Dental Assistant School
In Las Vegas

The duties and responsibilities of a Dental Assistant vary depending on state regulations but usually involve a variety of office, patient care, and laboratory duties. Some of the duties include assisting a dentist with treatments and procedures, taking X-rays, preparing dental materials, proper infection control and sterilization, maintaining dental equipment, and ordering dental supplies.

Become a Dental Assistant by enrolling in Northwest Career College's 9-month Dental Assistant program. You will learn to perform a variety of clinical and administrative tasks that are essential to your success as a dental assistant! Some Dental Assistants are trained on the job by individual dentists, but formal education allows you to obtain become nationally certified and will prepare you to be successful anywhere you work in the industry.

Yes! Students will practice dental procedures with their classmates using industry-standard dental equipment throughout their training on campus before refining their skills while working on live patients under the supervision of a licensed dentist and other experienced Dental Assistants.

Not immediately, as additional training is required. Additionally, Dental Assistants and Dental Hygienists are not the same careers. A minimum of an Associate Degree or a Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene conferred by an accredited dental hygiene program is required to obtain a license. However, admission to these programs can be quite competitive, and prior experience working in the dental industry may help boost your chances of admission.

Dental Assistant graduates are eligible to work as clinical dental assistants in general dentistry offices or in specialty dentistry offices working with specialists like orthodontists, oral surgeons, or endodontists.

Accredited Dental Assistant training programs are typically nine months long. Students must complete several months of theory and practical coursework in a classroom setting before they transition into a clinical setting working with patients and doctors during their externship.

Education requirements for Dental Assistants vary from state to state. Some require extensive training, certification, and licensure. Other states do not have any formal requirements. Nevada does not have any minimum degree requirements for Dental Assistants, but employers typically prefer to hire individuals with formal training if they lack prior work experience in the dental field.

The cost of Dental Assistant training programs varies greatly from state to state. Tuition costs at an accredited Dental Assistant training program are typically $15,000 or more, but most of these programs offer federal financial aid, so grants can offset a large portion of the cost. Tuition costs can be lower at unaccredited programs because they tend to offer fewer hours of training and do not have the same job placement requirements as accredited programs. Unaccredited schools typically charge cash for their tuition.

Most Dental Assistant training programs are designed to help students with little to no experience in the dental industry. The most important thing you can do to prepare is make sure you are ready to commit the time needed for studying and practicing. You get out of school what you put into it!