It’s Dental Assistant Recognition Week! Dental assistants are crucial to a successful practice and support patients and the practice team in many ways. In fact, according to research conducted by the DALE Foundation, the vast majority of dentists and dental office managers believe that dental assistants bring significant value to the practice. Here are just a few reasons dental assistants are important.
Dental assistants are attentive to patient and team needs.
Dental assistants play an integral part in providing patient care and delivering an exceptional experience. From preparing for procedures to following up with patients after treatment, dental assistants are key players. Often called mind readers, they are helpful and observant of patient and team needs. In the DALE Foundation survey mentioned above, 98% of dentists and dental office managers agreed that effective dental assistants contribute to team synergy and make all team members more effective. In addition, 97% agreed that dental assistants contribute to patient retention.
Dental assistants support a productive schedule.
Dental assistants often act as air-traffic controllers as they help to maintain the practice’s schedule and keep everything on track. Dental assistants promote more dental care by supporting the dentist and the rest of the team. The DALE Foundation tells us that nearly 100% of dentists and dental office managers believe dental assistants contribute to the productivity of the dental practice.
Dental assistants help keep patients safe.
Dental assistants are on the front lines of keeping patients and providers safe. They are typically responsible for handling sterilization and disinfection of the dental instruments that are used to clean and treat your teeth.
Say thanks to a dental assistant!
Although this week is dedicated to recognizing dental assistants, they play an important role in the practice year-round. We’re grateful to our dental assistants for the hard work and contributions they make to keep our patients and teams happy and safe!
