Dental Assistant

Job Summary

The Dental Assistant supports dental care delivery by preparing treatment rooms, patient, instruments, and materials, and passing instruments and materials; performs all procedures in compliance with the Dental Practice Act.

• Assists chair-side with pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients, fully anticipating the Dentist’s need for various instruments, materials, and services.
• Documents examination information and treatment performed.
• Orders supplies and keeps Dental Office properly stocked at all times.
• Keeps all instruments sharpened and properly cleaned or sterilized.
• Takes alginate impressions for study models, pours and trims models, fabricates custom trays and bite rims.
• Applies and removes rubber dams, removes sutures, applies desensitizing agent, places surgical gauze following extractions and applies and removes periodontal dressing.
• Exposes intra‑oral and extra‑oral radiographs.
• Performs oral prophylaxis and applies topical fluoride treatments.
• Measures and records blood pressure and health history.
• Maintains a variety of reports related to dental activities.
• Follows occupational safety and infection control guidelines for Dental Office personnel.
• Clean, sterilizes and disinfects dental instruments and equipment, which includes running and recording weekly sterilization tests as stated in the QI Infection Control Standards.
• Relays post-treatment instructions to patients, motivates and instructs patients in proper brushing and flossing techniques, care of orthodontic appliances and common causes of tooth decay.
• Rotates with Dental Assistant at Tower dental station.
• Orders MSDS sheets with each new product; reviews them and binds them in the MSDS reference binder.
• Establishes a network of sales representatives, supply companies and dental laboratories.
• Assists in identifying high‑risk groups and initiating preventive planning needs; assists in developing and implementing community dental prevention programs, such as National Children’s Dental Health‑month and the Health Fair.
• Compiles and reports programmatic data and surveys required by the RTC, IHS and dental program to include annual, monthly, preventive, fluoride, and school reports.
• Answers correspondence to dental suppliers, doctors and patients as instructed by the Dentist.
• Assists with scheduling patient appointments and patient services.
• Participates in Quality Improvement activities; attends general staff meetings, dental staff meetings and Bemidji Area Dental meetings, as well as continuing education seminars to maintain licensure.
• Apply pit and tissue sealants and directed by Dentist.
• Remove excess cement from teeth using rotary instrument.
• Perform Orthodontic treatments as directed by the Dentist.
• As an employee of the Bois Forte Reservation, will follow the Bois Forte Procurement Policy and any other applicable procurement requirements when obtaining goods and/or services for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Experience:

• Two years working in a dental office setting with experience in accessing, evaluating, and taking appropriate measures to assist, teach and follow‑up on preventative dental care.

Education:

• Successful completion of an Accredited Dental Assisting teaching institution program.

License/Certification:

• State of Minnesota Board of Dentistry Dental Assistant License.
• CPR Certification.

• Knowledge of reception, routing and scheduling patients, ordering supplies, and keeping a clinic properly supplied.
• Ability to sterilize dental instruments and keep clinics clean and presentable to patients.
• Skill and dexterity in performing all intra‑oral and extra‑oral techniques.
• Knowledge of dental terminology in order to accurately record treatment and examination information in patient files, and ability to file and retrieve patient records.
• Ability to explain pre‑operative and post‑operative instructions to the patient, obtain consent for surgical procedures, explain preventive techniques and home‑care instructions, as well as answer patients’ questions, issues and concerns regarding their…