How to Become a Dental Assistant in Florida

Dental assistants are valuable members of any dental care team. They help improve the efficiency of dental offices and are an essential point of contact for clients. If you’re interested in the medical field and don’t want the stress or long hours of being a doctor/nurse, this is an excellent option for you.

Becoming a dental assistant is one of the easiest ways to break into the medical field. Unlike most other medical settings, a dentist’s office is more flexible. Most dentist offices are usually open during regular office periods. You won’t have to put up with the late-night shifts and also get flexible hours.

Who is a Dentist Assistant?

A dental assistant is a member of a dental team that supports it and provides dental care. The role is different from other dental auxiliaries like dental therapists and dental technicians. As such, they have additional training and skillsets.

As a dental assistant, you must perform various tasks, both administrative and technical. You must know enough about dental care to explain hygiene and upcoming procedures to a patient. Keep in mind that you’re not a dental hygienist. As a dental assistant, if you must carry out any dental procedures or give any advice, it should be supervised. Dental hygienists are better trained to work unsupervised directly with patients.

Duties of Dental Assistants

Dental assistants handle both primary and break-down duties in the office. That will include chair-side support and administrative and technical tasks.

Dental assistants can carry out additional advanced duties like a fluoride application, topical anesthetic, and coronal polishing in Florida. However, they can only carry out advanced duties under supervision.

What you’d be required to handle most times are:

Disinfecting and laying out instruments
Handing out disinfected instruments during procedures
Getting a patient’s dental records
Asking more questions about the medical history of a patient
Taking blood pressure and pulse before procedures
Handling the billing and payments
Instructing patient oral care after surgery or any dental procedure
Teaching oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health
Communicating with patients and suppliers; scheduling appointments, answering the telephones and ordering supplies

Apart from these primary duties, qualified dental assistants in Florida can carry out the regulated tasks below.

Applying Sealant over teeth to seal out food particles and harmful bacteria
Using topical anesthetics before a procedure
Coronal polishing to remove soft deposits and give the teeth a cleaner application
Applying Fluoride directly to patient’s teeth

These tasks should be carried out under strict supervision. Regardless of the supervision level, dental assistants are not allowed to carry out specific tasks like:

Gingival curettage and root planning
Any drug prescription that requires a written order from a dentist
Using a laser or any laser device of any type unless utilized as an assessment device
Taking teeth impressions for fabricating intraoral restorations or any orthodontic appliance
Diagnosis of treatment planning or treatment
Initial access preparation

Requirements for Dental Assistants in Florida

To become a dental assistant in Florida, you must get formal training from a Florida Board of Dentistry-approved provider. Therefore, there are two ways you can become a dental assistant in Florida: learning with a dentist or getting formal training.

On-the-job Trained Dental Assistants

These dental assistants are trained in a dental office without any formal training beforehand. On-the-job trained assistants must be trained under the supervision of a licensed dentist who must assume full responsibility.

So, the dentist is responsible for ensuring the dental assistant is well-trained to perform the essential duties. On-the-job trained dental assistants can perform all the basic supportive procedures under direct supervision.

However, they can only carry out a few advanced dental assisting tasks, and they have to do that under strict supervision.

Registered Dental Assistants

To become a registered dental assistant, you must have formal training. Registered dental assistants can perform more advanced dental assisting tasks like removing sutures and monitoring nitrous oxide inhalation analgesia.

Before you can become a registered dental assistant in Florida, you must meet the requirement below:

Be at least 18 years old.
Be a high school graduate or equivalent.
Hold an updated BLS healthcare provider certificate.
Complete a course/program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) or complete a Florida Board-approved expanded duties training program.

Florida recognizes two types of registered dental assistants (RDAs).

RDAs formally trained in expanded functions
RDAs formally trained in restorative functions

RDAs formally trained in expanded functions can perform all the expanded functions approved by the Florida Board of Dentistry. To be qualified to perform expanded functions, you must complete the Florida Board of Dentistry-approved program.

Note that the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) certification (CDA (Certificate of Dental Assistant)) is not recognized to perform expanded functions. Even with a CDA, you can’t complete the expanded tasks until you get CODA-accredited or a Florida board-approved certification.

Dental assistants formally trained in restorative functions can perform all the expanded functions and carry out remediable intraoral restorative functions under direct supervision. But before you can qualify to carry out restorative functions, you must also have the following credentials:

Proof of 2,400 hours of clinical work experience in a dental office or as a dental assisting educator
Complete the mandatory function training course offered by an accredited dental school/program that meets the Florida board requirement

Dental Assistant Radiographer

Some dental assistants can also carry out dental radiographic procedures in Florida. However, to qualify to operate dental x-ray equipment or perform radiographic functions, you must:

Graduate from a Florida Board of Dentistry-approved dental assisting school/program

You must also be certified as a dental radiographer by the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). To get your dental radiography certification, a dental assistant must:

Complete at least three months of continuous on-the-job training in positioning digital radiographic sensors and exposing dental radiographic images. This training must be carried out under a Florida-licensed dentist.
Complete a Florida Board-approved radiology course within 12 months of completing this training
Apply to the FDOH for certification

Dental Assistant Schools in Florida

Most entry-level dental assistant positions don’t require a degree. However, you getting the proper training and education puts you at an advantage.

You should first consider the skills and experience you require for your dream position. Then find a program that can give you what you want.

To help you get your career started, here are the top dental assistant schools in Florida and the dental courses to consider.

Florida National University (FNU)

The FNU’s Dental Assistant program is designed to prepare you for entry-level employment straight. After this program, you can take Certified Dental Assistant Examination (CDA) offered by DANB. Graduates of the programs are also qualified for the Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) and radiography skills positions.

To graduate from the program, you must complete an 18-credit curriculum that includes introductory oral anatomy courses, dental radiology, dental assisting, and clinical dental procedure. You’ll also get up to 120 hours of clinical practice before graduating.

Santa Fe College, Gainesville

The Santa Fe college’s dental assisting program can be completed in 10 months and is accredited by the American Dental Association. It admits students every fall and is on for three months. The program will prepare you for an Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA).

The final semester includes a dental assisting internship. You’ll get hands-on experience by practicing at the college’s dental clinic and other institutional/private facilities. After graduating, you’re also eligible to take the CDA offered by DANB.

Broward College, Fort Lauderdale

The Dental assistant program offered by Broward college starts in June and runs for 12 months. The program is comprehensive enough to get you into a dental assistant with expanded functions and a dental radiography position. It can also serve as a pathway to a degree in dental hygiene.

However, the program is quite comprehensive and selective. It admits just 36 students every year. Once you’re in, you’ll get outstanding training. You can also sit for the CDA after graduating.

Indian River State College, Fort Pierce

This Dental Assisting Technology Management Diploma from Indian River State College runs for 20 months. The program is designed to give excellent dental assisting training and produce high-quality dental assistants.

To graduate, you must complete 50 credit hours in dental science and dental assistant courses. In addition, you’ll earn an Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) certificate that will let you qualify for dental assistant with expanded function courses.

The college also offers an associate degree in Dental Assisting Technology Management that prepares you for faculty and management positions.

Tallahassee Community College, Tallahassee

This dental assistant school offers a diploma in dental assisting. The dental assisting program requires you to complete 50 hours of credit work. After the coursework, you’re qualified to take the CDA certification exam.

The program runs for 12 months, and you’ll be qualified for expanded dental assisting functions upon completion.

Eastern Florida State College, Brevard County

The Eastern Florida State College offers a dental assistant diploma with two schedule options: a regular day program or an outreach program. The day program runs for 15 months, with classes on campus during the day.

While the outreach schedules allow online classes with on-campus lab training in the evenings, this schedule is perfect for working-class people. In addition to the 50-credit course, you must also take two general courses that introduce you to healthcare and anatomy.

After this program, you’ll get certified to carry out dental assisting with expanded functions.

Ultimate Medical Academy, Clearwater

The academy offers two-course options for the dental assisting certification or an associate degree. The dental assisting certificate takes 11 months with 26 credits. You’ll get training in mostly dental science and dental assisting.

On the other hand, the associate degree runs for 20 months with 62 credit coursework. The associate degree offers dental science, dental assisting, and general education training. Regardless of which option you go for, you can take the CDA certification exam after graduation.

If you’d prefer flexibility, then an online course might be the best option for you. Penn Foster has a tremendous online dental assisting program. That might be an excellent place to start.

Salary Expectations

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of dental assistants in Florida is $19.79 per hour. That is an annual average wage of $41,170. So at entry-level, you can be looking at $33,698 to $37,995.

Dental assistants with more experience can earn up to $25.31 per hour and $52,360 annually. That may also increase depending on the average salary at some locations in Florida.

Working as a Dental Assistant in Florida

According to the bureau of labor statistics, Florida is one of the states with the highest employment for dental assistants. There are over 20,690 employed in the state. As of 2016, there were just 18,270 dental assistants. It is estimated that this number may increase to 22,470 by 2026 (a 22.99% increase). So, you’re sure that you’ll get employment opportunities with your dental assistant certification.

Dental offices are the highest employers, with over 17,454 dental assistants working in dental offices across Florida. In addition, the government employs around 384 dental assistants, and the same number work in physicians’ offices across Florida.

As a new dental assistant at entry-level positions, you might start by providing several support functions, including clerical work and handling billing. In many cases, you find yourself doing administrative work throughout the day. That is okay; you’ll get more exposure to the more technical part of dental assisting the longer you work.

Keep in mind that you’ll earn better with more training – an associate degree and more certifications. Also, the more experience you get, the higher your salary. But you should also know that the wages of dental assistants vary across Florida. Extensive Metro areas pay more. For example, the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro has its average pay at $46,060. In contrast, the Deltona-Daytona Beach area’s average salary is $33,000. So, if you’re interested in getting more pay, places with larger populations can help you earn more than rural ones.