Health Careers - College of Medicine - University of Vermont

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Dawn Daniels, Dental Assistant, Northern
Counties Dental Center, Hardwick, VT
A childhood marked by frequent visits to the dentist
led Dawn Daniels to her career as a dental assistant.
“When I was a child, I had a lot of dental work done
and it seemed interesting,” she remarks.
“I shadowed a dental assistant when I was in high
school; it was an assignment for a class,” she recalls,
so she had firsthand knowledge about the job she
decided to pursue. Dawn got her training in the U.S.
Army, and is currently taking prerequisite courses at the Community College of
Vermont (CCV) to become a dental hygienist.
“I’m very glad I did it,” she says of her Army training. “It’s possible to do on-thejob
training but I think it’s more beneficial if you go to a training program.”
As a dental assistant, Dawn describes her typical day this way: “I get patients ready
for their procedure, set the room up, ensure patient comfort, assist the dentist by
handing him the right instruments, mixing materials, suctioning the patient, taking
x-rays, cleaning up the room, and sterilizing the instruments after we’re finished
with each patient. I order materials and do safety maintenance, too.”
She adds that, “The job of dental assistant also includes maintaining patient
records, charting, and lab work, such as taking impressions as well as pouring
and trimming models.”
The rewards? “The patient tells you when you’ve done a good job
and the people I work with are full of praise and eager to let me
know when I’ve done well.”
DENTAL HEALTH / 11