Diploma Program | 8-months | Day & Night Classes | Palm Harbor & Orlando
Dental Assistants are important members of the dental health care professional team and primarily help to increase the efficiency and productivity of the dental practice by assisting the dentist in delivering patient care. The Dental Assistant functions as a chairside assistant working directly with the Dentist, performing radiology techniques and expanded functions, rubber dam placement, and numerous laboratory procedures.
Program Description
The objective of our Dental Assistant program is to train students to acquire satisfactory skills and demonstrate competence in a variety of dental office procedures and laboratory techniques. CFI's Dental Assistant program focuses on teaching students the traditional duties, responsibilities, and a variety of dental procedures and techniques including:
- Exposing and developing dental radiographs
- Preliminary examination procedure
- Assisting chairside using four-handed and six-handed dentistry
- Organizing and preparing treatment rooms
- Mixing dental materials
- Charting and patient record keeping
- Sterilizing instruments
- Comforting patients during dental procedures
- Educating patients on various dental procedures
Under the direct supervision of a dentist, the qualified assistant may perform expanded functions such as intraoral procedures in restorative dentistry and oral surgery. The assistant qualified in radiology may also take and expose radiographs.
Dental Assistant students are required to complete *41 credit hours (approximately 33 Weeks-Day; 44 Weeks-Evening - 980 Clock Hours). Graduates of the Dental Assistant program receive a diploma and CPR certification from the American Heart Association.Full-time students can complete the program in as few as 8-months.
*The listing of credits is not meant to imply that credits can be transferred into college or other private career school programs. Transfer credits are at the sole discretion of the receiving school.
Accreditation
Central Florida Institute is accredited through 
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). ABHES has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a private, non-profit, independent accrediting agency since 1968. It has been at the forefront of advancing the quality of health education programs throughout the country.
Employment & Earnings
The Department of Labor lists the annual mean wages of Dental Assistants in 2010 were $34,120 in offices of Dentists and $38,130 for workers of the Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation).
Employment is expected to grow 36 percent from 2008 to 2018. In fact, dental assistants are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations over the 2008–18 projection period. The Dental Assistant with expanded functions and radiology may be employed in any of the following dental practices:
- General practice
- Dental clinic
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Pediatric dentistry
- County health departments
- Specialties:
- Endodontist
- Orthodontist
- Periodontist
- Prosthodontist
- Oral & Maxillofacial dentistry
Prerequisites
To qualify for course specific classes students must complete the prerequisite courses listed in the school catalog. For more information, chat live with us, call us at 1-888-831-8303, or schedule a tour today..
CFI Graduate Stories
"I am loving my job as an assistant. I thank my teachers from CFI greatly. I feel I left CFI confident and excited to get out on my own! I am doing well in my field and look forward to heading to dental school to someday become a dentist myself. CFI helped me get my foot into a career that has many possibilities. Thank you!" -Rhonda R. Lead Dental Assistant Dental Assistant, DA graduate
"A dentist recommended me to CFI, well-knowing the importance and value of how a DA program would help me achieve my goals of becoming an EFDA (Expanded Functions Dental Assistant) professional and Instructor."-Kathy G. Dental Assistant graduate
Additional Program Information
Graduates are prepared to perform the expanded functions as permitted by Florida law which include:
- Taking preliminary impressions
- Fabricating whitening trays
- Preparing, placing, and removing dental dams
- Placing topical anesthesia, fluoride and desensitizing agents
- Coronal polishing
- Fabricating and cementing temporary crowns and bridges
- Removing cement
- Placing temporary restorations
- Placing and removing matrix retainers
- Placing sealants, bases, liners, vamishes and bonding agents
