Essay On Dental Assistant

A dental assistant is a person who does what their job description implies. They “assist” the dentist in many procedures. Their duties are to take radiographs, assist in restorations, as well as dental extractions. These are just a few of the many responsibilities that a dental assistant entails. An assistant must be fully educated in all procedures that a dentist performs in order to efficiently assist.
Before the dentist even examines any patient “clinically” , a dental assistant will typically take radiographs, or “x-rays”, of the patient. One main type of a dental radiographic image would be a panoramic radiograph. Panoramic X-rays show a wide screen view of the teeth, temporomandibular (jaw) joints, sinuses, and the nasal area. These radiographic pictures show

They however do not give a good view of the anterior teeth. These are the main diagnostic tools used by oral surgeons when extracting third molars, also known as “wisdom teeth”. “Unlike traditional intraoral X-rays, panoramic dental X-rays are extraoral, meaning the imaging machine and film are outside of your mouth. A panoramic dental X-ray machine projects a beam through your mouth onto film or a detector that rotates opposite the X-ray tube,” according to the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The next type of x-ray that a dental assistant may need to take are intraoral radiographs. Otherwise known as “ bitewings” and “PA’S” (periapicals), these type of radiographs are used to show cavities between the teeth, infections around the roots of teeth, as well as a better diagnostic view of anterior (front) teeth. Unlike the panoramic, intraoral film is placed inside of the mouth. An assistant will use film holders or XCP rings to directly position film in a patient's mouth to view a specific area. The assistant will then strategically place the tubehead to angle the x-ray beam so that the beam is