Senior Dental Assistant*

About the role

The Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University seeks a Dental Assistant to support clinical operations and patient care.

Responsibilities

• Assist dental students, residents, and/or faculty in emergency, restorative, prosthodontic, periodontic, endodontic, and oral surgery services.
• Participate in four-handed dentistry, providing chairside support with air, water, suction, and instrumentation.
• Mix and prepare dental materials as required.
• Aid in the placement of rubber dams and the preparation of local anesthetic syringes.
• Dispose of sharps in designated containers immediately after patient discharge.
• Operate high-volume evacuation equipment with care and precision.
• Maintain awareness of MSDS and properly handle and dispose of hazardous materials.
• Manage and replenish dental and specialty supplies to ensure operatories are consistently stocked and ready for use.
• Maintain assigned operatories in a clean, organized, and fully functional state throughout the day.
• Ensure dental equipment is cleaned and maintained in proper operative condition daily.
• Perform a variety of dental laboratory tasks, including pouring prosthodontic models from impressions, cleaning and trimming models, boxing and waxing impressions, and fabricating custom appliances.
• Construct custom trays, night guards, mouth guards, bleaching trays, and bite rims to support patient care and prosthodontic treatment planning.
• Polish dentures and prosthodontic appliances to ensure proper finish and patient comfort.
• Takes and mounts face-bow records to achieve proper occlusion for cast restorations.
• Relines dentures using both hard and soft reline materials as needed for clinical adjustments.
• Operate dental radiographic equipment to obtain intraoral and extraoral images as requested by clinical faculty or providers.
• Explain radiographic procedures clearly to patients to ensure understanding and cooperation.
• Process, review, and upload radiographs into the patient’s electronic record system, ensuring accurate and timely documentation.
• Assist with IV sedation.
• Prepare operatories for patient treatment, ensuring appropriate instruments, materials, and equipment are laid out according to procedural requirements.
• Seats and drapes patients, explains upcoming procedures to ensure patient understanding and comfort.
• Assembles anesthetic syringes and prepares materials for impressions.
• Assists in various specialty areas as needed, depending on clinic demands and work schedule availability.
• Enters clinical findings into the electronic health record as dictated by the dentist and ensures patient medical and dental histories are accurately updated.
• Schedules follow-up appointments to support continuity of care.
• Provides support across departmental areas as needed to ensure smooth clinical and academic operations.
• Assists with the fabrication of instructional materials and items used in pre-clinical courses, contributing to the educational mission of the Dental College.
• Provides dental assisting services at off-campus sites where the Dental College of Georgia delivers educational programs or patient care.
• Participates in board examinations, including ADEX, CRDTS, Mock Boards, and other certification events as needed throughout the year.
• Supports faculty in screenings, distributes educational materials, engages with participants, and promotes the mission and services of the Dental College of Georgia.
• Follows all published guidelines regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and clinical infection control protocols as established by federal and state regulations, Augusta University, and the Dental College of Georgia.
• Administers basic emergency support procedures until professional medical personnel arrive.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent from a recognized state or federal accrediting organization with two years of related experience.
• Certified Dental Assistant and/or Associate's degree from an accredited college or university with one year of experience in dentistry.
• One year of experience as a Dental Assistant at the Dental College of Georgia.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with dental knowledge.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a focus in dental or health-related studies.
• Graduation from a Certified Dental Assisting program.
• Current CPR certification.
• Intraoral Radiographic Certification and training in radiological safety.
• Minimum of two years of experience as a dental assistant in a general dentistry or multi-specialty practice, including hands-on experience in: Mixing dental materials, Taking intraoral and panoramic x-rays, Chairside dental assisting in multiple dental disciplines, such as: Operative, Crown and Bridge, Removable Prosthodontics, Periodontics, Endodontics, Oral Surgery, Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics, and Esthetic Dentistry.
• Proficiency in spoken Spanish in a clinical setting.
• Certification as a Dental Surgical Anesthesia Assistant or the ability to obtain this certification within the first year of employment.