Dental assistant: assistant duties, four-handed work, job description

For the first time, each of us crosses the threshold of the dentist's office in childhood, when it is time to get rid of milk teeth.

Many kids are afraid to visit a dentist, and some adults too, but that the dentist is a very necessary and important profession, few doubt. But the assistant usually remains in the shadows. What is its role in the workflow?

What is a Dental Assistant?

A dentist's assistant is the same person who meets and greets the patient, invites him to enter the office, invites him to sit in a comfortable chair, tells him where to put things away.

First of all, of course, is the assistant to the attending physician. He provides the necessary tools, collaborates with the doctor throughout the entire work process.

But its role is also to create the most comfortable conditions for the patient. It is thanks to the assistant's benevolent smile, his care and attention that many people part with the fear of the upcoming procedure.

An attentive employee will always notice what the patient needs at the moment - to adjust the chair, rinse his mouth.

Before the appointment, the assistant will definitely tidy up the workplace, sit the patient in a chair with all the amenities, adjust the light and prepare the instruments.

All questions of interest about the treatment can be asked to the doctor's assistant - he will explain everything: from features of concluding a contract for the provision of dental services before a detailed explanation of each step operations.

You can get advice from him about caring for your teeth and oral cavity, about different types fillings, he can recommend toothpaste and brush - in a word, everything related to the issues of dentistry and direct treatment, the assistant will tell and explain to the patient in detail.

And if a child is at the dental appointment, the assistant will do everything to calm and entertain the little patient.

The patient discusses the date of the next appointment with the dentist's assistant - he will call in advance and remind the person of the appointment.

An assistant is a figure that is significant not only for the doctor, but also for the patient.

Training course for dental assistants on video:

Key knowledge

The assistant must have basic skills in medicine, as well as be a professional in his field. The young specialist has a secondary medical education (college, technical school, school) with a degree in nursing.

The employee is periodically certified to confirm his knowledge.

This is how the requirements for qualifications in an employment contract for a medical worker of this profile look like:

Since the assistant, in addition to assisting the doctor, also resolves controversial issues with visitors and keeps a log of entries - his knowledge is not limited only to narrow-profile ones.

Here is a complete list of what the helper should know:

• laws regulating the activities of health care institutions and other norms and acts concerning the order in this area;
• labor Code;
• how to organize medical dental care at a basic level;
• structure and function of the jaw and teeth;
• biological mechanics of the chewing apparatus;
• the theory of treatment of the most common orthopedic pathologies;
• how to organize preventive dental health care for children and adults;
• on methods of prevention of dental diseases;
• how to properly care for the oral cavity;
• rules for sanitizing dental premises;
• ways to provide emergency medical care;
• safety engineering;
• basic basics of working with a computer and documentation (PC operator);
• rules of etiquette.

As you can see, a junior employee needs to know a lot.

Job responsibilities

What is the main job of an employee:

1. Preparation of the office for receiving clients and for the work process. First, the employee performs wet cleaning of the room using disinfectant cleaners, ventilates the space. According to the schedule, he carries out antimicrobial and antiviral air treatment by means of a quartz lamp.
2. Preparation of the necessary tools and materials that will be involved in the workflow. The employee must sterilize the reusable instruments, make sure that the disposable instruments are in good condition. If necessary, make blanks of working material - for example, impression for crowns.
3. Preparation of medicines.
4. Provision of dressing and auxiliary materials - cotton swabs, napkins, bandages, gauze, napkins.
5. Assisting the doctor during treatment, exact execution of the doctor's instructions.
6. Introducing anesthesia to the patient.
7. Ensuring the comfort of the client.
8. Caring for the patient - the assistant should promptly offer a glass with rinsing, make sure that there are no medication residues on the face and clothes.
9. Keeping records in the logs of reception, control, documentation, filling out paper documents.
10. At the end of the working day, the assistant dentist performs the same procedures as in the morning - cleaning the room, sterilizing the instruments.

Dental assistant is a responsible position. It is the junior employee who is responsible for the safety and cleanliness of the instruments, the serviceability of the equipment. If the employee discovers any malfunction of the equipment or breakdown of the tool, he informs the doctor and the administration of the institution, makes a note about it.

The assistant makes sure that all the necessary medicines and materials are available and in sufficient quantity, keeps a permanent king and keeps records of these funds.

Informing the visitor is also his duty. The employee must notify the patient about the side effects of the medications used, warn about possible pain sensations.

The assistant is responsible for the accuracy and reliability of all production records, for the safety of documentation.

The junior employee is deservedly called the “right hand” of the dentist.

Additional responsibilities

However, the job description doesn't end there. The assistant also has secondary responsibilities.

They include:

1. General cleaning of the office once a week - including washing the walls and ceiling.
2. Washing windows according to schedule.
3. Meeting the patient at the reception, escorting to the office.
4. Attending meetings, meetings, service events.
5. Providing emergency medical care to the patient, if required.

The dental assistant, like other employees of the clinic, participates in the discussion of work issues, makes suggestions for improving the activities of the institution and the provision of services, and makes comments.

The doctor and the assistant actively cooperate, jointly conduct the process of medical care, consult. The doctor and the assistant work together harmoniously - as if a single organism.

The process of teaching assistants on video:

Advantages and four-handed operation principle

Four-handed work is a collective technique based on cooperation and well-coordinated work of specialists in a friendly and calm atmosphere.

The main principle of this technique is to reduce stressful situations during the dentist's work, reduce fatigue and, at the same time, increase productivity and labor productivity.

As the proverb says: "one head is good, but two is better." The same can be said about the principle of operation.

When a doctor works alone, he naturally gets tired faster. Fatigue affects the quality of work. And if there are a lot of clients? Then the doctor will have a very hard time. Of course, this kind of workload leads to constant stress and nervousness. Over the years, a person quickly "burns out" at such a job.

To change this sad situation for the better, a method of such work was invented and developed, where the doctor is assisted by a highly qualified specialist.

Why not a nurse, but a narrow specialist? Because the nurse has general knowledge, and the assistant has the skills in dentistry and can take on part of the doctor's duties.

Four-handed work. Video:

This way of organizing work has a number of tangible advantages:

1. The doctor frees up more free time to prepare for complex surgeries that require high professionalism.
2. The quality of the provided medical care is kept at a high level.
3. A friendly, calm atmosphere during a therapy session has a positive effect on the neuropsychic state of both the patient and the medical staff.
4. Doctors can see more patients in one day, because they cope faster together. As a result, visitors do not have to wait for a reception for weeks, and the earnings of the clinic staff increase.
5. One of the main advantages is that the patient almost does not see working tools and equipment, which is very important for people suffering from fears of visiting the dental office. The entire environment is planned in such a way that the tools are always at hand by the assistant and at the same time do not fall into the client's field of vision. In addition, as mentioned above, the junior employee communicates with the patient during the entire treatment period, calms him down.

The activity of a dental assistant, which at first glance does not seem particularly significant, is in fact very important for both the doctor and the patient.

Thanks to the help of a junior employee, doctors began to experience less stress in the workplace, which made it possible to calmly do what they love.

And for people with phobias regarding dental treatment, a dental assistant is simply a savior and deliverer from painful experiences.