Associate Dentist

Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting vitality of teeth. Exclude "Prosthodontists", "Orthodontists", "Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons" and "Dentists, all other specialists".

Generalized Work Activities:

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up to date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing services for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting vitality of teeth. Exclude "Prosthodontists", "Orthodontists", "Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons" and "Dentists, all other specialists".

Qualifications

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Essential Functions

• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  
  
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  
  
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  
  
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  
  
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Duties

Occupation Specific Tasks:

• Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures.
• Advise and instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, and oral health care services.
• Analyze and evaluate dental needs to determine changes and trends in patterns of dental disease.
• Apply fluoride and sealants to teeth.
• Bleach, clean or polish teeth to restore natural color.
• Design, make, and fit prosthodontic appliances such as space maintainers, bridges, and dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists and dental technicians.
• Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth, gums and related oral structures, and provide preventive and corrective services.
• Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct occlusions using dental instruments.
• Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, and other diagnostic equipment, to evaluate dental health, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan appropriate treatments.
• Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials.
• Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
• Manage business, employing and supervising staff and handling paperwork and insurance claims.
• Perform oral and periodontal surgery on the jaw or mouth.
• Plan, organize, and maintain dental health programs.
• Produce and evaluate dental health educational materials.
• Remove diseased tissue using surgical instruments.
• Treat exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber, or root canal, using dental instruments.
• Use air turbine and hand instruments, dental appliances and surgical implements.
• Use masks, gloves and safety glasses to protect yourself and your patients from infectious diseases.
• Write prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications.

Detailed Work Activities:

• Administer anesthetics.
  
  
• Administer injections.
  
  
• Administer medications or treatments.
  
  
• Analyze dental data.
  
  
• Calculate medical dosages.
  
  
• Collect clinical data.
  
  
• Collect dental laboratory diagnostic data.
  
  
• Communicate technical information.
  
  
• Conduct patient assessments.
  
  
• Counsel patients concerning diet.
  
  
• Diagnose or treat oral diseases.
  
  
• Diagnose or treat oral injuries.
  
  
• Follow clinical radiation safety procedures.
  
  
• Follow confidentiality procedures.
  
  
• Follow dental or medical office procedures.
  
  
• Follow dental or medical x-ray procedures.
  
  
• Follow infectious materials procedures.
  
  
• Follow patient care procedures.
  
  
• Identify body response variations.
  
  
• Interpret medical laboratory test results.
  
  
• Interpret x-rays.
  
  
• Make decisions.
  
  
• Make presentations on health or medical issues.
  
  
• Monitor patient's condition.
  
  
• Observe patient condition.
  
  
• Obtain information from clients, customers, or patients.
  
  
• Operate dental equipment.
  
  
• Order medical laboratory tests.
  
  
• Perform dental hygiene procedures.
  
  
• Perform minor surgery.
  
  
• Prepare patient reports.
  
  
• Prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices or other forms of treatment.
  
  
• Understand properties or composition of drugs.
  
  
• Understand technical operating, service or repair manuals.
  
  
• Use clinical problem-solving techniques.
  
  
• Use counseling techniques.
  
  
• Use dental treatment procedures.
  
  
• Use emergency medical treatment procedures.
  
  
• Use interpersonal communication techniques.
  
  
• Use knowledge of investigation techniques.
  
  
• Use knowledge of medical terminology.
  
  
• Use research methodology procedures in health care.
  
  
• Use sanitation practices in healthcare settings.
  
  
• Write technical health or medical documents.

Tools:

• Dental elevators - Cross-bar elevators, Fiberoptic periosteal elevators, Periodontal elevators, Periosteal elevators, Root elevators.
• Dental forceps - Anterior forceps, Articulating paper forceps, Bayonet forceps, Bicuspid forceps, Crown removing pliers.
• Dental handpieces or accessories - Angle dental handpieces, Dental handpieces, High-speed dental handpieces, Periotomes, Slow-speed dental handpieces.
• Dental material pluggers or tips or accessories - Cement placing instruments, Dental condensers, Endodontic pluggers, Plastic filling instruments, Pluggers.
• Dental probes - Double-end explorers, Double-end periodontal probes, Explorers, Fiberoptic diagnostic probes, Furcation probes.

Technology:

• Accounting software 
  
  
• Internet browser software
  
  
• Medical software - ABELSoft ABELDent, ACE Dental, AlphaDent, AltaPoint Data Systems AltaPoint Dental, DSN Software Dental-Exec.
  
  
• Spreadsheet software 
• Word processing software