Requirements to Become a Certified Dental Assistant

Completing a Dental Assistant program can be the opportunity to explore a wonderful career in the field of dentistry. While most states don’t require licensing, obtaining your certification as a Dental Assistant will give you and edge over the competition. This will allow you to have a wide selection of employment opportunities to choose from. Most Dental Assistants with a certificate find that they are paid more for their work than those Dental Assistants who have not obtained licensing.

The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. set the standards for the Certified Dental Assistant, known as CDA. The CDA exam is composed of three parts. The General Chairside is a written test composed of 120 multiple choice questions. The questions are based on basic Dental Assistant fundamentals. The Infection Control segment is also a written portion. It is composed of 100 multiple choice questions relating to information on various diseases, the risks, and prevention methods. The last portion of the exam is the Health and Safety portion. This is a 100 question multiple choice section that is basically common sense related. Some Nursing Assistants choose to take the Certified Dental Assistant portion as well. This is a 210 question multiple choice section.

To prepare for the CDA, review your text book and notes from your Dental Assistant program. It is a good idea to purchase a CDA study guide. You can form a study group with other students who will be taking the CDA exam. The internet also has many free practice tests available. The exam is given in either a written form or computerized form. Nursing Assistant can choose the method they are most comfortable with.

To ensure you do the best possible on the CDA test, consider scheduling it immediately after you have completed your Dental Assistant Program. This is a great time to do it because all of the information is still fresh in your mind. You are also still in learning mode, so you should not suffer too much from test anxiety. Those who test right after completing their Dental Assistant program score better on the test. The longer you wait, they lower your score is likely to be. It is also less likely you will take the test once you have secured employment as a Dental Assistant.

In some states, Dental Assistants who have obtained the certification can perform various dental procedures. This definitely makes you a greater asset to the dental facility you work for if your state offers this statute. This will also encourage employers in these states to hire you over other Dental Assistants who are not certified. You will be worth more to the employer, so you will likely be offered more pay and better benefits.

For Dental Assistants, the decision to take the CDA is theirs to make. Since licensing is not a requirement, then many choose not to go through the test of taking another exam. However, there is nothing to lose because if you don’t pass the test you are still qualified to be a Dental Assistant upon completion of your program. However, the benefits of having an edge over the competition as well as the additional pay for the same type of work are encouraging to proceed with taking the CDA.

CDA exams vary in cost by state. They are generally held monthly. You can obtain a schedule of CDA exams from your program instructor, your State Dental Board, or from The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. They can also refer you to the best materials to study for the CDA test based on the requirements of your state.

Why Become a Dentist?

Becoming a dentist takes a very long time and a bunch of hard work. You have to take at least 8 years of dentistry school and graduate. This is a lot of work but the payout is worth every second of hard work you ever put into it. Below are some reasons why becoming a dentist is a very smart decision.

Not only will you be doing what you love and helping people everyday, you will also be earning quite a bit of money doing so. I go into more detail in the dentists salaries tab above but on average you earn over $120,000 a year! That is a lot of money to be getting paid for what you enjoy doing. If you enjoy learning about the human body and mouth then becoming a dentist will suite your interests. You get to work with people everyday and interact with your community. You will also have the option to become a specialist in a certain form of dentistry such as a orthodontist or oral surgeon. This adds a perk that most jobs don't have. If you get bored being a general dentist you can always go back to school to specialize in something. This is what makes being a dentist so worthwhile.

How Many Years Does It Take To Become a Dentist?

If you are looking to become a dentist you will have to take at least 8 years of schooling and even more of you want become a dentist specialist. It may seem like a lot of time but a dentist salary isn't too shabby. The first four years of school will be done at any university to receive your prerequisites so you can be considered for admission into dental school. These prerequisites typically take 3 years to complete and up to 6 months for the application process which is why it takes 4 years. Prerequisites for dental school will consist of the following: 

1. Inorganic Chemistry (1 year)
2. Organic Chemistry (1 year)
3. Math (physics 1 semester, trigonometry 1 semester)
4. Biology (1 year)
5. Human Anatomy

Suggested additional courses: Statistics, Histology, Upper level biology, and biochemistry.

After you have finished those courses you will then have the chance to take The Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) which is the entrance exam needed to get into dental school. This exam will be on the courses you have taken at the university. The DAT is a very challenging and tough exam that takes a lot of preparation to be ready for.

Once you have finished all of this you will wait to see if you got into dental school. On average only 30% of the applications are accepted and the average GPA is 3.4. Getting into dental school is very competitive.

You will then have 4 years of dental school once you get in. Once you graduate from here you will your Bachelor Degree and D.D.S (Doctorate of Dental Surgery) and you will become a Dentist Generalist. To become a Dentist Specialist you must do the same courses as a Dentist Generalist but do an additional year of school to receive your Specialist Certificate. But if you decide that you want to be something like an orthodontist, periodontist or oral surgeon then that will require you to take up to 2 more years of special  education in that specific category after your D.D.S. You won't have to decide this until after dental school since the process is the same but there is extra schooling you will have to complete. After you finish schooling you will be off earning a very respectful amount of money.