Health Class

Chapter 4 Field Report: Dental Assistant Dental assistants perform many duties. They perform lab and office duties, and provide many different types of patient care. Dental assistants work directly with patients. They also schedule and confirm appointments, receive patients, obtain records, and order dental supplies and materials. Another thing that dental assistants do is that they recommend good tips on how to keep your teeth healthy and clean. There are several ways to become a dental assistant. It all depends on your state. Some states require assistants to possibly pass a state exam. In some other states, you are required to take 1 year or less of school. You also have to be trained by community and junior colleges, trade schools, or technical institutes. In other states, there are no formal requirements. I did my project on my 12-year-old nephew, Jasper, and my 9-year-old niece, Jaeleen. I was a little hesitated to have patients that are young, but I was ready to take challenges. I wanted to feel like I was really a dental assistant, so I transformed two rooms in my house into dentist offices. I also had my 13-year-old cousin, Heidi, act like she was the dentist. My first patient was Jaeleen. As a dental assistant, I told her to check in. Afterwards, I called her into a room and settled her down in place. A few minutes after, I started to do some duties. I asked her questions and checked her teeth. The first thing I did was asked when was her last time she went to the dentist. Her last time was on October 12, 2012. Then I asked if she had fillings. Jaeleen didn’t have fillings, but she had a missing tooth. Her front tooth! Then I asked if she was suffering any pain. She said, “No. My teeth feels great!” Next, I asked how often and how long does she normally brush her teeth. She replied, “I brush my teeth everyday. I brush them after I wake up and before I go to sleep. I brush my teeth for a minute and a half.” The last questions I asked were if

Cited: Bureau of Labor Statistics. 26 June 2012. Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment projections. 9 Dec. 2012 Tandaguen Kate Tandaguen Mrs. Lance Health Careers Period: 2 December 9, 2012