Dental Assistants - Main Dental Assistants Dental assistants help dentists prepare, examine, and treat patients. Dental assistants prepare the patients for dental work. They take patients' dental histories if it is their first visit. They also take and process X-rays.
Assistants select the instruments and materials needed for each patient.
If dental compounds are needed, assistants prepare them. They set up the dental tray for the dentist. During dental work, assistants sit at the patient's side and hand instruments to the dentist. They keep the patient's mouth dry and clear by using water jets and suction devices. Assistants maintain and sterilize instruments after use.