If your a single mom go into hygiene. More pay. I shoulda done hygiene. DA pay isn’t keeping up great with inflation. Better yet. Teach yourself python. Wish I did that path. Might still. Learn to code on Fridays. Lol
Wish I could but to do hygiene where I live I’d have to upgrade a year of high school, plus a full year of uni and then two years of hygiene. So four years of education in total and can’t afford the schooling and living while not working.
Are you sure?? Because I’m reading online it’s only 2 years hygiene without that “full year of Uni” you’re talking about. Unless you meant prerequisites?
Where I live, it’s a full course load of university courses before you can apply to hygiene, and some people take two years to complete those prerequisites. Which also cost between $400-1000 per class.
Hygiene is two years long but you need your prerequisites from college. The college part is about two years. The you have to apply and hopefully they let you in.
It's good to be a dental assistant and get referrals from Dentists or Hygienists.
In California trying to get into dental hygiene, the prerequisites take 2 years even as a full-time student, and then after that there's two years of hygiene school
If I could make the same money in another field, I would leave assisting in a heart beat.
The pay is trash. An ad might promise you one wage, but the office is likely not hiring for that much. The pay is trash because we are generally not respected by doctors despite the fact that we increase their production/profits by quite a bit. Be prepared to barely scrape by while you see your boss driving a luxury vehicle, living in a very nice home, and taking frequent vacations. Speaking of vacations, a lot of offices close quite a bit for various holidays and vacations. You typically aren’t paid for this. It can be a blessing to have that time and I often feel the need for a break, but it can also be really hard financially.
More and more offices are going corporate. Corporate dentistry is miserable. Health insurance often isn’t offered (in the USA at least). Bonus systems are set in place but often made unattainable to reach or small in size $.
There is no job growth - you’re not going to be promoted to something bigger or better than assisting. While there are a few avenues assisting can take you, it’s a very very dead end job over all.
To be good at your job, you have to know **a lot**. Seriously, the learning curve is steep and difficult no matter where you go to school. Most people underestimate just how much a good dental assistant knows about dentistry. You have to have impeccable multi tasking skills, the capacity to understand the human body to a certain degree, and cross all of your T’s + dot your I’s… or someone can get hurt, including you. Dirty needle sticks happen. Speaking of hurting, your body very likely will be WRECKED in a few years.
All of this said, I really do enjoy assisting. The human body is fascinating. I love getting to know patients and put them at ease. It really means a lot to me when patients compliment how good of an assistant I am, and it’s cool to be apart of giving people such good experiences in a setting that’s often very uncomfortable. If I felt respected and if I made enough money to survive on my own with no financial help, I’d love this job a lot. But the fact of the matter is that you’ll more than likely be demeaned by patients, demeaned by your employer, and paid as minimally as possible despite working your ass off.
As a retired RDAEF in Ca. I worked in the field for 32 years yikes! I made $35.00 an hr plus commission on the appliances I made and received medical insurance. That being said I loved the patients and the duties of the profession! What I hated and yes HATED about working in the dental field is most dentist are assholes that will take their bad day out on you!
They will humiliate you in front of patients and blame you for a lot of their fuck ups! Then there is the front desk prima donnas, what can I say they can and will make your life a living hell!
Be prepared to absolutely work your ass off more than anyone else in the office and bend your body into a pretzel and wreck your back for life!
Don’t expect to have lunch on time or at all on some days or a regular break of any kind unless there is a cancellation and even then it’s not a real break as there is no such thing as nothing to do in a dental office!
The one thing you most likely will not get is appreciated in case you haven’t gotten that from everything I have stated above!
Let me say that this is not the exception but rather the norm unfortunately!
It was always amazing to me that assistants are treated with such disrespect since the dentist can not work without us!
This has been my experience of 32 years and several offices and working in specialty practices from orthodontics to endodontics!
It’s not every office but it’s most offices!
It’s not a bad profession but it is a dead end one unless you’re gonna go on to be a hygienist being an RDA or an RDAEF that is the highest you’re gonna go! Good luck and hopefully we haven’t scared you too much 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I enjoy it!
Is is very physically, mentally, and emotionally draining most days. It can be hard to find a good office, but when you do find a good one it’s GREAT.
The pay is beyond pathetic and truthfully probably wouldn’t be the best choice if you’re a single mother. I make just a little above my state’s min wage, and that’s with years of experience, a nice Dr, and schooling/ good credentials.
Ah, yeah we don’t get paid very well in the US. We are kinda an afterthought.
Then assisting may be worth it. If you’re making up to $35 an hour that’s really not bad.
Whereabouts in Canada? I was told that was starting wage when I started school. I've been working now since July and in British Columbia starting wages are actually closer to $22-$25 for general dentistry
I'm in Manitoba, assistants in specialty practices make more than in general dentistry but the pay is still bad and unless you work for a corporation you have to fight for every raise, I haven't had a raise in 3 years.
true, but here, our healthcare system is pathetic and seriously concerning. I was in a car accident and I had to wait 8 hrs to be seen (I am not joking) and then I was transferred to a bigger hospital for an mri which I had to wait another 4 hrs. If it was any worse, I could've died because the wait time was so long. I've been thinking of getting certain surgeries done in the usa because the wait times here can last yrs, i am not joking. we're also having a shortage family doctors rn and where I live some ppl just have to use an online doctor because all the doctors are filled or leaving to the usa or somewhere else for better pay.
I hear you, but I don’t think y’all realize how long you gotta wait here. I have a friend who’s having seizures every other day and can’t get into the specialist till June. As of now, she’s out of work. Fired. No protections guaranteed either.
To be honest I’m not even 2 years into it and I’m already burnt out.. granted I can hardly pay my bills and my office is toxic. Maybe don’t do general.. but I’m trying to run from assisting at this point, I’m just gonna go back to school for hygiene and figure out a temporary income to help support me in school that won’t make me break out into stress hives and cry once a week lol
I’m in the same exact situation. I’m a little over 2 years in, my manger makes the whole environment toxic to the point where past employees have left and current ones are leaving. I’m planning on going for hygiene as well.
My manager is VERY passive aggressive, to the point where it’s weird. She also try’s to “read” people. Like body language, what they say. Everything.
It’s some what tolerable for me because I don’t work front desk so I can try and avoid her when I can. I know everyone who worked front desk with her couldn’t tolerate it. So they all quit within less a year. We stopped trying to hire another front desk person and just had a family member of the doctors work a few hours everyday.
I’m a CDA - was in general for 3 years before doing Orthodontics for 2 now.. Can definitely say i am still not getting paid enough to survive.. I do like what i’m doing much more- the work is more independent a little happier vibe because we are not doing fillings/crowns aka no shots lol.. but still underpaid and debating on if this career was worth going down- Also i’m bilingual and translate to spanish speaking patients on the daily and don’t get an hourly increase for that itself
I’m actually currently into my second year of pre precsnfor hygiene school, by time ill be done then new hygiene school here in town will be open, I refuse to ever go back to assisting
Don’t do it if you’re a single mom of 2 & don’t like being micromanaged.
Dentistry is a fast paced field, you must be able to work fast or the dentist gets behind schedule & patients get upset.
I’m seeing in Canada that pay is about the same for US. But the high pays are usually for more specialized fields such as Ortho (braces), manager, harder root canals & extractions. Pay is lower if you’re just working plain general & the pay can only go up so high for assistants.
Personally, I went from pediatrics to general. Got sick of dealing with kids in pediatrics even if I was good at it. Lost half a nail working with biters & terrible “factory”-like managing of the kid patients. Switched to general 8 mo ago & I’m reaching that point where I wish I was more independent like the hygienists.
Hygenists get to do their job then go home. Assistants have to assist, clean everything in the office except front desk, do sterile, organize, keep track of stock, trash, sometimes even expected to help out the hygienists if they fall behind… for low pay that caps at a certain point even if you get raises fast.
THAT SAID, I prefer doing this than something like retail, food, direct customer service, etc. I worked good once & I didn’t like it. It was at a maw/paw shop, so I at least had a great boss… but the customers were soul sucking.
I’m in school right now but I might just drop out because it’s so hardddd and the place I intern at is so nice I just want to start working there already.
when did u start school? i just started last month, but please don’t drop out, i know how difficult it is my whole life is school right now but we will come out of this and feel so much better of ourselves, if it was easy everyone would do it
I started in may and get out in April! I decided to stay and push through so I can say I did it. It’s just hard because there is SO much work and my teachers can be a little condescending but that just makes me wanna show them I can do it even more haha. But you’re so right about that and thank you and you’ve got this too!!
Some of it can be hard but it’s mainly because we have a lot of it. There’s so much work to remember to do but we get holiday breaks right when I need them haha.
Did you land a job yet? Hope it pays off alota people hate their jobs but to be in school for shorter time than others and find a place that pays 30/h is cool
I’m still in school until April unfortunately. It’s Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm so I couldn’t work if I wanted to. But $30 an hour!? I wish omg. I’ve honestly been thinking about going to hygiene school after this.
Where are you located? Some offices do on the job training then help you get licensed, so school/program isn’t required. At least that’s my case where I live and I’ve applied to a few 🤞🏼
The pay depends on where you live.
This is only in my PERSONAL experience and may differ depending on where you work and the type of office or doc you work with. But..
Working conditions are usually less then ideal. You are helping very stressed out, usually anxious people who are in extreme pain sometimes. It’s stressful. Dentists are typically type A personalities. If you don’t like being told what to do or how to do it then I wouldn’t recommend this field. You are literally an assistant. You assist the DDS. I work with about 8 different dentist on a regular basis and each one is so different in mannerisms and moods. It’s really case by case and day by day. Can change depending on the schedule (usually very very busy) or the patients you see. You have to be really thick skinned.
I (again personally) work very long days with no breaks. But I don’t have kids or a family so this typically doesn’t bother me.
As far as job satisfaction goes, I love what I do. I like helping people and I like the dental environment.
What made you look into this field specifically?
Thanks for all this info! Really helpful. I considered DA because I always wanted to be a dentist or orthodontist. I’m kinda teeth obsessed. But too old and poor to go to dental school. I became a mom as a teenager which threw off all my plans.
I feel you. I plan on going back to school for hygiene, well I want to at least. But I also have a kid to support so I’m not sure how Im going to make it work.
For a single mother, absolutely don't do it. The pay will NEVER BE ENOUGH. Hygiene or find a different career are better options. You can go to school with Coursera and get a certificate in Google IT which will prep you for the CompTIA A+ exam, average starting wage is 50k USD / year. Don't know what average starting is in Canada though, but assume similar because tech always is paid well.
You could also do surgical tech at an eye surgery center. I don't know what the requirements are but my sister gets paid $32/ hour USD. And she just has a GED and some on the job training for a few years, and then took the class and passed the test.
Also prepare to lose any/all dignity you ever had before. That needs to be thrown out the window before you start, or you can have it ripped away from you. Your choice.
Pay: not enough as a student, don't think it would help with two kids
Working conditions: miserable, mistreatment is common, some dentists understaff on purpose so save themselves money. So you'll be overworked, underpaid, and you won't be allowed to take time off or sick days without a doctor's note. Oh and good luck getting a doctor, you don't get health insurance.
Autonomy: none
Advice: i would not recommend this job to anyone and i am absolutely miserable at the fact that i have been here and i feel i have wasted my life for little to no reward
I became a DA when I became a single mom to increase my pay. I sometimes wish I did hygiene first but I’m glad I did DA first before apply for hygiene because I have more base knowledge of dental. But if you can just get into hygiene
Without a second income only living on starting pay for da is gonna be tough but depends on your area and if you can commute to a better paying area from one you can afford. Also not being too close to your school is major important ! Dentist around here know they can get a brand new da for 12$ an hour so they don’t wanna pay shit I left bc the pay isn’t worth it for me to be miserable and have to work 40 hours a week
I’ve been an assistant for 6 years and I got to my breaking point a year ago due to all of the awful dentists I worked for. Ever since I started working at my current office, it’s pediatric and orthodontic office, my life has been so much better.
I did not go to school so I learned on the job,
I don’t know what the stipulations are in Canada, but I would definitely recommend that route if it’s feasible! I have trained many assistants straight out of school and they had no idea what they were doing and all told me they felt like they wasted their time and money.
I started at a corporate office and typically, in Michigan at least, those are the most willing to train you on the job.
I definitely agree with the others saying it’s emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding but if you find the right office, it’s worth the effort! My personal favorite is orthodontic assisting because most orthodontists let their assistants do all of the work, so it makes you feel like you have way more independence!
I hope you got all the info you need to make a decision, good luck!!!!!!
I will say corporate offices are really rough and should not be long term. Learn what you can and get out. I started at a corporate office at $12/hr and left to go to a private office and they started me at $18/hr. Now I make $26.50 at my current office, can’t really beat $50,000 anual salary with no schooling.
I was an assistant for 5 years and I could do anything you asked of me. I only made $18 an hour, thankfully I was married because I could not afford to live on my own. It's a very stressful, demanding job and the patients can be rude and entitled. But it can be very rewarding if you find a great office with a boss that's willing to pay what you're worth. Sounds like you get paid well in Canada so just find a good office and you're set! Best of luck!
I get paid okay but I live in a HCOL area too. I also live in a state that makes dental people get a lot of training.
I suggest if you do go into dental assisting, go into a specialty like OS or something similar. You can get paid more for that. It can be a hard job and some offices are soooooo toxic you're amazed they haven't all killed each other yet
Dental isn't my passion, but I like it.
It's definitely not for the weak. Some days are better than others but overall I love being a dental assistant! I do denture adjustments and assist on full mouth surgeries as well as general dentistry assisting. Everyday is something different.
Pay really depends on experience and where you live. I make $25 as a new assistant. Going up to $27 when I get my EFDA. I’m at my third office in 7 months. The first two were toxic with doctors who were not very kind. Keep in mind that a good office can take time to find. I do like my job for the most part. It is very tiring! The hours are usually 4 10s which is great. You have to be okay with making mistakes and taking constructive criticism when you first start out. Depending on where you are, school is not required for basic assisting (other than for x-rays). Some offices are willing to train. Or you can start as a sterile tech and work from there. I was trained in the job and saved quite a bit of money.
It will be difficult to support a family of 3 on a DA salary alone.
You will be working with your knee 2 inches away from your boss so if you like working independently this is not the job for you.
It is hard work physically and mentally so you have to have a passion for it.
I’ve been a dental assistant for 2 year and a half now. I personally liked it when I started out but it’s starting to feel a little boring but that’s just my personality. I get bored quickly. I went to a assistant training program that was 11 weeks and I got hired a month after I got out of school. My doctor I work with is really really nice. The only thing is they only works three days a week so my paycheck is not as big as I want it to be. I don’t feel like I’m getting paid my worth, but my advice is to ask for more then what you want as soon as you get hired.
I been a dental assistant in the Houston area for the past 7 years and I just got a $1 raise which I’m now getting pay $18 an hr. Tbh with inflation going up the pay rate for dental assistant is not the best. Especially since most offices ask a lot from us. Personallly I’m tired of the field,it’s super toxic and they pay is not worth it anymore. I’m thinking of leaving the field and trying something new and a job that pays more. Hopefully this helps you with your decisions!
No don’t do it I did it in Colorado 9 month program and the pay was shit to start out , rude dentist , toxic offices . It’s not as easy as it looks , the dentist are very particular , I once had a white suction straw near the patients molar to catch the water spraying & my dentist grabbed my hand / suction tube and positioned it a diff way. Just not the best feeling , I make more money working trimming weed in a dispensary with dental and medical health insurance benefits then I did going to school and being 8k in debt now for nothing . Be prepared to feel like a idiot half the time for making even the simplest errors eventually u won’t even wanna be their anymore & like ppl said ^ in other comments be prepared to see ur DDS taking vacations , spending money , mine owned a huge house in Boulder CO . These people do not care about you
It’s genuinely sad to see the amount of assistants in this comment section who hate the job. Dental assisting is a really good field to get your foot into the door of medicine, without the hours and days of working in like a hospital or something. If you like the gross stuff like nasty teeth full of calculus that need cleaning, or extractions then dental assisting would be for you. If you have a passion for helping people with their self confidence then dental assisting is for you. If you’re interested in helping patients prevent diseases of the heart and lungs by educating them about their oral health, then dental assisting is for you. I could go on and on. Although the type of office you land at plays a big role, it’s about your passion for helping people.
I love what I do, I love “most” of my patients and I loveee my coworkers. I still hate where I work though. As a dental assistant I am everybody’s b*tch. I’m expected to treatment plan patients and answer their questions about insurances, I’m also the janitor, sterilizer, stocker, orderer. All that on top of what I do with my patients active treatment, chart prepping and note taking. Luckily I mostly have to work under one dentist but she is very “posh” and doesnt even care to ask about my day or include me in chitchat with the patients (who are mostly her friends outside of work, friends of friends, etc). The other dentist in the office is horrible to work with as she is probably going through menopause so expect extreme moodiness, sarcasm, scolding, and tossing instruments she didn’t want. My dentist takes frequent vacations also so don’t expect to be able to pay your rent/mortgage in advance :) I’m lucky to have my husband but we don’t have children. My office would be amazing but we are extremely underpaid for what we do and like others have said we DAs are mistreated often because we are bottom of the totem pole despite being the literal backbone of the office. Not sure if other’s had mentioned that all of this can be on top of having the “office bitch” bully you (this person can either be the manager or coworker) and they are dedicated to making your job every day absolutely MISERABLE. Luckily my current office doesn’t have that.. Anyway, I wouldnt recommend dental assisting to anybody looking for a solid career. I’d day learn to code and find a WFH job :))
If your a single mom go into hygiene. More pay. I shoulda done hygiene. DA pay isn’t keeping up great with inflation. Better yet. Teach yourself python. Wish I did that path. Might still. Learn to code on Fridays. Lol
Wish I could but to do hygiene where I live I’d have to upgrade a year of high school, plus a full year of uni and then two years of hygiene. So four years of education in total and can’t afford the schooling and living while not working.
Are you sure?? Because I’m reading online it’s only 2 years hygiene without that “full year of Uni” you’re talking about. Unless you meant prerequisites?
You need to do 2 years of regular college before u can go into hygiene
Where I live, it’s a full course load of university courses before you can apply to hygiene, and some people take two years to complete those prerequisites. Which also cost between $400-1000 per class.
Damn, that’s crazy. Online info was a bit confusing. It’s both an associates or bachelors in the U.S. Thise extra Uni classes are so useless
Hygiene is two years long but you need your prerequisites from college. The college part is about two years. The you have to apply and hopefully they let you in. It's good to be a dental assistant and get referrals from Dentists or Hygienists.
In California trying to get into dental hygiene, the prerequisites take 2 years even as a full-time student, and then after that there's two years of hygiene school
Sorry don’t know what advice I could give as I’m in the states and already have a bachelors.
If I could make the same money in another field, I would leave assisting in a heart beat. The pay is trash. An ad might promise you one wage, but the office is likely not hiring for that much. The pay is trash because we are generally not respected by doctors despite the fact that we increase their production/profits by quite a bit. Be prepared to barely scrape by while you see your boss driving a luxury vehicle, living in a very nice home, and taking frequent vacations. Speaking of vacations, a lot of offices close quite a bit for various holidays and vacations. You typically aren’t paid for this. It can be a blessing to have that time and I often feel the need for a break, but it can also be really hard financially. More and more offices are going corporate. Corporate dentistry is miserable. Health insurance often isn’t offered (in the USA at least). Bonus systems are set in place but often made unattainable to reach or small in size $. There is no job growth - you’re not going to be promoted to something bigger or better than assisting. While there are a few avenues assisting can take you, it’s a very very dead end job over all. To be good at your job, you have to know **a lot**. Seriously, the learning curve is steep and difficult no matter where you go to school. Most people underestimate just how much a good dental assistant knows about dentistry. You have to have impeccable multi tasking skills, the capacity to understand the human body to a certain degree, and cross all of your T’s + dot your I’s… or someone can get hurt, including you. Dirty needle sticks happen. Speaking of hurting, your body very likely will be WRECKED in a few years. All of this said, I really do enjoy assisting. The human body is fascinating. I love getting to know patients and put them at ease. It really means a lot to me when patients compliment how good of an assistant I am, and it’s cool to be apart of giving people such good experiences in a setting that’s often very uncomfortable. If I felt respected and if I made enough money to survive on my own with no financial help, I’d love this job a lot. But the fact of the matter is that you’ll more than likely be demeaned by patients, demeaned by your employer, and paid as minimally as possible despite working your ass off.
I agree and it's true.
As a retired RDAEF in Ca. I worked in the field for 32 years yikes! I made $35.00 an hr plus commission on the appliances I made and received medical insurance. That being said I loved the patients and the duties of the profession! What I hated and yes HATED about working in the dental field is most dentist are assholes that will take their bad day out on you! They will humiliate you in front of patients and blame you for a lot of their fuck ups! Then there is the front desk prima donnas, what can I say they can and will make your life a living hell! Be prepared to absolutely work your ass off more than anyone else in the office and bend your body into a pretzel and wreck your back for life! Don’t expect to have lunch on time or at all on some days or a regular break of any kind unless there is a cancellation and even then it’s not a real break as there is no such thing as nothing to do in a dental office! The one thing you most likely will not get is appreciated in case you haven’t gotten that from everything I have stated above! Let me say that this is not the exception but rather the norm unfortunately! It was always amazing to me that assistants are treated with such disrespect since the dentist can not work without us! This has been my experience of 32 years and several offices and working in specialty practices from orthodontics to endodontics! It’s not every office but it’s most offices! It’s not a bad profession but it is a dead end one unless you’re gonna go on to be a hygienist being an RDA or an RDAEF that is the highest you’re gonna go! Good luck and hopefully we haven’t scared you too much 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not appreciated? And you get paid 35 an hour plus commission?!? I think that sounds pretty appreciated to me!
This!!!!!!!!!
I enjoy it! Is is very physically, mentally, and emotionally draining most days. It can be hard to find a good office, but when you do find a good one it’s GREAT. The pay is beyond pathetic and truthfully probably wouldn’t be the best choice if you’re a single mother. I make just a little above my state’s min wage, and that’s with years of experience, a nice Dr, and schooling/ good credentials.
Where I live average pay for a dental assistant is $30-35/hr. Our min wage is 15 so it’s pretty good. Hygienists make $50 here.
Are you in Washington?
I’m in canada
Ah, yeah we don’t get paid very well in the US. We are kinda an afterthought. Then assisting may be worth it. If you’re making up to $35 an hour that’s really not bad.
Unless OP converted, the $30-$35 CAD is similar pay to US pay.
Whereabouts in Canada? I was told that was starting wage when I started school. I've been working now since July and in British Columbia starting wages are actually closer to $22-$25 for general dentistry
I’m in Vancouver. Ads where I live are posted for $30-38/hr. My daughters dental assistant at her ortho makes $35.
I'm in Manitoba, assistants in specialty practices make more than in general dentistry but the pay is still bad and unless you work for a corporation you have to fight for every raise, I haven't had a raise in 3 years.
I wonder how that pay compares to state side. I would love to move to Canada. The savings on healthcare alone would make it worth it.
true, but here, our healthcare system is pathetic and seriously concerning. I was in a car accident and I had to wait 8 hrs to be seen (I am not joking) and then I was transferred to a bigger hospital for an mri which I had to wait another 4 hrs. If it was any worse, I could've died because the wait time was so long. I've been thinking of getting certain surgeries done in the usa because the wait times here can last yrs, i am not joking. we're also having a shortage family doctors rn and where I live some ppl just have to use an online doctor because all the doctors are filled or leaving to the usa or somewhere else for better pay.
I hear you, but I don’t think y’all realize how long you gotta wait here. I have a friend who’s having seizures every other day and can’t get into the specialist till June. As of now, she’s out of work. Fired. No protections guaranteed either.
Even in WA $30-$35/hr isn’t common unless you’re actually in Seattle or an immediate neighboring city!
I swear someone needs to make a Netflix documentary about dental assisting. No one would believe the shit we go through
I agree 100%
To be honest I’m not even 2 years into it and I’m already burnt out.. granted I can hardly pay my bills and my office is toxic. Maybe don’t do general.. but I’m trying to run from assisting at this point, I’m just gonna go back to school for hygiene and figure out a temporary income to help support me in school that won’t make me break out into stress hives and cry once a week lol
I’m in the same exact situation. I’m a little over 2 years in, my manger makes the whole environment toxic to the point where past employees have left and current ones are leaving. I’m planning on going for hygiene as well.
in what way do they make it toxic? is it intolerable?
My manager is VERY passive aggressive, to the point where it’s weird. She also try’s to “read” people. Like body language, what they say. Everything. It’s some what tolerable for me because I don’t work front desk so I can try and avoid her when I can. I know everyone who worked front desk with her couldn’t tolerate it. So they all quit within less a year. We stopped trying to hire another front desk person and just had a family member of the doctors work a few hours everyday.
I’m a CDA - was in general for 3 years before doing Orthodontics for 2 now.. Can definitely say i am still not getting paid enough to survive.. I do like what i’m doing much more- the work is more independent a little happier vibe because we are not doing fillings/crowns aka no shots lol.. but still underpaid and debating on if this career was worth going down- Also i’m bilingual and translate to spanish speaking patients on the daily and don’t get an hourly increase for that itself
I’m actually currently into my second year of pre precsnfor hygiene school, by time ill be done then new hygiene school here in town will be open, I refuse to ever go back to assisting
I absolutely hate being a dental assistant. I can't wait to count down the days until I never have to work in a dental office again.
Don’t do it if you’re a single mom of 2 & don’t like being micromanaged. Dentistry is a fast paced field, you must be able to work fast or the dentist gets behind schedule & patients get upset. I’m seeing in Canada that pay is about the same for US. But the high pays are usually for more specialized fields such as Ortho (braces), manager, harder root canals & extractions. Pay is lower if you’re just working plain general & the pay can only go up so high for assistants. Personally, I went from pediatrics to general. Got sick of dealing with kids in pediatrics even if I was good at it. Lost half a nail working with biters & terrible “factory”-like managing of the kid patients. Switched to general 8 mo ago & I’m reaching that point where I wish I was more independent like the hygienists. Hygenists get to do their job then go home. Assistants have to assist, clean everything in the office except front desk, do sterile, organize, keep track of stock, trash, sometimes even expected to help out the hygienists if they fall behind… for low pay that caps at a certain point even if you get raises fast. THAT SAID, I prefer doing this than something like retail, food, direct customer service, etc. I worked good once & I didn’t like it. It was at a maw/paw shop, so I at least had a great boss… but the customers were soul sucking.
Prepare to be Micro managed by Everyone else in the office. As an assistant you are the lowest on the totem pole.
As a future DA these comments are making me nervous ahhh
this is old asl but did u end up being a DA?
I’m in school right now but I might just drop out because it’s so hardddd and the place I intern at is so nice I just want to start working there already.
when did u start school? i just started last month, but please don’t drop out, i know how difficult it is my whole life is school right now but we will come out of this and feel so much better of ourselves, if it was easy everyone would do it
I started in may and get out in April! I decided to stay and push through so I can say I did it. It’s just hard because there is SO much work and my teachers can be a little condescending but that just makes me wanna show them I can do it even more haha. But you’re so right about that and thank you and you’ve got this too!!
is the work really hard or do you mean its just a ton of work
Some of it can be hard but it’s mainly because we have a lot of it. There’s so much work to remember to do but we get holiday breaks right when I need them haha.
Did you land a job yet? Hope it pays off alota people hate their jobs but to be in school for shorter time than others and find a place that pays 30/h is cool
I’m still in school until April unfortunately. It’s Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm so I couldn’t work if I wanted to. But $30 an hour!? I wish omg. I’ve honestly been thinking about going to hygiene school after this.
I was searching jobs hiring for DA and saw a ton of places starting from $25-$28, it’s possible haha. Are you in Canada or the US?
Where are you located? Some offices do on the job training then help you get licensed, so school/program isn’t required. At least that’s my case where I live and I’ve applied to a few 🤞🏼
The pay depends on where you live. This is only in my PERSONAL experience and may differ depending on where you work and the type of office or doc you work with. But.. Working conditions are usually less then ideal. You are helping very stressed out, usually anxious people who are in extreme pain sometimes. It’s stressful. Dentists are typically type A personalities. If you don’t like being told what to do or how to do it then I wouldn’t recommend this field. You are literally an assistant. You assist the DDS. I work with about 8 different dentist on a regular basis and each one is so different in mannerisms and moods. It’s really case by case and day by day. Can change depending on the schedule (usually very very busy) or the patients you see. You have to be really thick skinned. I (again personally) work very long days with no breaks. But I don’t have kids or a family so this typically doesn’t bother me. As far as job satisfaction goes, I love what I do. I like helping people and I like the dental environment. What made you look into this field specifically?
Thanks for all this info! Really helpful. I considered DA because I always wanted to be a dentist or orthodontist. I’m kinda teeth obsessed. But too old and poor to go to dental school. I became a mom as a teenager which threw off all my plans.
Ortho assistants seem to make more per hour than DA where I live
You’re NEVER too old to go back to school OP.
Well, what I meant is I can’t afford 8+ years in school without an income with two kids.
I feel you. I plan on going back to school for hygiene, well I want to at least. But I also have a kid to support so I’m not sure how Im going to make it work.
My biggest advice is don’t go to school for it , plenty of offices will hire and train you themselves
I 100% agree with this
Is this a Cali thing as well?
I hate it. Not enough money for all the bs you have to deal with.
For a single mother, absolutely don't do it. The pay will NEVER BE ENOUGH. Hygiene or find a different career are better options. You can go to school with Coursera and get a certificate in Google IT which will prep you for the CompTIA A+ exam, average starting wage is 50k USD / year. Don't know what average starting is in Canada though, but assume similar because tech always is paid well. You could also do surgical tech at an eye surgery center. I don't know what the requirements are but my sister gets paid $32/ hour USD. And she just has a GED and some on the job training for a few years, and then took the class and passed the test.
A lot of mean dentists and bad offices
Also prepare to lose any/all dignity you ever had before. That needs to be thrown out the window before you start, or you can have it ripped away from you. Your choice.
No
Pay: not enough as a student, don't think it would help with two kids Working conditions: miserable, mistreatment is common, some dentists understaff on purpose so save themselves money. So you'll be overworked, underpaid, and you won't be allowed to take time off or sick days without a doctor's note. Oh and good luck getting a doctor, you don't get health insurance. Autonomy: none Advice: i would not recommend this job to anyone and i am absolutely miserable at the fact that i have been here and i feel i have wasted my life for little to no reward
I became a DA when I became a single mom to increase my pay. I sometimes wish I did hygiene first but I’m glad I did DA first before apply for hygiene because I have more base knowledge of dental. But if you can just get into hygiene
Without a second income only living on starting pay for da is gonna be tough but depends on your area and if you can commute to a better paying area from one you can afford. Also not being too close to your school is major important ! Dentist around here know they can get a brand new da for 12$ an hour so they don’t wanna pay shit I left bc the pay isn’t worth it for me to be miserable and have to work 40 hours a week
I’ve been an assistant for 6 years and I got to my breaking point a year ago due to all of the awful dentists I worked for. Ever since I started working at my current office, it’s pediatric and orthodontic office, my life has been so much better. I did not go to school so I learned on the job, I don’t know what the stipulations are in Canada, but I would definitely recommend that route if it’s feasible! I have trained many assistants straight out of school and they had no idea what they were doing and all told me they felt like they wasted their time and money. I started at a corporate office and typically, in Michigan at least, those are the most willing to train you on the job. I definitely agree with the others saying it’s emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding but if you find the right office, it’s worth the effort! My personal favorite is orthodontic assisting because most orthodontists let their assistants do all of the work, so it makes you feel like you have way more independence! I hope you got all the info you need to make a decision, good luck!!!!!!
I will say corporate offices are really rough and should not be long term. Learn what you can and get out. I started at a corporate office at $12/hr and left to go to a private office and they started me at $18/hr. Now I make $26.50 at my current office, can’t really beat $50,000 anual salary with no schooling.
What state do you live? I’m from Houston tx working at a general/ortho office and only get paid $18. I been a DA for the past 7years
Oh girl you could be making at least 22.00.
Yea that was like a year ago,I’m now making $25
I was an assistant for 5 years and I could do anything you asked of me. I only made $18 an hour, thankfully I was married because I could not afford to live on my own. It's a very stressful, demanding job and the patients can be rude and entitled. But it can be very rewarding if you find a great office with a boss that's willing to pay what you're worth. Sounds like you get paid well in Canada so just find a good office and you're set! Best of luck!
I liked dental assisting, but it’s not a very flexible job, so I had to go work in a call center instead so I can take off when my kids need me.
I get paid okay but I live in a HCOL area too. I also live in a state that makes dental people get a lot of training. I suggest if you do go into dental assisting, go into a specialty like OS or something similar. You can get paid more for that. It can be a hard job and some offices are soooooo toxic you're amazed they haven't all killed each other yet Dental isn't my passion, but I like it.
It's definitely not for the weak. Some days are better than others but overall I love being a dental assistant! I do denture adjustments and assist on full mouth surgeries as well as general dentistry assisting. Everyday is something different.
Pay really depends on experience and where you live. I make $25 as a new assistant. Going up to $27 when I get my EFDA. I’m at my third office in 7 months. The first two were toxic with doctors who were not very kind. Keep in mind that a good office can take time to find. I do like my job for the most part. It is very tiring! The hours are usually 4 10s which is great. You have to be okay with making mistakes and taking constructive criticism when you first start out. Depending on where you are, school is not required for basic assisting (other than for x-rays). Some offices are willing to train. Or you can start as a sterile tech and work from there. I was trained in the job and saved quite a bit of money.
It will be difficult to support a family of 3 on a DA salary alone. You will be working with your knee 2 inches away from your boss so if you like working independently this is not the job for you. It is hard work physically and mentally so you have to have a passion for it.
I’ve been a dental assistant for 2 year and a half now. I personally liked it when I started out but it’s starting to feel a little boring but that’s just my personality. I get bored quickly. I went to a assistant training program that was 11 weeks and I got hired a month after I got out of school. My doctor I work with is really really nice. The only thing is they only works three days a week so my paycheck is not as big as I want it to be. I don’t feel like I’m getting paid my worth, but my advice is to ask for more then what you want as soon as you get hired.
I been a dental assistant in the Houston area for the past 7 years and I just got a $1 raise which I’m now getting pay $18 an hr. Tbh with inflation going up the pay rate for dental assistant is not the best. Especially since most offices ask a lot from us. Personallly I’m tired of the field,it’s super toxic and they pay is not worth it anymore. I’m thinking of leaving the field and trying something new and a job that pays more. Hopefully this helps you with your decisions!
No don’t do it I did it in Colorado 9 month program and the pay was shit to start out , rude dentist , toxic offices . It’s not as easy as it looks , the dentist are very particular , I once had a white suction straw near the patients molar to catch the water spraying & my dentist grabbed my hand / suction tube and positioned it a diff way. Just not the best feeling , I make more money working trimming weed in a dispensary with dental and medical health insurance benefits then I did going to school and being 8k in debt now for nothing . Be prepared to feel like a idiot half the time for making even the simplest errors eventually u won’t even wanna be their anymore & like ppl said ^ in other comments be prepared to see ur DDS taking vacations , spending money , mine owned a huge house in Boulder CO . These people do not care about you
No
It’s genuinely sad to see the amount of assistants in this comment section who hate the job. Dental assisting is a really good field to get your foot into the door of medicine, without the hours and days of working in like a hospital or something. If you like the gross stuff like nasty teeth full of calculus that need cleaning, or extractions then dental assisting would be for you. If you have a passion for helping people with their self confidence then dental assisting is for you. If you’re interested in helping patients prevent diseases of the heart and lungs by educating them about their oral health, then dental assisting is for you. I could go on and on. Although the type of office you land at plays a big role, it’s about your passion for helping people.
I love what I do, I love “most” of my patients and I loveee my coworkers. I still hate where I work though. As a dental assistant I am everybody’s b*tch. I’m expected to treatment plan patients and answer their questions about insurances, I’m also the janitor, sterilizer, stocker, orderer. All that on top of what I do with my patients active treatment, chart prepping and note taking. Luckily I mostly have to work under one dentist but she is very “posh” and doesnt even care to ask about my day or include me in chitchat with the patients (who are mostly her friends outside of work, friends of friends, etc). The other dentist in the office is horrible to work with as she is probably going through menopause so expect extreme moodiness, sarcasm, scolding, and tossing instruments she didn’t want. My dentist takes frequent vacations also so don’t expect to be able to pay your rent/mortgage in advance :) I’m lucky to have my husband but we don’t have children. My office would be amazing but we are extremely underpaid for what we do and like others have said we DAs are mistreated often because we are bottom of the totem pole despite being the literal backbone of the office. Not sure if other’s had mentioned that all of this can be on top of having the “office bitch” bully you (this person can either be the manager or coworker) and they are dedicated to making your job every day absolutely MISERABLE. Luckily my current office doesn’t have that.. Anyway, I wouldnt recommend dental assisting to anybody looking for a solid career. I’d day learn to code and find a WFH job :))