Category: Dental Assistant

Cleft palate and cleft lip is a prevalent birth defect all over the world. Being a dental professional, it is important for us to understand and implement the best care possible to those who are affected with this defect. This paper will cover the topic on what a certified dental assistant needs to know concerning this oral surgery. The definition of cleft palate and lip, x-rays, proper infection control, and what is expected of the dental assistant will all be discussed.

Cleft palate and lip defects happen in the womb before birth around the 6th to 11th week of gestation.https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/cleft-lip-palate/more-info During this time period, the right and left cleft do not fully form together with tissue causing a cleft palate or lip. In some cases, the defect can affect both the palate and lip. If a child is born with this defect, it can affect their eating, breathing, ears, and teeth, as well as speech problems later in life (Mouth Healthy). The CDC estimates 7,090 infants are born with cleft palate or lip in the US alone (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial).

The cause of this defect could be due to gene syndromes, the parent’s genes, and environmental factors during early gestation. If the cleft palate or lip is big enough to be visible during an ultrasound, it can be detected as soon as the first ultrasound takes place. Some more minor cases may be diagnosed after birth or later in life. Once a child is diagnosed with cleft palate or lip, they are most likely referred to a professional who specializes in oral surgery (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial). The oral surgeon will have completed an additional 4-6 years of dental requirements as well as pass a standardized exam. (BB ch.56)

The professional for the oral surgery will take various dental radiographs of the patient. The dental radiographs will help determine bone loss, any abnormalities, and can aid in surgical planning. The type of radiograph most commonly taken is a panoramic and typical dental radiographs. The radiographs taken can also help the family more understand the reconstruction and why it needs to be done (Abramson, et al. 2015). The severity of the defect and the oral surgery will be discussed with the parents of the patient with the surgeon. Depending on medical needs and timing, there may be more than one surgery taking place (Children’s Hospital 2014). The patient’s medical history and consent forms will be completed, as well as discussion of cost and type of anesthesia.

Once the healthy patient has reached the appropriate age for the surgery around 3 to 6 months, they will be scheduled for the oral surgery in a hospital-based region. It is a huge responsibility for the dental assistant to make sure everything is up to infection control standards for the safety of the patient and dental team. The dental assistant needs to be properly educated on the infection preventative measures that will be taken in an oral surgery.

Proper infection control should be done no matter the patient and all staff should practice standard care. Things such as personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, and aseptic techniques need to be implemented. Personal protective equipment implies a proper fitting mask, fitting gloves that may be sterile, protective eyewear or shield, and protective clothing such as a lab jacket or surgical gown. Personal protective equipment is used for the safety of both staff and patients (Miller 2018). Hand hygiene is done when personnel arrive at the office, when contaminated and before assisting in a procedure. Antimicrobial surgical scrub product needs to be used with a soft sterile brush or sponge on the skin, nails and forearms for 2-6 minutes with many scrub and rinse cycles, rinsing with hands up, letting the water drip from elbows. Once washing is done, dry with a sterile towel and insert hands into sterile gloves with the help of a gloved assistant (Miller 2018). Aseptic techniques such as minimization of touching surfaces are used, as well as barriers in the operation room. Disposable items are heavily utilized in the dental surgery field to insure no cross contamination and should be used whenever possible (Miller 2018).

The expectations of a dental assistant for cleft palate and lip operation is quite extensive. Before the procedure takes place, all paperwork needs to be looked at. The dental assistant needs to have all records and radiographs organized for the surgeon to review, including information from the patient’s physician. The assistant will then gather signed consent forms and make sure it is filled out correctly and has all signatures needed from the guardian for the surgery. Finally, contact the parents and give them preoperative instruction reminders and answers and questions they have (Bird Ch. 56).

The next thing that needs to be done is make sure all surgical instruments needed are sterilized in a mannerly time before the operation. Then the operative room needs to be prepared with all barriers on clinical surfaces. The sterile surgical cassettes will be placed on the proper barrier and left sealed until use. Have any pain control methods ready that the surgeon will need to use, although it will most likely be anesthesia administered by an anesthesiologist. The surgeon will have a list of postoperative instructions for the parents of the patient after they leave the hospital. A cleft palate or lip surgery can be extensive, so they could be in the hospital a week or more. The time they are in the hospital you can have a printout of the instructions, and answer any questions they have (Bird Ch. 56).

Before the surgery, medical history and reports must be updated correctly, and the guardian will be asked if they ate or drank anything after midnight. Vital signs will be taken and charted, and if there are any irregular vital signs the surgeon will be notified. Finally, any motoring equipment will be set up, and radiographs and other scans will be on the monitor for the surgeon (Bird Ch. 56).

During the surgery, the assistant must be focused and maintain asepsis. Helping to monitor vital signs will be one of the assistant’s duties. The passing and retrieval of instruments and having apprehension of what the surgeon will want next will make the operation run smoothly. Retraction of any tissue needed by the surgeon, as well as suction of saliva will be done by the assistant (Bird Ch. 56).

Lastly, at the end of the surgery the assistant will be with the patient till they have begun recovery and is conscious. Although the patient will be in recovery in the hospital for a week to four weeks, make any post-operative appointments needed with the parents of the patient (Bird Ch.56).

The last thing in this paper that will be discussed is the emotional toll that comes with cleft palate or lip, and how a dental assistant can make a positive impact on the family. Parents and the patient with the defect go through many obstacles through the diagnosis and treatment plan. They also deal with other problems such the child’s speech, hearing, and physiological issues (Health talk). One thing that can impact this family is the attitude of the assistant. Being caring, empathetic, and patience. Resources can be extremely helpful for the family and patient if the surgeon has references for the family. Resources that may be helpful are speech therapy, psychological therapy, as well as orthodontic treatment and many more. A good attitude, team, and surgeon are all aspects the family needs. A dental assistant has the power to help turn a bad situation into a better one with the attitude that is portrayed with situations like cleft palate and lip.

Work Cited

1. Abramson, Zachary R., et al. “Radiology of Cleft Lip and Palate: Imaging for the Prenatal Period and throughout Life.” RadioGraphics, 12 Nov. 2015, pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/rg.2015150050.
2. Bird, Doni L.. Robinson, Debbie S. Modern Dental Assisting. Saunders, 2020.
3. Children’s Hospital. “Cleft Lip and Palate Repair Surgery.” Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 5 May 2014, www.chop.edu/treatments/surgical-repair-cleft-lip-and-palate#.
4. “Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate.” Mouth Healthy TM, www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/c/cleft-lip-palate.
5. “Cleft Lip and Palate.” Speech, Language and Hearing with a Cleft, healthtalk.org/cleft-lip-and-palate/speech-language-and-hearing-with-a-cleft.
6. “Cleft Lip and Palate Diagnosis, Causes, Treatment.” National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/cleft-lip-palate/more-info.
7. Miller, Chris H. Infection Control and Management of Hazardous Materials for the Dental Team. Elsevier, 2018.

Del Paso Dental is located in Sacramento on Del Paso Blvd. It is a Health Clinic for the community primarily for Medi-Cal patients. The agency that Bou Vang works specifically for the Health and Life Organization which is a non-profit corporation that administers quality inclusive initial healthcare to under income and ethnically diverse and impoverished residents residing inside the city of Sacramento. She is a registered dental assistant who performs a wide variety of responsibilities inside the dental office. Such as assisting the dentist, taking care of the patients, and sterilizing the equipment. In addition, a registered dental assistant main responsibilities are to facilitate and create an enabling environment for the dentists to work in. They also must ensure that patients are comfortable in the room by preparing them for treatment and advising them for a checkup and general oral health care. Bou Vang had attended Sacramento City College earning an Associate Degree in Science. Also, at Sacramento City College, that is where she had taken the Dental Program to receive her certificate for dental assistant. She had then taken the state board exam to be identified as a registered dental assistant. As for her work experience, she is the lead assistant for her office and has been working Del Paso Dental for six years now. She manages the back office in which she checks patients health history and orders dental supplies as well as help with scheduling and rescheduling appointments in the front if it becomes busy. She is also able to work harmoniously with her coworkers and how to deal with difficult situations in the office.

Registered dental assistants must possess certain skills, such as multitasking and being capable to operate with others, and have excellent dexterity. Demonstrating how dental assistants are obligated to comprehend specific protocols and orders. To succeed in the dental clinic, Bou Vang says, “You must have organizational, technical, and communicational skills because dental assistants are an essential component of a dental practice and help make the patients feel welcomed and comfortable.” In which she tries her best to display compassion for patients and make the operation go smoothly for the dentist. Another thing that is needed to thrive in this career is to have a healthy attitude towards those in the clinic. Vang also states, “You should have a positive attitude when faced with any circumstances keeping the patient calm and listening to what they have to say.” Explaining how with a positive attitude she can avoid negative thinking and go on with an optimistic day when helping around the agency.

A registered dental assistant works with a variety of people with different cultures, beliefs, and gender. Bou Vang claims, “I strive to make people feel embraced and present them the highest quality oral care services in a non-discriminatory behavior.” Demonstrating how no matter the ethnicity, sexuality, or special needs, a registered dental assistant aims to satisfy everyone’s unique needs. She has had many patients that spoke different languages, have unique interests and viewpoints which she does not discriminate against them. Instead she is pleased to have patients with unique needs or backgrounds because it allows her to see from new perspectives, gain new knowledge, and allows for everyone to be equal.

Major issues and concerns that may impact the dental clinic are the loss of patients over time due to the increasing cost of dental treatments, and the need for a diverse community. Bou Vang explains, “Having diverse patients in the dental industry plays a crucial role by encouraging different groups of people to also reach out to my dental clinic and help it prosper.” Indicating how without diverse communities reputation of the company decreases, profit drops, and productivity falls. She also addresses how dental insurance is rising, causing patients to not attend dental clinics anymore. Which then cause the patients to have really bad teeth and more harmful problems in the future.

According to Bou Vang, she reveals when she was in high school she was pressured by her family to become a surgeon which made her feel restricted in her choice of career. She further explains how studying to become a surgeon stressed her out and she was not able to spend time with family and friends. Instead, she decided to find what interests her, which she had made a list of what she liked doing such as working in a small team, assisting people, and doing office tasks. Then she looked online for careers and came across dental assistants. In which she wanted to learn more about the health of the teeth and why it was important to floss and get rid of cavities. Vang had then studied and graduated to go into the career of a dental assistant. Later on, taking the state board exam to become a registered dental assistant. Additionally, she had then applied for Del Paso Dental which she was trained in helping the dentist and working together with her peers.

During the interview, Bou Vang explains how she enjoys every aspect of her job. By assisting the dentist in taking care of the patients, and working together with her team members. Vang expresses, “I especially enjoy interacting with the patients by delivering a comfortable and simple experience for them.” Showing how she has a passion for helping people feel better in uncomfortable or difficult situations. As for her least favorite, she does not like it when patients become frustrated when communicating with her. Making it more difficult for her to comprehend what they are asking for. Patients would complain about having toothaches and not getting seen fast enough by the dentist. Which she seeks to calm them down and provide support and guidance to them.

Bou Vang makes a difference in people’s lives by providing comfort and relief to patients when getting treated by the dentist. Also, help give patients advice on how to deal with the pain after the treatment. Bou Vang states, “I work alongside with the hygienist in providing oral hygiene instructions, keeping the tools disinfected, and handling the pieces of equipment.” Registered dental assistants can provide recommendations and guidance for the patients demonstrating how important it is to take care of their teeth. Also suggesting checkups and updates on when they would have to come back to see the dentist.

Bou Vang describes her work environment as “Positive, professional, and productive.” She illustrates how her team members are focused and are helping to keep the operation for the dentist running smoothly while still helping out the patients. Showing how throughout the dental facility her peers are hardworking and always on task. The organization welcomes anyone from any age and does not discriminate against anyone. Vang describes, ‘My organization helps those living in poor conditions live a better by having healthier teeth and gums.”

Yes, internships are very common in this industry. Bou Vang says ‘Interns acquire the opportunity to observe and learn what the dentist does, view what goes on around the office, and learn more about the organization itself.’ This allows interns to gain new experiences, leadership and knowing how to speak and dress professionally. According to Vang, she explains how the intern she was prepared to learn and know more about what she does as a registered dental assistant.

Research paper

“If it’s important you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find a excuse”-Ryan Blair. Becoming a pediatric dental assistant is something that has always been important and serious to me. I love the fact that you get the chance to change a kids life one visit as a time. Becoming a pediatric dental assistant isn’t for everyone you have to have real passion and patients. In this research paper I plan on informing you about what this career means to me, why I choose it, goals in this career, relevant occupation. The job outlook, skills you have to have, current trends and changes that may come along with it. This type of job will never have a low demand pediatric dental assistant will always be at high demand as time goes on.

My personal reason for wanting to be a pediatric dental assistant is because I love little kids and I would love to see how I could make a difference in a child’s smile over time. As a small kid with my barbie dolls I would always try to brush their teeth to make sure it was clean. I feel as this career pathway is perfect for a person like me who loves helping people and loves making conversation with others. As I said before in my into this pathway is not for everyone who purses it but it is definitely for me. I have a lot of experience with calming people’s nerves down and making them feel that everything will be ok. I could not imagine myself doing anything else honestly I want to the opportunity to help children of the future have healthy strong teeth.

The goals that I have set for myself while pursuing this career are passing all my exams, doing good in all my training, get my state certification/licensing requirements, and hopefully become a dentist with my own practice. All of these goals are very important to me and I pan on accomplishing them as I go on. While pursing this career I want to stay focus and remember that I can do whatever I put my mind to. Setting goals for myself is really important especially when you write them down and get a chance to check it off. It feels great, meanwhile I plan on joining the air force before I start to pursue my degree in being pediatric dental assistant. Once I get passed basic training I plan on going to college to major in dental hygiene so that I can be a pediatric dental assistant. Then once I get my qualification I plan on going on to bigger things that would me help me become a dentist and own my own practice so that I can teach other people. I would to tell a story about how I come up and accomplish all my goals just to say I did it and own my own build.

Other occupations that relate to a dental assistant could be medical assistant, registered nurse, and radiation therapists. They all play a big roll in helping people and assist anting the higher people in the medical field. To even obtain these jobs you have to work hard and go to college to get your degrees. When looking up other job position I would have never though that none of things could relate to a Pediatric dental assistant. They all seem different from each other and all do different things. All of these also require a person to have patience and you have to be a people person with all the people you see daily.

The outlook for an dental hygienist is to increase through the year’s while the population keeps increases. Recent studies from 2018-2028 show that it will increase by 11 %. The required education to be an dental hygienist is usually a associate’s degree which is 2 years in college. If a person would like to do public or school health then they would have to go get their bachelor’s/master’s degree. To become a dentist hygiene assistant the training you have to complete is by doing on site training with real dentist assistant at their job. While at the training you get to learn everything there is to know. All of the training you get to know should help you pass all the exams and test.

As time goes on lots of things start to change not just in the world but also for dental assistant. Current trends going on in the dentistry are dental 3d printers, natural dental products, improving patient experience, and robot dentists artificial intelligence(al). Lots of new trends like those are starting to pop up and getting people’s attention. After looking at those trends the changes for the future are endless for dental assistant. In the future dental assistant are going to be needed all over the world as new practices start to open. There is never going to be a time where dental assistant are not going to be needed. These position are here to stay and will keep increasing.

To sum up this whole paper I would say that after researching and looking up all the main points I know everything that I need to know about becoming a pediatric dental assistant. My passion for doing this career will never change and will always mean a lot to me. All of the goals that I have set up will become checked on my list and will be finish by the time that I get my degree. The outlook for this career will be endless with all the changes that will go on over time. All of the trends will counite to get bigger and bigger with all the technology that will be aviable in the near by future, but not even of it will replace a human. As I said in my intro this career will always be important to the people and never loose value.