Yes, it’s time to celebrate! This week, March 7th-13th is National Dental Assistants Recognition Week! As a result, we are taking this opportunity to thank all of our wonderful dental assistants here at PDAO. They have worked especially hard over the past year with the constantly changing protocols due to the pandemic, and we cannot thank them enough for their diligent work and positive attitudes.
Hannah, one of our dental assistants here at PDAO, joined Amy to talk about what a day in the life of a dental assistant looks like, what it’s like to work at PDAO, and the different ways to become a dental assistant.
Every workday, Hannah gets to work at 7:30 am to get her room ready for patients. This involves powering up and wiping down all of the equipment. Cleaning crews come in after-hours to deep clean the offices, and dental assistants wipe everything down in the mornings to ensure that there isn’t any chemical cross-contamination.
Hour-long appointments start at 8:00 am and go until 5:00 pm, with a lunch break at 1:00 pm. After each appointment, Hannah and the other dental assistants walk the patient back to the front of the office and wipe down their room, preparing it for the next patient.
At the end of the day, dental assistants close down their rooms similarly to opening them in the morning. They’ll make sure all equipment, tools, and supplies are put away and stocked, and they’ll wipe everything down one more time before leaving.
Hannah has worked for multiple dentistry practices, and she has been at PDAO since 2018. One thing that she loves about working here is that her bosses are always caring and understanding. If she wakes up feeling under the weather, it is never a problem to call in and say she can’t make it to work. She was especially appreciative that PDAO continued to cover its employees’ health insurance when they were shut down for COVID.
If you’re interested in becoming a dental assistant, Hannah recommends finding a practice that allows you to train on the job. This was how she got certified, and she says that it allowed her to learn practical information rather than primarily learning book knowledge through school.
We are so lucky to have such excellent dental assistants here at PDAO!
