People who pursue careers as dental assistants are well-trained professionals who significantly benefit the dental team. Those who choose a job as dental assistants are in charge of a variety of tasks, such as patient care, office work, and laboratory experiments. Other employment options for dental assistants include those with administrative staff, researchers, sales representatives, educators, dental laboratory technicians, dental hygienists, and dentists. They have a responsibility to guarantee that all surgical instruments are sterile and in good working order. A few of the key responsibilities included in the job description for a dental assistant are interacting with patients, confirming appointment times and dates, reassuring them of various treatments, and carrying out other necessary tasks. Let us know What are the ‘Dental Assistant Salary Florida’.
Dental Assistant Salary Florida
As of 2021, Florida’s average Dental Assistant income was $40,820 ($19.63 per hour), while actual salaries frequently ranged from $36,970 to $47,420. Salary ranges for dental assistants might differ significantly based on a variety of essential aspects, including schooling, certifications, supplementary abilities, and years of experience.
History
The first dental assistant was hired by C. Edmund Kells, a pioneering dentist from New Orleans. After this first female dentist joined the field, which had previously been controlled by men, it became socially acceptable for women to seek dental care on their own. Because of this, dental assistants at that time were also referred to as “Ladies in Attendance.” Because more women entered the field of dentistry, both the number of patients receiving care and the number of women seeking treatment increased.
The first dental assistant association, called the American Dental Assistant Association, was created by Juliette Southard in 1923, almost forty years later, and it is still in operation today. It started with just five people and has since grown to more than 10,000.
Roles
It is a common misconception that the role of the dental assistant is to assist the dental operator by typically passing instruments throughout clinical procedures. The truth is that they also help patients with their oral hygiene, prepare them for treatment, sterilize the instruments, assist with general anesthetic dental procedures, position suction devices, expose dental radiographs, take dental impressions, record patient notes, and perform administrative duties like scheduling appointments.
Infection Prevention
In the 1980s, providing oral health care was typically done by dental assistants and oral health professionals without the use of gloves, masks, or eye protection. Given the fast global spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), this occurred at a critical juncture. However, in order to stop the transmission of infectious diseases in all oral health care settings, gloves, masks, and eye protection are now a part of the standard infection control standards.
Operative Techniques And Aseptic Technique
When a dental assistant is working alongside an oral health care professional during surgery, sterile gloves must be worn. Maintaining effective infection control in this setting requires hand washing with antimicrobial soap and water to reduce the risk of infection.
Environment
When cleaning work surfaces during the transition between patients, the dental assistant should put on utility gloves. Utility gloves are a necessity for each person working in the dental office. Additionally, they must be able to differentiate between clean and unclean areas to reduce the spread of infectious diseases among coworkers and clients. In addition, plastic barriers are put in place over various dental equipment, including handpieces attached to the chair, overhead lights, amalgamators, x-ray machines, mixing materials, and other ad hoc dental tools, materials, or appliances. All coworkers in the oral health care setting must follow these infection control procedures and protocols, not just the dental assistant.
Antiseptic, Disinfectant, And Sterilisation
The daily use of reusable dental instruments in dental offices necessitates the proper post-use sterilization of these instruments, which is largely the responsibility of dental assistants. The infection control protocol is not complete without sterilization. This can be characterized as being devoid of all life forms, with the primary goal of sterilization being the elimination of a sizable portion of the spores (both bacterial and mycotic) that are most heat resistant.
Healthy Living
Upon completion of Certificate IV in Dental Assisting, dental assistants in Australia can broaden their remit to include oral health promotion for patients. Customised oral health promotion and oral hygiene programs can be put into place by the dental assistant. The dental assistant could; after receiving the necessary training.
Possibly Forthcoming Roles
The roles of dental assistants are evolving and expanding as we look to the future of dentistry and oral health. The use of dental assistants to assist dental operators in promoting oral health and treating patients in residential care facilities will increase as the population ages and requires more dental services.
Education And Authorization
While dental assistants are required to be licensed or registered in some states in the United States, others do not require them to have a college degree in order to work in the field. A dental assistant’s career is now booming and is expected to keep expanding quickly. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there will be an 11% increase in dental assistant employment between 2018 and 2028, or an additional 38,700 jobs. There are currently 346,000 jobs for dental assistants.
Florida is experiencing an increase in demand for dental assistants. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity anticipates a rise in dental assistant employment in the state from 15,250 to 19,792 between 2011 and 2019. This eight-year growth projection suggests an average annual increase of 3.7%, which is significantly higher than the state’s overall average annual job growth rate of 1.6%.
Conclusion
Now We’ve learnt about ‘Dental Assistant Salary Florida’, As of November 23, 2022, Florida’s average Dental Assistant salary was $42,637; however, the typical salary range is between $38,063 and $46,955. Salary ranges can differ significantly depending on the city, as well as a number of other crucial factors, such as education, credentials, additional skills, and the length of time you’ve been working in a given field.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- In Florida, is a degree required to work as a dental assistant?
A high school diploma or GED is required, even though you don’t need one to work as a dental assistant. The Florida Career College offers options for students who lack a high school diploma.
- What are the typical hours for dental assistants?
The majority of dental assistants work “normal hours,” which are from 9 to 5 from Monday through Friday. Of course, each dentist’s office differs slightly, as we just explained.
- What aspect of working as a dental assistant is the toughest?
Some dental assistants would argue that the job is challenging because it requires them to stand up for most of the day and work in awkward positions while helping dentists or dental hygienists with routine procedures.
