Dental Assistant

Summary The dental assistant is established to provide chairside, operating room, satellite clinic and ward examination/treatment assistance to dentists in the administration of oral examination, charting and treatment procedures; accomplish dental radiography tasks and perform other miscellaneous pre/post-operative assisting tasks in the delivery of oral health care services. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include but not limited to: Receives and prepares patients for dental treatment, e.g., escorts, seats, drapes, etc. Assists at chairside, anticipates the dentist's needs at each stage of treatment, performs the following passes instruments and materials to and retrieves them from the dentist, illuminates treatment field, retracts tissue and keeps field free of debris using irrigation and oral evacuation devices. Observes patient for signs of adverse reaction to treatment. Provide assistance during various examination or treatment procedures. Prepares dental materials; removes sutures and/or removes/changes surgical dressings under supervision of the dentist. Takes oral impressions for diagnostic purposes. Takes and records patient vital signs, e.g., temperature, blood pressure, pulse etc. Monitors patients' general conditions, e.g. signs of fainting, shock, discomfort, distress, etc.; and cleans areas following patient care. Delivers oral hygiene instructions and relays post-treatment instructions to enhance speedy recoveries, minimize complications, and/or ease prosthetic device adaptations. Delivers biopsy specimens to medical laboratory. Assists the dentist, ENT physician and oral surgeon in the operating room while patients are under general anesthesia or LV. sedation in each treatment procedure e.g. extraction, reduction of fractures, alveoloplasty, and all other dental surgical procedures. Assists all consultants, makes appointments, coordinates patient and staff dentist availability for proper procedures. Performs dental laboratory support duties including pouring/trimming models from impressions in fabrication prosthetic appliances; constructs custom trays for crown/bridge impressions and trays for final complete denture impressions; boxes/pours impressions. Performs equipment pre/post operative maintenance, e.g., lubricates, dusts, cleans, polishes, changes solutions, etc. Troubleshoots operational deficiencies and reports equipment malfunctions. Maintains operatory and other assigned areas in clean and orderly manner. Uses aseptic techniques to prepare dental patient care areas and operating room. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8;00am-4:30pm (subject to change based on facility needs) Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00317F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Available Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the

Created: 2026-03-09