Certified Orthodontic Assistant Careers

Career Overview

Dentistry is a vast field that has many professionals working and specializing in different areas and they eventually are known for their efficient work. One such person is certified orthodontic assistant whose job is to provide services by keeping a safe hand and being a liaison between dentists, orthodontists, and patients. Your career could be prolific working as a certified individual due to great and increasing demand of the orthodontic assistants.

Certified orthodontic assistants are not just ordinary people doing random tasks in the field of dentistry instead they specialize in giving their utmost services of support to orthodontists. Orthodontists work with teeth by straightening them with the help of braces and brackets. Other irregularities in the teeth are also fixed by these experts. Moreover, the problems related to jaws can only be fixed with proper treatment and orthodontic assistants provide complete assistance during the process.  They have to take care of the patients and work in different settings such as, private clinics and outpatient care centers. Other areas are colleges and universities where they might enlist to teach and train students, which entirely depends upon the qualification and experience.

Job Outlook

Certified orthodontic assistants particularly assist dentists and orthodontics on the basis of proper training and complete theoretical knowledge. Their work is to set and sterilize instruments, set up trays, assist chair work, give impressions of tooth on casts and help orthodontics with wires and bands.

They even explain procedures of orthodontic treatment to patients. Some general duties of orthodontic assistant include checking supplies and ordering them, making and attending calls, keeping records and scheduling appointments of the patients and customers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that employment of 5,040 people as orthodontic assistant might be witnessed in May 2011. Dentists have the highest concentration of employment in this field. On the other hand, 296,810 people have been employed as dental assistants according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Salary

The salary of orthodontic as predicted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was $204,670 annually in May 2011. Assistants might carry on their career on the basis of continuous training and experience. Dental assistants might earn around $34,740 per year.

Education Requirements

To become an orthodontic assistant, an associate degree in dental assisting is mandatory which is normally completed in a time frame of two years. Along with that, experience could also be gained in x-rays, radiography and methods of sterilization. Being a certified orthodontic might assure a superior position, higher salary and opportunities of growth. Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) is a concerning body for the certification of orthodontic assistants. To attain the certification you must clear the exam first, which will help to work as a certified person. . Certification requirements differ in every state; therefore, you have to decide and plan according to the prerequisites.

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