Dental Assistants: Building Healthier Communities

Who we are: La Clínica de La Raza is a community-based health center committed to providing culturally appropriate, high-quality, and accessible health care to the diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. We have spent over 40 years advocating for and creating a health home for the many that have been denied access to care. As health care activists, we are dedicated to making sure individuals who do not have health coverage get the same level of quality healthcare as those who have it. From our genesis as a community health center in 1971, we understood that we cannot heal our communities without also addressing the economic and social factors that affect health. Many times, this requires that we go outside and provide services in other settings to build the bridge that links individuals to our health center for preventive and primary care. Over 90,000 individuals come to La Clínica because it is a welcoming place that addresses the whole person, coordinating and connecting them to a broad network of services to improve and maintain their health and well-being. While we are still known for our activism and spirit of social justice, we are also proud to have grown into a sophisticated provider of primary health care services with 35 sites across Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties.

Be part of an excellent care team: We are looking for Dental Assistants who want to serve as a valuable member of our care team by work alongside dentists in fourhanded dentistry. In our dental practice, you will be relied on for your superb technical skills to improve the quality and efficiency of our clinic while at the same time providing a human touch to the overall patient experience. Many people excel at one of these areas, but it takes someone with a special combination of skills and character to do both. To be successful, you need to enjoy interacting with all kinds of different people, to feel energized by a fast paced clinic environment, and remain cool under pressure even when serving a person who is upset, disrespectful or impatient. You should have a successful history of being responsible, reliable and capable of solving problems while being friendly and helpful in looking for ways to support other care team members.
 

Major Areas of Responsibility include but are not limited to:

Patient Care

• Manage patient flow to maximize patient access and service by ensuring dental exam rooms are adequately stocked and are ready for patients.
• Prepare patients for dental examination by taking and recording vital signs and medical/dental histories.
• Help patients feel comfortable before, during and after dental treatment
• Effectively communicate request from patients to dentist or dental care team members.
• Assist the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures such as taking dental x-rays.
• Clean, sterilize, and maintain an adequate supply of functioning instruments and equipment.
• Prepare instruments, materials and medication for use in dental procedures.
• Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs.
• Provide patients with instructions for oral care following surgery or other dental treatment procedures.
• Provide prescription information to pharmacies, as directed by the dentist.
• Record treatment information in patient records using Electronic Dental Records system.

Commitment to Quality

• Demonstrate a commitment to excellent patient experience and quality outcomes in equal measure.
• Communicate and work effectively with providers and other members of the dental care team to best serve patients. Contribute to a welcoming clinical space and healthy work environment through proactive relationship building, direct communication and sound judgment.
• Engaged participation in huddles, staff meetings, team building activities and assigned development opportunities. Continue your professional development through participation in educational opportunities
• Adherence to La Clínica all ethical and professional standards, including La Clínica's policies and procedures.

General Office Duties

• Perform general office duties, such as scheduling appointments for patients, answering telephones, recording medical updates from the provider, or completing insurance forms.
• Register patients, collect and post payments, prepare treatment estimates for review with patient, run, balance and close end of day reports.
• Assist patients with insurance forms.
• Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic in the appropriate electronic system.
• Inventory stock, order, and verify receipt of dental, lab, or office supplies or equipment.
• Keep equipment operating by following operating instructions; troubleshooting breakdowns; maintaining supplies; performing preventive maintenance; calling for repairs.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Knowledge

• Basic dental assisting practices, terminology, and equipment used.
• Dental office procedures including but not limited to scheduling, registration, treatment estimates and payment collection.
• Working with modern computer applications and electronic health records.
• Techniques for cleaning and sterilization of dental equipment, exam rooms and patient treatment areas.

Abilities

• Physical: ability to work in fourhanded dentistry and other job functions that involve continues movement.
• Communication: Bilingual proficiency. Use of clear and effective written and verbal communications skills using the English language with correct spelling and grammar. Able to follow oral/written instructions.
• Interpersonal Skills: Able to work professionally and collaboratively a team member to support the quality/efficiency standards established for the clinic; ability to work across cultures and demonstrate support of diversity, equity and inclusion. Flexibility in accepting change gracefully.
• Administrative Skills: Ability to perform clerical duties in a methodical, independent and thorough manner with speed and accuracy with minimal supervision. work independently; exercise good judgment; make accurate mathematical computations;
• Availability: Able to participate with other staff in Saturday and evening rotation.

Other Qualifications

• HS/GED, X-Ray License, and 1-2 years of experience as a Dental Assistant.
• Non-Licensed DA: DAI (Completion of Dental Assistant Training Program preferred).
• Licensed DA:
  • DA: DAII (RDA);
  • DAIII (RDA-Extended Function);
  • DAIV (RDA-Extended Function II).
• Certification for health clearances required of all healthcare professionals.

Specialized Additional Duties
DA I:
A dental assistant is expected to perform the following duties under the general supervision of a supervising licensed dentist:

1. Extra-oral duties or procedures specified by the supervising licensed dentist, provided that these duties or procedures meet the definition of a basic supportive procedure.
2. Operate dental radiography equipment for the purpose of oral radiography and have a radiographic safety certificate.
3. Perform intraoral and extraoral photography.

A dental assistant may perform the following duties under the direct supervision of a supervising licensed dentist:

1. Apply nonaerosol and noncaustic topical agents.
2. Apply topical fluoride.
3. Take intraoral impressions for all nonprosthodontic appliances.
4. Take facebow transfers and bite registrations.
5. Place and remove rubber dams or other isolation devices.
6. Place, wedge, and remove matrices for restorative procedures.
7. Remove postextraction dressings after inspection of the surgical site by the supervising licensed dentist.
8. Perform measurements for the purposes of orthodontic treatment.
9. Cure restorative or orthodontic materials in operative site with a light-curing device.
10. Examine orthodontic appliances.
11. Place and remove orthodontic separators.
12. Remove ligature ties and archwires.
13. After adjustment by the dentist, examine and seat removable orthodontic appliances and deliver care instructions to the patient

DA II:
A registered dental assistant may perform all of the following duties:

1. All duties that a dental assistant is allowed to perform.
2. Mouth-mirror inspections of the oral cavity, to include charting of obvious lesions, existing restorations, and missing teeth.
3. Apply and activate bleaching agents using a nonlaser light-curing device.
4. Use of automated caries detection devices and materials to gather information for diagnosis by the dentist.
5. Obtain intraoral images for computer-aided design (CAD), milled restorations.
6. Pulp vitality testing and recording of findings.
7. Place bases, liners, and bonding agents.
8. Chemically prepare teeth for bonding.
9. Place, adjust, and finish direct provisional restorations.
10. Fabricate, adjust, cement, and remove indirect provisional restorations, including stainless steel crowns when used as a provisional restoration.
11. Place post-extraction dressings after inspection of the surgical site by the supervising licensed dentist.
12. Place periodontal dressings.
13. Dry endodontically treated canals using absorbent paper points.
14. Adjust dentures extra-orally.
15. Remove excess cement from surfaces of teeth with a hand instrument.
16. Polish coronal surfaces of the teeth.
17. Place ligature ties and archwires.
18. Remove orthodontic bands.
19. All duties that the board may prescribe by regulation.

A registered dental assistant may only perform the following additional duties if he or she has completed a board-approved registered dental assistant educational program in those duties, or if he or she has provided evidence, satisfactory to the board, of having completed a board-approved course in those duties.

1. Remove excess cement with an ultrasonic scaler from supragingival surfaces of teeth undergoing orthodontic treatment.
2. The allowable duties of an orthodontic assistant permitholder as specified in Section 1750.3. A registered dental assistant shall not be required to complete further instruction in the duties of placing ligature ties and archwires, removing orthodontic bands, and removing excess cement from tooth surfaces with a hand instrument.
3. The allowable duties of a dental sedation assistant permitholder as specified in Section 1750.5.
4. The application of pit and fissure sealants.

Except as provided in Section 1777, the supervising licensed dentist shall be responsible for determining whether each authorized procedure performed by a registered dental assistant should be performed under general or direct supervision.

DA III:
All DA I & II duties and in addition the following allowable duties:

1. Cord retraction of gingiva for impression procedures.
2. Take final impressions for permanent indirect restorations.
3. Formulate indirect patterns for endodontic post and core castings.
4. Fit trial endodontic filling points.
5. Apply pit and fissure sealants.
6. Remove excess cement from subgingival tooth surfaces with a hand instrument. - See more at: http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/business-and-professions-code/bpc-sect-1753-6.html#sthash.HorFT6IS.dpuf

DA IV:
All DA I, DA II and DA III duties in addition to the following allowable duties:

1. Conduct preliminary evaluation of the patient's oral health, including, but not limited to, charting, intraoral and extra-oral evaluation of soft tissue, classifying occlusion, and myofunctional evaluation.
2. Perform oral health assessments in school-based, community health project settings under the direction of a dentist, registered dental hygienist, or registered dental hygienist in alternative practice.
3. Cord retraction of gingiva for impression procedures.
4. Size and fit endodontic master points and accessory points.
5. Cement endodontic master points and accessory points.
6. Take final impressions for permanent indirect restorations.
7. Take final impressions for tooth-borne removable prosthesis.
8. Polish and contour existing amalgam restorations.
9. Place, contour, finish, and adjust all direct restorations.
10. Adjust and cement permanent indirect restorations.
11. Other procedures authorized by regulations adopted by the board.

All procedures required to be performed under direct supervision shall be checked and approved by the supervising licensed dentist prior to the patient's dismissal from the office. - See more at: http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/business-and-professions-code/bpc-sect-1753-5.html#sthash.3ZuHEWaL.dpuf