Becoming a Dental Assistant in Arlington, Texas
Dental assisting is the perfect choice for high school graduates who want to begin a career in the dental hygiene field. Dental assistants perform tasks such as administering nitrous oxide, billing patients and creating dental molds of teeth. With the dental assisting on the rise nationally, one may wonder the best area to find a dental assisting program or seek employment as a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA).
Arlington, a lively city just west of Dallas, is a promising place to get started. Home of the University of Texas Arlington (ATU) campus, this area also boasts attractions like Six Flags Over Texas and the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium. And with plenty of dental assistant training programs available, this city has the resources that new dental assistants need.
Arlington, Texas, Schools for Dental Assistants
The most important certification, according to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (TSBDE), is the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) credential. This particular license grants the dental assistant the ability to perform radiation functions. There are a number of schools in Arlington offering certification options.
- Arlington Dental Assistant School. Offering a 12-week Dental Assistant Certificate program, this school prides itself on Saturdays-only classes. Students receive the radiology course necessary to pursue the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) after graduation. With the RDA, dental assistants can provide more helpful functions in dental offices, such as x-ray services
- Dallas County Community College District. This college system offers dental assisting programs at three campuses, each within a 30-minute drive from Arlington. The rigorous program includes radiology training so that graduates can earn their Texas RDA upon completion of their coursework.
Career Outlook and Salary Expectations
Dental assistants in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area earned a mean annual income of $37,700 in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This income is generally strong compared to that of dental assistants in other areas of the state. With 9,220 dental assistants employed in the area in that same year, the field is expected to grow even more. Learn more about dental assisting in Texas here.
Working as a Dental Assistant in Arlington, Texas
As a dental assistant, it’s a good time to live in Arlington. Since 2000, the city’s population has increased by 45 percent. And an increasing population suggests an increase in need for dental assistants. With its situation between the large cities of Fort Worth and Dallas, Arlington offers a vast number of job and training opportunities.