Dental Assistant

Overview

Akicita Federal is seeking qualified Dental Assistants to provide non-personal healthcare services at the Albuquerque Indian Dental Clinic within the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Service (IHS). The Dental Assistant will support dental and orthodontic operations, ensuring high-quality patient care in accordance with Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and IHS regulations, with minimal disruption to government personnel, property, and the general public.

$50,000 - $60,000 a year

• Document all patient encounters in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) following AIDC policies, AAAHC standards, and CMS regulations.
• Assist dentists by restoring teeth following preparation, including:
  • Selection, contouring, and placement of matrices
  • Placement of bases and liners
  • Packing, carving, and polishing of complex alloy restorations, including those requiring cusp replacements and retentive pins.
  • Place and finish complex composite restorations and fabricate/adjust temporary restorations.
  • Select, contour, cement stainless steel crowns, and fabricate and adjust temporary acrylic crowns and bridges.
• Provide patients with post-operative care instructions.
• Perform various procedures, including:
  • Placement and removal of rubber dams
  • Removal of sutures
  • Application of desensitizing agents and periodontal dressings
  • Placement of surgical gauze following extractions
  • Assist with endodontic procedures by isolating teeth, cleansing, irrigating, applying medicaments, and closing teeth temporarily.
• Take primary impressions for study models, pour and trim models, and fabricate custom trays and bite rims.
• Perform complex oral prophylaxis, apply topical fluoride treatments, and place pit and fissure sealants.
• Operate ultrasonic scalers and hand instruments for calculus removal.
• Educate patients on disease prevention and demonstrate individual home care techniques.
• Expose, process, and mount intra‑oral and extra‑oral radiographs.
• Maintain cleanliness and operability of clinical areas, ensuring instruments are sharpened and sterilized.
• Manage inventory and order necessary supplies to ensure the clinic remains properly stocked.
• Take and record patient blood pressure.
• Apply and remove periodontal and surgical packs and dressings.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.
• Maintain all necessary clinical privileges.

Graduation from an accredited dental assistant training school or proof of equivalent on-the-job training.

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.

Relevant experience assisting with complex dental and orthodontic procedures is strongly preferred.