What a dental assistant does
A dental assistant prepares operatories, sterilizes instruments, passes instruments and materials during procedures, manages suction and helps patients feel comfortable in the chair. Level II assistants may also perform intra-oral duties the dentist assigns, such as coronal polishing, applying fluoride or sealants and taking preliminary impressions, and assistants with the right training take radiographs. A good assistant anticipates the dentist's next step, which keeps appointments running on schedule and lets the dentist concentrate on treatment.
Dental assisting is not regulated by a college in Ontario, so training and certification vary widely from one candidate to the next. That makes careful screening important. Finch asks which duties you need covered, whether the assistant will take X-rays and which procedures your office performs most. We then confirm the training and certificates each candidate holds and look at how they work alongside a dentist, not only what appears on their résumé.
Typical responsibilities
- Set up and break down operatories between patients
- Clean, sterilize and track instruments following infection prevention and control protocols
- Assist the dentist chairside with suction, instruments and dental materials
- Perform the Level II intra-oral duties a dentist assigns, where certified
- Take radiographs where HARP-qualified
- Reassure patients and give post-treatment instructions
Qualifications and credentials
- Completion of a dental assisting program, commonly at Level I (chairside) and Level II (intra-oral)
- NDAEB certification, which the RCDSO requires before a dentist assigns Level II duties to an assistant
- HARP-approved X-ray safety training for assistants who take radiographs, since an NDAEB certificate does not cover this
- Membership or certification with the Ontario Dental Assistants Association (ODAA), which many employers value
- Working knowledge of sterilization and infection prevention practices in a dental setting
Who hires a dental assistant
- General and family dental practices
- Orthodontic offices
- Oral surgery and periodontal practices
- Paediatric dental offices
- Multi-location dental groups
Where we recruit dental assistant candidates
We fill dental assistant roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Confirm the dental assisting program completed and the level of training
- Check NDAEB certification before presenting anyone for a Level II role
- Ask for proof of HARP-approved X-ray training if the role involves radiographs
- Discuss sterilization routines and four-handed dentistry experience in detail
- Check references from dentists the assistant has worked beside
Interview questions to ask
- Walk me through how you reprocess an instrument cassette after a procedure.
- Which intra-oral duties are you certified to perform, and which do you do most often?
- How do you help a nervous patient settle before the dentist comes in?