credentials or show them the temporary and express my hesitation about her role in this procedure?
Also, there was sharp pain in the hour after the prep for the crown, more pain than I’ve experienced in the last 20 years of going to a dentist, more pain than any root canal or implant caused. My gums still feel rough there behind the temporary. When I asked the assistant what this pain was she said probably not enough novacaine. Also, I’ve never experienced such a sharp pain as when the dentist put the nocacaine in. Is this because it’s in front and/or because I had a root canal there a week ago? The root canal, done by an endodontist, was painless. Totally. What is going on? Two incompetent professionals?

Hi everyone, I’m very new to dental assisting and start my job in about a week or so. What are some non negotiables that I should invest in to have a good experience while working? (ex. certain shoes, scrubs, etc.) Thanks!!

Guys is dental assistant worth it? I gave chat my highschool transcript and it gave me dental assistant as an option or health care assistant. Which is more worth it????

An old co worker told me that a past dentist that decided to go on his own that the reason he doesn’t want to hire me is because “ im a know it all” hearing that broke my heart . I worked hard to be the assistant that I am today and I honestly thought that doctor was one of the good ones but proved me wrong . I don’t know if I’m ranting or raging or just flat out annoyed .

What would you guys do or think if you were called that ?