Lead Dental Assistant

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Description

PRIMARY PURPOSE:

The Lead Dental Assistant ensures efficient, high-quality patient care by providing chairside support, managing clinical operations, and leading the dental assisting team. This role requires strong technical skills, leadership capabilities, and a thorough understanding of sterilization and infection control protocols to maintain a safe clinical environment. This position is responsible for managing daily clinical operations, mentoring team members, and creating standardized training resources to ensure consistency and excellence in care.

Requirements

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Chairside Assisting:

• Assist the dentist during a variety of treatments and procedures.
• Prepare and organize instruments and materials for patient procedures.
• Taking and recording vital signs and medical histories.
• Ask patient about their medical history.
• Document dental care services by charting in patient records.
• Provides materials by selecting, mixing, and placing material on instruments in patient's mouth
• Provides diagnostic information by exposing developing radiographic studies.
• Ensure patient comfort before, during, and after dental treatment.
• Accurately files patient information and arrange patient charts and radiographs for the next day's appointments.

Sterilization & Infection Control:

• Oversee all sterilization and disinfection processes to ensure compliance with OSHA, CDC, and state dental board regulations.
• Maintain and operate sterilization equipment such as autoclaves, ultrasonic cleaners, instrument washers, and waterline.
• Ensure all instruments are properly cleaned, sterilized, and stored.
• Train and monitor staff on infection control procedures, including the use of PPE and proper cleaning of operatories between patients.
• Conduct regular audits to verify adherence to infection prevention standards.

Leadership & Supervision:

• Train, supervise, and schedule dental assistants.
• Develop, maintain, and implement a comprehensive training manual for new and existing dental assistants.
• Lead onboarding and training sessions to ensure standardized procedures and workflows.
• Lead monthly all-staff meetings with dental assistants, prepare agenda, trainings, and topics.
• Lead morning huddles with dental department.
• Act as a liaison between dental assistants, front office staff, and providers.
• Monitor performance and provide coaching and feedback to team members.
• Ability to work effectively within role: independently and with team members.

Clinical Coordination:

• Maintain clinical efficiency by ensuring rooms are properly stocked and equipment is functioning.
• Oversee compliance with OSHA, HIPAA, and infection control standards.
• Develop and implement clinical protocols to optimize patient care.
• Ensures operation of dental equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; following manufacturer's instructions; troubleshooting malfunctions; calling for repairs; maintaining equipment inventories; evaluating new equipment and techniques.

Inventory Management:

• Manage ordering and inventory of dental supplies and instruments.
• Monitor supply usage and control costs.

Administrative Support:

• Assist with patient charting and documentation.
• Participate in staff meetings and contribute to quality improvement initiatives.
• Maintain medical records.
• Assist front desk operations, as needed.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to endure short, intermittent, and/or long periods of sitting and/or standing in performance of job duties.
• Ability to wear personal protective equipment (e.g., facemask, goggles, latex/non-latex gloves) as needed.
• Ability to work in a patient care setting with possible exposure to blood and body fluids, communicable diseases, and ability to utilize standard precautions to prevent transmission of diseases.
• Full range of body motion required. Position requires reaching, bending, and handling objects with hands and/or fingers, talking and/or hearing, and seeing.
• Ability to lift and carry objects weighing 25 pounds or less over periods of 100 yards.
• Accomplish job duties using various types of equipment/supplies, e.g. pens, pencils, calculators, computer keyboard, telephone, etc.
• Manual dexterity for handling instruments and assisting in procedures.
• Ability to travel to other sites and locations frequently.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Completion of a Dental Assistant program.
• Current state certification in dental radiography if required.
• 5+ years of experience as a dental assistant.
• Current BLS certification.
• Knowledge of dental software
• Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Perform other duties as assigned.