Expanded Functions Dental Assistant

Job Summary:

The EFDA assists in the performance of quality, caring, clinical dentistry by aiding the doctor smoothly and unobtrusively during examinations and treatment. The EFDA performs clinical and technical procedures under the supervision of a licensed dentist as well as prepares the operatory and equipment, gets the patient ready, and maintains awareness of the comfort and safety needs of patients.

Essential Duties:

• Records treatment information on the patient's chart, including treatment rendered, the type of treatment planned and the amount of chair time, doctor time and assistant time needed for next appointment.
• Assists the doctor by passing instruments, aspirating intraoral fluids, mixing materials and medicaments during examinations or treatment.
• Provides customer service support to patients by escorting them to and from the treatment room and prepping them for care by the doctor.
• Prepares all treatment rooms including, but not limited to, set-up, decontamination, sterilization of all instruments, cleaning and restocking.
• Maintains cleanliness of the lab and sterilizing area.
• Maintains all chemical solutions, i.e., disinfectant soaks and sprays, sterilents, ultrasonic, and presoak.
• Reviews patient's medical history, progress from the previous visit, if applicable, and the scheduled treatment plan with each patient.
• Take preliminary and final impressions and bite registrations for diagnostic and opposing models, cast restorations, space maintainers, and occlusal guards, to include computer assisted design and computer assisted manufacture applications.
• Ensures lights, units, nitrous equipment and automatic processors are turned on prior to the first patient.
• Applies nonaerosol and noncaustic topical agents, fluoride, and pit and fissure sealants.
• Inspects patient's oral cavity and charts lesions, existing restorations and missing teeth.
• Places and removes temporary sedative dressings and postextraction and periodontal dressings.
• Helps administer nitrous oxide to patients as applicable.
• Cleans hand pieces and vacuum traps.
• Places and removes rubber dams.
• Places, wedges, and holds and removes anterior matrices.
• Tests pulp vitality.
• Places bases and liners on dentin.
• Removes excess cement from supragingival surfaces of teeth.
• Sizes stainless steel crowns, temporary crowns, and bands.
• Performs coronal polishing.
• Prepares teeth for bonding by etching.
• Pours and trims study models.
• Monitors incoming and outgoing lab cases.
• Orders supplies.
• Maintains plaster trap and lab counter areas.
• Places, carves, finishes, and polishes direct restorations.
• Performs coronal polishing.
• Gives fluoride treatments.
• Applies sealants.
• Places, exposes, and processes radiographs.
• Gives patient oral health instructions.
• Performs oral inspection, with no diagnosis.
• Takes and records blood pressure and vital signs.
• Takes intra-oral and extra-oral photographs.
• Gives preoperative and postoperative instructions.
• Delivers an oral sedative drug to patient.
• Assists in the administration of inhalation minimal sedation (nitrous oxide) analgesia, including starting and stopping the flow as directed by the supervising dentist.
• Places topical anesthetics.
• Places a matrix and wedge for a direct restorative material after the dentist has prepared the cavity.
• Places cavity liners and bases.
• Performs acid etch and applies bonding agents.
• Places retraction cord.
• Holds in place and removes impression materials after the dentist has placed them.
• Takes impressions, bite registrations, or digital scans of the teeth and jaws for: diagnostic and opposing models; fixed and removable orthodontic appliances, occlusal guards, bleaching trays, and fluoride trays; and temporary indirect restorations such as temporary crowns.
• Takes digital scans of prepared teeth for fabrication of permanent indirect restorations.
• Takes a facebow