The foundation of any dental assisting program is dental terminology. A unique language, it helps oral care professionals be more concise when describing symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments.
As a dental assistant, mastering dental terminology is a must. And the good news is, you’ll learn dental terminology and so much more in a vocational school program.
What Does a Dental Assistant Do?
Dental assistants are multi-talented support professionals who manage clinical and administrative responsibilities in oral care practices. Their job includes:
Scheduling Appointments
Dental assistants triage phone calls and schedule visits for both routine and urgent care.
Preparing Treatment Areas
Good preparation is the key to a smooth day. From instrument trays to emergency equipment, dental assistants set the stage for treatment before the patient arrives.
Greeting Patients
Ambassadors of first impressions, dental assistants greet patients with a warm hello. They escort patients to treatment areas while setting a relaxed tone for the visit.
Updating Medical Records
Medical issues may impact dental treatment. So, before exams begin, dental assistants update the patient’s health records, including their medications, allergy, and diagnosis lists.
Taking X- Rays
Dental assistants position patients for x-rays, draping them with lead to limit radiation exposure. Depending on their credentials, they can take and develop radiographs or assist a licensed professional who can.
Providing Chairside Support
Dental assistants work side-by-side with dentists and hygienists, passing tools, handling suction, mixing filling material, all while managing patient comfort.
Polishing Teeth
Polishing teeth has a practical purpose. More than a cosmetic procedure, it smooths out imperfections in the enamel to which bacteria can cling.
Helping in the Lab
Dental assistants clean, polish and adjust dental appliances from partial dentures to retainers. They also pour molds and take dental impressions for dentures, crowns, caps, veneers, and implants.
Sterilizing Equipment
Instruments used on multiple patients must be sterilized between each visit using heat or chemical treatments. Dental assistants prevent the spread of infection by sanitizing work areas and disinfecting or sterilizing equipment.
Ordering Supplies
Dental assistants stock exam rooms, so no one knows better which supplies are running low. They keep track of inventory and work with vendors to replace crucial stock before it runs out.
Educating Patients
Whether it’s taking phone calls from anxious patients or teaching kids to brush, educating patients about oral care is a dental assistant’s most impactful responsibility. It’s a chance to bring better dental health to patients and help the next generation improve their oral wellness.
Office Procedures
Dental assistants manage clinical and administrative tasks. When they’re not at the chairside, they help the front office team with functions from billing and filing to submitting insurance claims and faxing referrals.
Why is Dental Terminology Important?
Knowing the language is essential for success in any industry. Like medicine, dentistry is a science-driven field in which accuracy matters.
Terms are designed to describe symptoms, conditions, and treatments accurately and succinctly. To read charts and take notes, dental assistants must understand the terminology.
What Are Some Common Dental Terms?
These are among the most common terms you’ll encounter as a dental assistant:
Abrasion – tooth wear not caused by chewing food or dental misalignment. Mechanical in nature, it’s caused by improper brushing and chewing on non-food objects.
Abscess – a localized accumulation of pus due to an infection.
Abutment – connect dental implants to the jaw. Made of metal, it’s the foundation for a crown.
Amalgam – a type of filling material made with liquid mercury. Found in old fillings, it’s largely been replaced with more durable and natural-looking composite materials.
Anesthesia – a medically induced loss of sensation. General anesthesia produces unconsciousness. Local anesthesia suppresses nerve sensation in one area.
Appliance – a removable dental device such as a partial or retainer.
Bilateral – refers to anything affecting both sides of a tooth, tongue, or mouth. Unilateral pertains to one side only.
Biopsy – the removal of tissue for testing. Dentists perform gum biopsies to rule out cancer and other conditions.
Calculus – hardened plaque. Also known as tartar, it can’t be removed by brushing.
Caries – a generic term describing cavities and tooth decay.
Crown – a cap placed over a tooth to restore its shape, size, and function.
Cusp – the pointed part of a tooth.
Distal – one of many directional terms, distal means the part of a tooth that is furthest from the median line of the arch.
Endodontist – a specialist who treats diseases and injuries of the dental pulp and root.
Erosion – visible wear on teeth caused by chewing or drinking acidic fluids.
Exostosis – a bony spur from a tooth root or jawbone.
Extraction – the complete removal of a tooth.
Filling – tooth restorations with materials such as porcelain, metal, or composites.
Gingiva – another word for gums. Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gingiva.
HIPAA – the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a 1996 federal law that governs how health information is gathered, stored, secured, and shared.
Impaction – an uninterrupted or partially erupted tooth near bone or another tooth that obstructs eruption.
Impression – a dental imprint used to prepare dentures, implants, and crowns.
Interproximal – means between the teeth.
Intraoral – means inside the mouth.
Labial – means on or around the lip.
Lingual – pertains to the tongue or tooth surfaces facing the tongue.
Malocclusion – a misalignment of the upper and lower teeth.
Mandible – the lower jawbone.
Maxilla – the upper jawbone.
Maximum Plan Benefit – the most an insurance plan will pay for dental treatments.
Orthodontist – a specialist who treats misaligned teeth.
Palate – the hard and soft tissues that form the roof of the mouth.
Partial – an appliance that replaces missing teeth but not the entire dental arch.
Periodontal – the tissue supporting the teeth.
Plaque – the soft bacterial film on teeth.
Prophylaxis – another word for cleaning, prophylaxis consists of scaling and polishing teeth to remove plaque and tartar on the visible tooth.
Pulp – the nerve-rich connective tissue filling the inside of the tooth.
Root Canal – removes the pulp portion of a tooth when it’s too decayed to fill.
Sealants – a protective resin film applied to the biting surfaces of molars to prevent decay.
Stomatitis – the inflammation of the mouth and lips.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) – connect the mandible to the temporal bone of the skull.
Veneer – thin, tooth-colored coverings fused to teeth to improve their appearance.
How Do You Become a Dental Assistant?
Some dental assistants have college degrees, but most opt for diplomas. Why? Because vocational school programs take a fraction of the time to complete, and graduates qualify for the same jobs.
Practical, comprehensive, and lifestyle-friendly, diploma programs focus on hands-on skills. By eliminating elective courses that don’t contribute to your skills in the field, you’re ready to work in half the time.
If you’re ready for a new career in a thriving field, but you don’t have the resources to spend two or more years in college, a vocational school dental assistant program is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
What Else Do You Learn During a Dental Assistant Program?
Dental terminology is just the foundation of your education. Other topics include:
Clinical Charting
Charts are legal records, and clinical notes that must be specific, objective, accurate and timely. Done properly, any dentist should be able to look at a chart and understand the patient’s history. Unlike ordinary writing, it requires training and clinical expertise.
Obtaining Dental Records
Referrals are common in dentistry. Dental assistants streamline the process by gathering the necessary information from other providers. You’ll learn about patient privacy rules, informed consent laws and digital information security.
Preparing Instrument Trays
There are hundreds of dental instruments, but different treatments require unique subsets. Vocational programs teach you how to identify and prepare the equipment for common procedures from exams and fillings to extractions and oral surgery. You’ll learn how to arrange instruments properly to prevent cross-contamination.
Infection Control
It’s a dental assistant’s responsibility to keep patients safe. Vocational school programs cover sanitation, disinfection and sterilizing techniques that prevent the growth and spread of pathogens.
Applying Topical Anesthetics
Lidocaine injections dull nerve pain during treatments but inserting the needle causes discomfort. You’ll learn how to apply a topical numbing agent to make it less uncomfortable.
Performing Fluoride Treatments
Dental assistants help prevent cavities by applying topical fluoride treatments. Painless, they’re an effective way to strengthen tooth enamel.
Applying Sealants
Sealants are liquid barriers painted over teeth to protect them from decay-causing bacteria. Applied after cleanings, you’ll work closely with dental hygienists when performing this preventive treatment.
Placing Matrices
Matrices are the molds dentist use for multi-surface fillings. You’ll position the matrix, prepare the filling material, and then remove the matrix when the filling is cured.
Cementing Temporary Crowns
Temporary crowns protect fragile teeth while permanent crowns are made. Dental assistants learn to fit and fabricate these short-term crowns and cement them securely into place.
Dental Polishing
Polishing teeth slows the build-up of plaque after a cleaning. Dental assistants learn how to smooth tooth surfaces using a drill with a rubber cup and polishing paste.
Alginate Impressions
Dentists make appliances from molds. Dental assistants mix and pour the alginate and take the tooth impressions.
Obtaining Bacteriological Specimens
Dentists treat oral infections with antibiotics. Dental assistants help by swabbing exudates for a culture so that problem organisms can be identified.
Wound Care
Oral surgery often requires packing and stitches. You’ll help by applying dressings and assisting with suture removal.
Final Thoughts
More Americans than ever are investing in oral care, so the demand for dental assistants has never been higher, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you’re passionate about smiles, a vocational school program can kickstart your career beginning with dental terminology.
The Dental Assistant training program at Meridian College provides extensive hands-on training including a school externship at a dental office where you will assist the dentist in treating actual patients.
Meridian College also has dedicated school instructors, which offer you training in dental assisting that you can use to get an entry-level position at a dentist office or dental clinic. You get to work in real world situations and use your training from classroom lectures to further your skill during lab work in dental assisting.
Contact Meridian College today to learn more about becoming a dental assistant.