Dental Assistant Program

We teach five core areas in our Dental Assistant program, learn more about them:

Administrative Assisting
In Administrative Assisting, students learn the fundamentals of dental office operations, including patient communication, scheduling, treatment explanations, consent forms, HIPAA compliance, recordkeeping, and the use of Dentrix electronic records for appointments, billing, payments, and patient chart management.

OSHA/Sterilization
Students are trained in infection control, hand hygiene, PPE, sterilization and disinfection procedures, hazardous material handling, sharps disposal, exposure incident protocols, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). They also gain hands-on practice with operatory disinfection, instrument processing, autoclave use, and sterilization monitoring to maintain a safe clinical environment.

Chairside assisting
Students develop four-handed dentistry skills used during dental procedures. Training includes patient preparation, tray setup, instrument identification, instrument transfer, suctioning, ergonomics, procedural anticipation, dental dam placement, coronal polishing, flossing techniques, temporary crowns, sealants, suture removal, post-op instructions, and assisting with restorative and surgical procedures.

Radiology
Students are introduced to radiation safety, digital imaging, infection control, image quality, and proper x-ray techniques. They practice intraoral and extraoral radiography, including FMX, bitewings, periapicals, panoramic, cephalometric, and CBCT concepts, while learning positioning, angulation, error correction, image evaluation, and certification exam preparation.

Impressions
Students learn how to select trays, mix and handle impression materials such as alginate and silicone, take preliminary and advanced impressions, pour and trim stone models, use bite registration materials, and evaluate the quality of impressions and models for diagnostic, restorative, and cosmetic procedures.
Students learn how to manage front desk tasks and patient records, follow infection control and sterilization protocols, take dental x-rays safely, assist the dentist during procedures using four-handed dentistry, and take accurate impressions for dental models and appliances. Our training combines classroom instruction with hands-on practice to prepare students for real-world dental office responsibilities.

Want to learn more about the dental assisting profession? Visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Dental Assistants page for helpful career information.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-assistants.htm