Dental Assistant - Part Time

The Department of Corrections is seeking to fill a part‑time Dental Assistant 2 at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City. Duties include patient preparation and positioning; treatment area preparation; use of sterile techniques; administration of dental care and treatment as directed by professional staff; use and maintenance of dental equipment, instruments, and supplies; instructing patients in proper oral hygiene;

and collection and maintenance of patient and/or clinical research subject data and records.

Dental Assistants assist dentists in the general or specialized treatment of patients in routine, emergency, and clinical research procedures in areas of diagnostic, preventive, restorative, periodontal, endodontic, pedodontic, orthodontic, oral surgery, and prosthodontic dental care.

Graduation from high school or equivalent education and one year of experience in a dental practice using four‑handed techniques in a wide range of procedures, collecting and recording patient’s medical information, exposing, processing, mounting and labeling radiographs, and applying dental sterile techniques and infectious control and exposure procedures; OR graduation from high school or equivalent education, successful completion of a recognized one‑year dental assistant training program, and one year of experience working with the public collecting and recording information and/or explaining and clarifying basic information;

OR one year of experience as a Dental Assistant I in Nevada State service; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience as described above.

• Assist dentists using four‑handed dental assisting techniques in operative, endodontic, oral surgery, orthodontic, pedodontic, prosthodontic and periodontal procedures by performing oral evacuation, fabricating temporary crowns, custom trays, taking impressions, mixing cements, and assisting in the application of light‑cured material; anticipate and provide the dentist with the appropriate materials, instruments and equipment.
• Change arch wires, apply ligatures, cement temporary crowns, remove excess cement, perform coronal polishing, remove sutures, apply and remove periodontal pack, apply temporary restorations, and apply topical fluoride treatments, sealant, and anesthetic as directed by a staff dentist.
• Receive and seat patient; interview patient to clarify the purpose of visit; update patient medical history and document any other pertinent information; prepare and arrange dental instruments, materials, and equipment appropriate for procedure; expose intraoral and extraoral radiographs as directed by dentist or following standard protocol; process, mount, and label radiographs; enter information into chart or computer as dictated by dentist or hygienist.
• Answer patient questions by explaining and clarifying basic information regarding the treatment plan, sequence of treatments, result of non‑treatment, and patient’s responsibilities including insurance and copayments; secure patient signature on informed consent forms for special procedures, as required.
• Apply sterile techniques and infectious control and exposure procedures when preparing for, during and upon completion of each dental treatment; disinfect and clean treatment rooms and contaminated trays; apply dental radiography infectious control protocol; handle and dispose of sharps and hazardous materials according to established federal and state OSHA standards.
• Provide basic oral hygiene instruction to patients; demonstrate proper tooth brushing and flossing methods; discuss the importance of diet; furnish patient with appropriate oral hygiene literature; provide patient appropriate pre‑ and post‑operative instructions.
• Maintain medical, dental supply and material levels; assist in the inventory process and notify appropriate staff when supplies are needed; receive and store supplies and materials.
• Maintain and perform basic repairs to dental and laboratory equipment and report major malfunctions to appropriate personnel.
• Perform laboratory procedures as allowed by state law such as taking impressions, preparing study models and making simple denture repairs.
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