Dentistry

Dental Assistant

Work Activities

• Obtaining and recording a patients medical history
• Sterilizing and disinfecting instruments and equipment
• Preparing patients for dental treatment
• Arranging dental instruments, materials, and medications on chairside trays
• Assisting the dentist during a dental examination
• Keeping a patients mouth dry by using a suction system
• Mixing and preparing materials, such as fillings and cements
• Assisting during oral surgery
• Performing laboratory procedures, such as pouring, trimming, and polishing study casts
• Providing oral hygiene education, such as instructing patients on a plaque control program
• Maintaining patient treatment records, scheduling appointments, and collecting fees for services

Work Settings
Dental Assistants work under the supervision of a dentist. They may work with a dental hygienist or a dental laboratory technician. Employment may include working in private dental offices, public health clinics, dental schools, the armed forces, hospitals, or nursing homes.

Special Requirements
Dental Assistants in New Mexico are not required to be licensed or certified. They may be trained on the job or in formal one- or two-year programs.

Educational Institutions
Ben Archer Health Center(O)
Dental Auxiliary Training Academy(P) )
Luna Vocational Technical Institute(P) )
New Mexico Job Corps(P) )
Pima Medical Institute(P) )
University of New Mexico(C/A) )
University of New Mexico, Gallup(C) )

Dental Hygienist

Both associate and bachelor degree programs are offered. Graduate education at the master and doctoral degree levels provides additional opportunities for career advancement and for work in research, teaching, or administration.

Work Activities

• Examining the teeth and oral structures, including the soft tissue
• Removing calculus, stain, and plaque (hard and soft deposits) from above and below the gumline
• Applying caries-preventive agents, such as fluorides and fissure sealants, to the teeth
• Teaching plaque control and developing individualized oral hygiene programs for home care
• Exposing, processing, and interpreting dental X-rays
• Placing temporary fillings and periodontal dressings, removing sutures, and polishing and recontouring amalgam fillings
• Educating individual patients, the general public, and special population groups (e.g., geriatric, or mentally or physically handicapped populations) about the importance of good oral hygiene habits
• Designing and implementing community dental health programs

In some states, with additional education, a Dental Hygienist may provide services, such as administering local anesthetics and nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia, placing and carving filling materials, and performing additional periodontal procedures.

Work Settings
Dental Hygienists may work in such practice settings as private dental offices and dental clinics; federal, state, and local health departments or associated institutions; or hospitals and nursing homes. They may work for school districts, departments of education, or educational programs that teach dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental assisting.

Special Requirements
A Dental Hygienist must be licensed and is eligible for licensure after graduation from an educational program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation, and after successfully completing both a written National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a clinical examination.

A licensed Dental Hygienist practices in accordance with the requirements of individual state dental practice acts. In New Mexico, Dental Hygienists are required to take continuing education courses to renew their licenses.

Educational Institutions
University of New Mexico(A/B)

Dental Laboratory Technician

Work Activities

• Reading authorizations and examining models and impressions to determine the type of denture to be made or repaired
• Molding wax around teeth and forming contours of gums
• Verifying the accuracy of occlusion (fitting together of the upper and lower teeth)
• Casting plaster models of dentures to be repaired
• Selecting and mounting replacement teeth using a color chart and tooth illustrations
• Rebuilding denture linings to specifications using plastic
• Polishing metal, plastic, and porcelain surfaces to the specified finish
• Bending and soldering gold and platinum wire to construct frames for dentures

Career Specialties
Some Dental Laboratory Technicians specialize in the various aspects of the work prescribed by dentists and orthodontists.

• Crown and Bridge Technicians make crowns, inlays, and teeth for fixed bridges.
• Metal Dental Technicians, or Partial Denture Technicians, lay out designs of metal framework and clasps for partial dentures on plaster models.
• Dental Ceramists apply layers of porcelain paste or acrylic resins over a metal framework to form dental prostheses, such as crowns, bridges, and tooth facings.
• Orthodontic Technicians construct and repair appliances for straightening teeth.

Work Settings
In dentists' offices, Dental Laboratory Technicians work closely with dentists and other dental personnel. In commercial laboratories, they work for a supervisor or owner. Dental Laboratory Technicians do not work directly with patients.

Technicians work in laboratories while seated or standing at work benches. Goggles are worn while grinding in order to protect the eyes. Normal caution and alertness usually prevent accidents, such as injury from sharp tools or grinding wheels or burns from hot materials or heating equipment.

Special Requirements
Although not required, a high school diploma or equivalent is an asset. The American Dental Association has established national standards for two-year educational programs. In addition, Dental Laboratory Technicians may become certified by passing written and practical examinations given by The National Board of Certification, established by the National Association of Dental Laboratories.

Apprenticeship Program
Some people become Dental Laboratory Technicians through an apprenticeship program. This is a formal training program, usually three years in length, with most of the training acquired on the job. Apprenticeship programs include both on-the-job training and classroom work. Projects learned on the job include:

• Using dental materials, waxes, plastic, hand tools, and casting machines
• Checking models and setting them in molds
• Setting up false teeth in a mold to meet requirements with regard to the patients age, gender, and condition of the teeth
• Performing plaster work (inspecting and putting together impressions)
• Creating wax moldings
• Constructing metal and porcelain crowns
• Finishing, polishing, and high shining crowns, dentures, metal work, and teeth
• Repairing existing dentures

Educational Institutions
No program information is available.

Dentist

Work Activities

• Diagnosing oral conditions
• Planning treatment to restore and maintain optimal oral health
• Administering anesthetics
• Locating and filling cavities
• Treating diseased gums
• Removing teeth that cannot be treated
• Replacing missing teeth
• Administering and prescribing antibiotics to prevent infection during and after dental procedures
• Fitting and providing dentures
• Teaching preventive care of teeth and gums

Career Specialties
Some Dentists teach or perform research at schools of dentistry, as well as practice. Others specialize in specific areas of dentistry, including the following:

• Orthodontists prevent, diagnose, and correct irregularities that occur in the position of the teeth and in the development of the jaws by using fixed or removable appliances.
• Oral Surgeons perform surgical operations on the mouth and jaws to remove teeth and tumors or other abnormal growths, and to correct abnormalities in the jaw or other oral structures.
• Periodontists treat diseased tissues that support the teeth. They clean and polish the teeth and eliminate irritating edges of fillings. They may perform surgery to remove part of an infected or diseased gum.
• Prosthodontists specialize in making artificial teeth or dentures. They correct natural and acquired deformations of the mouth and jaws.
• Pedodontists specialize in childrens dental problems.
• Public Health Dentists participate in planning, organizing, and maintaining the dental health programs of public health agencies. They may perform dentistry on selected patients of all ages and assist in the operation of dental clinics.

Work Settings
Dentists work alone or with a dental hygienist, nurse, dental assistant, or dental laboratory technician. They may establish their own practices, become part of dental or medical groups, or work in hospitals or teaching institutions. Dentists may perform some work in their own laboratories.

Dentists may experience physical strain because they must stand or sit for long periods of time, frequently bending in awkward positions. Their work may be performed under difficult circumstances if the patient is frightened, upset, or in pain. They may be exposed to patients with infectious diseases, but risks are minimized by following standard safety precautions, such as wearing masks and gloves.

Special Requirements
To be considered for acceptance into a school of dentistry, an applicant must complete a pre-dental program or its equivalent with an acceptable grade-point average. Other requirements include applying through the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS), taking the dental admissions test, and submitting other required letters and forms.

To become licensed in New Mexico as a Dentist, an applicant must graduate from an approved dental school that has been recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. An applicant must file an application accompanied by a certified transcript, a photograph, and a grade card for parts I and II of the National Board of Dental Examiners. The applicant also must pass Board-approved examinations.

Educational Institutions
No program information is available.