Dental Assistant

Loma Linda, California, California, The Dental Assistant serves as a supporting member of the dental care team performing a full range of duties with some independence in assigned specialties, with indirect supervision from the lead dental assistant or treating dentist. They will comply with guidelines and policies set forth by the Dental Service, the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, VHA policy, and VA statutes and policy. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. Experience and Education. Applicant must have six months experience that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work. OR Have a successfully completed a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). OR Have equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Certification. Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75.

Essentially, they must have successfully completed an educational program that meets or exceeds the standards described in that regulation, and is accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, and be certified as radiographers in their field. Applicants must have one of the following: Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. OR Successful completion of the Principles and Practice of Dental Radiology and Radiographic Safety courses and examinations developed by the Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Dentistry. OR Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD). GS-6 Experience: Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to identify normal oral anatomy. Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care and procedures. Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs. Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist. Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats.

Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry. Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records. Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures. Assignment. This is the full performance level for a Dental Assistant. Employee serves at the full performance level with the ability to perform full range of duties with some independence in assigned specialties, with indirect supervision from the lead dental assistant, dental assistant supervisor or treating dentist. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: using the concepts of four-handed dentistry; assists with specialty procedures including oral surgery, periodontal therapy, endodontic, prosthodontic and implant placement and restoration; anticipates surgeons/specialists needs at each stage of treatment; takes preliminary impressions; selects and manipulates a variety of gypsums and waxes; pours, trims and evaluates the quality of diagnostic casts; fabricates custom trays. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G36 – Dental Assistant Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. Physical Requirements: Long periods of standing, walking, sitting, and bending are required.

Pushing dental equipment and carts are necessary to deliver items to the operatory or procedure site [“The major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, coworkers and the public Provides assistance to customers with questions or concerns, provides service recovery Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover Obtain and prepare equipment, hand pieces, instruments, and accessories according to the procedure being performed Assists in routine general and specialized dental procedures, such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration Maintains both routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards Exposes both standard and specialty dental imaging (i. e. TMJ, ceph, cone beam) in traditional and/or digital formats Dental imaging safety techniques are utilized, and retakes are minimized Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning operatories Follows all Standard Operating Procedures for Reusable Medical Equipment Works closely with SPD to ensure availability of instruments so that clinical care is not delayed Assists in filling gaps in the doctor’s schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments Assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information Modifies care as necessitated by patient’s age and abilities (patient transfer and position) Monitors patient vital signs (BP, pulse, pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure Constructs and modifies final impression trays and pours and trim casts Makes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary impressions for prosthetic fabrication Monitors patient vital signs (BP, pulse, pulse oximeter) and condition during invasive treatment and during recovery period following procedure Provides patient preventative education and oral hygiene instruction Inventory and orders supplies as necessary. Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer’s instruction. Prepares a wide variety of dental materials for permanent or temporary restoration of teeth. Fabricates, places, finishes, and remove all types of provisional restorations. Supports dentist in endodontic treatments by adapting, applying, and removing the rubber dam. Performs the full range of dental radiography with both analog and digital systems. Takes radiographs of inpatients and outpatients according to prescription, including periapical, bitewing, occlusal, panoramic, cephalometric, facial series, mandibular series, and temporomandibular joint tomographs. Assists the surgeon in all oral surgical procedures, including treatment of trauma, infection, simple tooth extraction, complex tooth extraction, pathology, soft tissue and bone deformities.

Anticipates the surgeon’s needs at each stage of surgery and performs the following: passes and retrieves instruments and materials, maintains the field illumination, retracts and stabilizes tissues, keeps surgical field clear of blood and debris, prepares suture material and cuts sutures, and applies and removes wound dressings. The treatment team dentist provides direct supervision and individual assignments, including intraoral procedures by indicating generally what is to be done, limitation, quality and quantity expected, and priorities. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am-3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 0000 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required”]

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