The Ins and Outs of a Dental Practice

Roles in a dental office depend on the size of the office, according to Keith Robberstad, practice administrator of Associated Dentists, which has two offices and 50 employees in St. Paul and Roseville.

"In a smaller practice, individuals do a lot of different things and it could be anyone in the office doing them," says Robberstad.

Duties in a larger practice are divided up more, with individuals performing specific duties in office administration, accounting, insurance and scheduling, although the prevalence of computers has enabled more dental office workers to perform scheduling duties, according to Robberstad. "Some larger practices usually have an office manager," he adds. "It's the go-to person for the doctor. In business, it would be an administrative assistant."

Healthcare roles
In addition to the dentist, the primary healthcare roles include the dental assistant and dental hygienist.

The duties of a registered dental assistant include patient care, office tasks and laboratory work, depending on the practice. They may obtain dental records, prepare patients for an exam, sterilize and set up dental instruments and equipment, take X-rays, assist the dentist during the exam and teach patients about caring for their teeth and gums. They may also make casts of teeth and temporary crowns, Robberstad says.

Registration is optional for dental assistants in Minnesota, although it is required for performing expanded duties such as taking X-rays.

Twin Cities' area colleges offering programs in dental assisting include Century College (www.century.edu), Dakota County Technical College (www.dctc.edu), Hennepin Technical College (www.hennepintech.edu) and Minneapolis Community & Technical College (www.minneapolis.edu).

Hygienists' duties include checking patients' teeth for deposits and decay, and their gums for disease. They also check for signs of oral cancer and take X-rays. They must be licensed to practice in Minnesota.

Twin Cities' area colleges offering programs in dental hygiene include Argosy University (www.argosy.edu), Century College and Normandale Community College (www.normandale.edu). The University of Minnesota (www.umn.edu) offers bachelor's and master's degrees in dental hygiene. Average salaries for dental assistant in the Twin Cities are around $21 an hour, while hygienists average nearly $35 an hour.