Your Team in the Dental Office By Dr. H. Chehayeb At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

When you walk into a dentist’s office, there may be a few people who you do not recognize beyond the patient waiting area. Many dental offices are full of employees who each carry out a crucial part of the dental experience. Just because you are going to the dentist’s office, this doesn’t mean that you will only find dentists. You may find various team members of the dental office who are not specifically related to the dental process. To be more aware of your surroundings, here is a run down of the different dental team members in the office and how they contribute to the dental experience.

The first person you will probably come in contact with, whether you call ahead for an appointment or walk in, is the dental receptionist. This person is in charge of arranging the dentist’s schedule and greeting patients as they walk in. The dental receptionist also takes care of the necessary paperwork which is needed in order to assess the patient’s prior medical and dental history and the patient’s insurance information. The dental receptionist is one of the most stressful and crucial roles in the dental office team.

The Insurance dental worker often deals with paperwork and meetings with patients. Some financial options are available for patients who may not be insured. Therefore, the insurance worker will work with patients in order to finance their dental needs. If there are any unresolved problems with a patient’s insurance the insurance worker will normally take care of all unfinished business and make final decisions regarding issues with one’s dental insurance.

The dental assistant will often be working side by side with the dentist as an apprentice in order to learn the trade. The dental assistant most often prepares the patients by welcoming them into the room, accompanying the patient while waiting for the dentist, answering questions, preparing materials for the dentist and assisting the dentist in whatever he or she needs during the dental patient’s appointment. The dental assistant is the wing person for the dentist.

The dental hygienist is not a dentist. A dental hygienist usually performs varying tasks which range from taking x- ray photos of the patient’s teeth, to polishing and cleaning a patient’s teeth. Other tasks that a dental hygienist performs includes preparing for cavity work, including creating the cavity space and filling the tooth. A dental hygienists task duties are normally dictated by the state he or she is working in.

The dentist takes care of just about everything else that a patient needs done. He or she will examine the patient’s teeth, make diagnosis and perform all other types of dental procedures. Such dental procedures include filling cavities, creating crowns, fitting crowns, extracting teeth and much more. Depending on whether a dentist is a general practitioner or a specialist, his or her duties may differ. For example, some dentists perform dental surgery including root canals, wisdom teeth extractions and teeth implants.

Get to know your dental office team upon your next visit.

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