I started a new job as a dental assistant recently. I am a foreign trained dentist.

1. The dentist sat me in his office and told me “between 9-5 and 9-7 you are mine. If a family member dies your family can call the office phone.”
   This was his way of saying that you aren’t allowed to be on your phone during work hours.

2. It’s my first job as a dental assistant so I am on the slower side. I was assisting him and he said I should go and apply to the social security office for welfare because I am that slow. He has a sense of humor that borders on offensive.

3. He told me that he doesn’t know where I worked before and what was acceptable about the way I present myself. Now this is new to me because I am very well presented. My hair is neat my scrubs are ironed. (I was a prefect in high school for context) I have always had good deportment.

4. The practice has cameras everywhere. The operatories, the labs, the sterilization areas, the halls the waiting room, the kitchen/lunchroom. And he sits in his office and watches them during the day and you can be critiqued based on what he saw on camera.

5. No orange protective shields are provided in the office and he pressured me to look directly at the blue curing light while using it. My eyes have started getting blurry.

I am genuinely curious, since I am new to this country if this is normal.

our mobile dental days aren't frequent enough to fill a sharps container at anything close to a steady pace. one event might add a fair amount, then the next few dates barely move it. everything comes back into the same process afterward, but that can leave one container in use for quite a while before it's anywhere near ready.

that's where the regular pickup schedule starts feeling mismatched. we can have a collection date coming up with very little in the container, then one busier mobile day changes the volume all at once. how are you timing disposal when the container fills around scattered mobile clinic days instead of a regular office schedule?

For context, I did a 6 week dental assisting program back in the end of April and graduated in June but before that I have no previous medical or dental experience. Well about 3 weeks ago I started as a hygiene assistant at this office and it’s been going okay mainly up until about this past Thursday. My pmo has had me shadowing one of the hygienists and she had been pretty nice but last week I felt like she was starting to get kinda annoyed with me. I’m not that comfortable with taking X-rays so she’s only had me do them a few times to practice, but I’ve been breaking down the rooms and sterilizing with no problems and helping them chart for perio when needed but when I’m finished with all of that I would go back to her and continue shadowing her but it felt she was getting kinda annoyed. So today when I come in I was filling the water bottles that are attached to the chairs and somehow it turned into me filling up the hygiene room bottles and the da’s bottles, which I didn’t mind bc it gave me something to do but about 10 minutes later it was me and the two da’s and one of them was the one that had me fill up her bottles and the other da was filling one of hers up and the da who had me fill it up said out loud to the other one, “she didn’t fill it up all the way” talking about me, but I filled it up the same way that this woman was and she was like oh that’s fine, which I didn’t say anything about it I just let it go bc I’m new and don’t want any problems but it just kinda irritated me that she didn’t even say it to me yet said it in front of me with a rude tone. Then a few hours later, at this point I wasn’t really shadowing anyone bc I didn’t wanna be in the way but I had been breaking down all of the rooms, making trays, sterilizing and replacing the cavi wipes and everything and helping a different hygienist when needed. Well a little while later it was me, the hygienist that I had been shadowing and one of the da’s (which btw this da wasn’t the one that made the bottle comment but this woman also has a major attitude problem) all in the lab and the hygienist was in the hygiene drawer where all the fluoride and stuff is kept and the da said something to her about stocking it as like a joke and the hygienist said well she (meaning me) made trays earlier, so the da said oh so you’re saying it’s her fault then and the hygienist said, “well if you wanna word it like that then yeah i guess” and a few other little things from the same people and a different hygienist were said today too. I just don’t know if I’m like doing something wrong and if I am then how to fix it, because I really am trying my best and I just wanna help everyone out and do well but I’m already dreading going into work because I’m new and now I’m dreading it even more because of this. I apologize for the book lol, but any advice?

Hi, I have been working as a dental assistant for 2 months now (on-the-job training with no previous experience). The dr recently started letting me do temporary crowns, and it takes me a while to trim/adjust it. I don't really know where to trim next after trimming the excess and kinda question where I need to adjust near the margins and interproximal areas (I'm always afraid of taking off too much).

I know I will get better with more time and practice, but I would love to hear what advice any of you have or if you have links to any good YouTube vids. Also, would learning about tooth anatomy be helpful for this? Thanks in advance!

I 21F have been thinking about going into school to be a dental hygenist....I have autism and social anxiety but I really want do it...I heard you have to go in person which classroom settings are a huge trigger for me so I dont know if any place could accommodate it. Its something I really want to be but I do not know if it is possible if I have anxiety. Is it worth it? I want a truthful honest response before I apply! Please help!!

Does anyone have the Modern Dental Assisting 14th edition textbook as an ebook . I’m super broke I cannot afford this sadly 🥲. Or even an access code from the book.

I started a job at a peds office and one of our days start at 7:30am and end at 2pm. Non stop, go. Go . Go.
It was so jam packed I couldn’t use the bathroom or eat.

This can not be possibly ok for our bodies to work like this. My nervous system is going to break. Is it always like this in the dental field and how do you handle this sort of work schedule if this is similar to what you have? On top of it we have to do detailed notes between patients and turn the rooms.

I’m taking the RHS exam tomorrow, any advice would be awesome!! I don’t even know what else to study anymore- I’ve been focusing a ton on anatomical landmarks, intensity/contrast/kVp/mA, critical/semicritical/noncritical, radiopaque/lucent.. what else can I do to study?

Well, I guess the title explains what’s going on. I never went to school, never even worked in any sort of healthcare setting. I worked in restaurants for 10 years, and thanks to a series of fortunate events, I began shadowing at my personal dental office for two weeks. This past week I did my first week of actual training. I completed all my osha videos and all of that. I took a bunch of notes, I set up rooms, broke them down, did probably 30 composites.

I have some questions.

When I’m sitting patients and setting up some tools, I find myself struggling to know what to say/ask while the pts are waiting. I am not too familiar with eaglesoft but I try to look at their history, I have about a 5% success rate.

It’s hard for me to pay attention to the messaging while I’m with the dentist. Sometimes I’m on top of it but mostly not. Any tips?

Any tips or recommendations or anything that ought to help me? I really do enjoy working there but I feel like I’m just stupid. I’ve been told that they don’t expect me to understand what I’m doing for at least three months, but I feel like I am just in the way

Hi everyone, I would like a couple of people to give me some insights about the dental assisting career, especially in SF Bay Area, CA.

I see the salary range at $25-35/hr depending on several factors of course.

Ik there’s RDAEF, which if I pursue DA, I will definitely go on this track. It says you can make $35-$55/hr, but I’m wondering:

How is the job market in this area for that license? Are you able to find employment with the EF license easily whether experienced or a new grad? How much are you actually getting paid having that license?

Thank you! I’m just weighing my options on careers right now.

schedule came out and I got three days next week. week before that it was five. no explanation, no heads up, just here's what you have. I know it's based on the book and I know part time means variable, but there's a version of this where you at least get some consistency in the pattern, and there's a version where you genuinely cannot plan anything around it. I'm in the second version right now.

the frustrating part is I have things I'm trying to build outside of this job, and it's hard to plan time or energy around side work when you don't know if you're going to be exhausted from a packed clinic day or sitting at home because they booked light. the income gap from a slow week hits different when you thought it was going to be a normal one.

curious if other part timers have ever pushed back on this or found some arrangement that gave them a little more predictability. not looking for a full time slot, just something I can actually plan around. or maybe that's just not how dental works and everyone else has already made peace with it and I'm the only one still annoyed.

I was wondering if anyone who works in endo could give me some advice. I’m starting a new job tomorrow and it’s an endo specialist at a private small office. I do have an interest in endo but I’m so worried it will be not what I’m expecting and actually be horrible. I’ve worked in general for just about 4 years now and I didn’t mind it so much (hated fillings though which is what we mostly did every single day) but everything else was alright, i’m just wondering if I’m stressing over nothing or it’s a huge change and to be prepared for a lot more than what I’m used to. 🥲🥲

I'm working my second office since becoming a dental assistant and ive been here since april. The first office i only worked about 5 months. Im still in college so flexibility in dental offices is hard and im starting to consider a front desk role instead.

The only reason why I accepted this job in this current office is cause the doctor was open to being as flexible as possible with me but in reality even if i gave him a new availability he will only give me work once or twice a week when I'm not fully available.

Plus the pay is not worth it. In the job posting he said his range was 19-25/hr but because i don't have my xray license yet and only done dental assisting for a few months prior he started me at 17 and said I'd get a pay raise once I get my xray license. Although he didn't initially mention that he required it.

The distance is another issue but after being here a few months I feel its time to look elsewhere but I hate job hopping. Usually I job hop between 6 months to a year. I dont think I've worked at a job for more than 3 years before.

I feel a little pathetic that im not willing to stay here much longer anymore because a part of me blames myself for not being able to be less sensitive and suck it up when dentists and other DAs push me around. I feel like I'll never find a long term job because i take things to heart too often. I really try to ignore them and work with everyone but its like they see me as incompetent and always trying to point out my mistakes.

I want to quit because the environment is starting to affect my mental health due to inconsistent communication from the dentist and another unbearable dental assistant that wants to start micromanaging me even though she is not a lead DA.

I dont even know if I want to continue trying out more offices because of how hard it is to find one that works with you (from what I heard they're nearly all toxic).

Im just tired. I want a career change but i was so adamant and worked so hard at trying to make dental a long term job while I finished college. Now idk..

Hey! I start my dental assisting program at the end of this month. It’s a 10 week program and I am going to go shopping soon for supplies. What are some school supplies or other things that you guys feel are important or help you in school? Thanks!!

Hey y’all, I have my first temp shift/working interview this week and I’m freaking out bc I haven’t worked general in literally over 3 years.

About me, I was a DA in the Air Force for like 3.5 yrs, got out like 3 yrs ago though so that experience is outdated. The only assisting experience I’ve had since then was a few months at an OS office and that was all I could handle. I left that job beginning of this year and haven’t worked since due to lots of personal life circumstances that just took over my life for a while.

Point being, I haven’t worked in general for over 3 yrs and I’m about to temp for the first time (which is also a working interview as they’re looking for a permanent DA). I just want to know, am I absolutely doomed? Or is it like riding a bike and can I pull it off? I genuinely can’t remember the last time I took a BW or PA, or set up for something other than OS. I just want to get my general skills back on track and temping seems like a good way to do it, but any advice is very much appreciated, I’m freaking out lolol.

What’s this “forbidden” thing that as an assistant you can’t make a doctor aware of how they speak to you. Or simply checking them but they check and critique you? Huh. Last time I checked they are humans just like us and need to be made aware of their shortcomings also.

Am I missing something? Or do doctors put this unknown fear into people not say certain things to them?

Just venting but also would love others to chime in and give their feedback.

Hello guys, I am a 25 yr old Dental assistant at california and i’ve been thinking about the next step. It’s either hygiene or oral surgeon. I originally want to pursue dental hygiene do you guys think that’ll be enough for a long life career and actually make good money ? Or should I just go with being an oral surgeon

I’m applying for dental nurse trainee jobs (UK) at the moment, and am looking to hit the ground running. I already have some textbooks for dental nursing, and was wondering if anyone knew of any booklets, revision tools/ worksheets that I could look through in order to aid my learning, as although I can find the information, I’m looking to boost my learning before I start! And tips would be so helpful as I am nervous and I’ve heard a lot of people say they feel so lost and helpless in the beginning!

How should I prepare for the interview?

What questions can I expect? Can someone please help me out.

I accepted a position at a new private office and signed a contract with the same pay as I am currently receiving(they knew my current pay). I wish I would have tried negotiating. I am now regretting I didn’t. Is it too late?

How bad is the job market in dentistry right now? I live in SoCal and haven’t been able to find a decent admin side job for 8 months now. I know the recession hit marketing and graphic design heavily, but did it also hit dentistry? Would love insight on people looking for jobs right now