Dental assistants perform different types of patient care, office duties, and laboratory duties.
On a typical day, a dental assistant who delivers patient care will: make patients as comfortable as possible in the dental chair, prepare them for treatment, and obtain dental records; hand instruments and materials to dentists; sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare tray setups for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care; and much more. With further education, students can become Registered Dental Hygienists who clean teeth and examine oral areas.