How to Become a Dental Assistant in Tennessee

To become accredited by the Tennessee Board of Dentistry, you can choose between 2 types of dental assistant classes:

• Practical Dental Assistant – if you train in a dental office
• Registered Dental Assistant – if you comply with the experience and schooling criteria set by the Tennessee Board of Dentistry

All job responsibilities require a supervisor, and a trainee cannot engage in duties as:

• Duties that need dentist skills
• Duties that infringe on specific tasks that may only be assigned to a dental hygienist
• Diagnosis and treatment
• Oral surgery
• Permanent fillings
• Administering anesthetics
• Administering nitrous oxide

As a Registered Dental Assistant, you get the option to get specialized in one of the following:

• Dental Radiology
• Coronal Polishing
• Monitoring Nitrous Oxide
• Sealant Application
• Prosthetic Function
• Restorative Function

To get any of the certifications, you need to attend a program approved by the Board.

If you choose to get additional certifications, you have higher chances of receiving a higher salary.

Schools Offering Dental Assisting Programs in Tennessee

Regional Salary in Tennessee

How to Become a Registered Dental Assistant

You have to register with the Board and meet the following criteria:

• Submit 2 recommendation letters from professional dentists
• A CPR certification from either Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider or CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer
• High school diploma/GED
• Having a permit for working in the US

After gathering the paperwork, you need to send the application to the Tennessee Board of Dentistry.

You can also send in an application to certify in:

• Coronal Polishing Certification
• Sealant Application Certification
• Monitoring Nitrous Oxide Certification
• Restorative Function Certification
• Prosthetic Function Certification
• Dental Radiology Certification

Coronal Polishing License

To get this license, you need to finish a 2-day course and 14 hours in:

• Theory:
  • Principles of stain and plaque formation
  • Clinical appearance of plaque, calculus, and clean polished teeth
  • Tooth morphology and the anatomy of the oral cavity
  • Principles of polishing
  • Principles of aseptic technique
  • Principles of application, and preparation of teeth for, fluoride treatment
• Practice:
  • Polishing exposed teeth surfaces
  • Identification of plaque, calculus, and stains
  • Application of fluoride and desensitization agents
• Jurisprudence study:
  • Limits of practice in accordance with the statutes and rules of the Tennessee Board of Dentistry
  • Reporting violations
  • Penalties relating to dental malpractice

You also need to take the final tests.

Sealant Application License

You need 6 hours of class, from which 4 must be practical classes.

These include:

• Theory:
  • Indications and contra-indications for sealants
  • Education of patients and/or parents of sealant purpose
  • Preparation of teeth for sealants
  • Teeth isolation and moisture control techniques, such as rubber dams, dri-angles, cotton roles, and retractors
  • Armamentarium
• Practice:
  • Patient assessment and patient education
  • Infection control
  • Sealant placement evaluation
  • Placement of pit and fissure sealants
  • A final written exam that includes successfully sealing four teeth

Monitoring Nitrous Oxide License

It requires 5 hours of education, and includes topics such as:

• Psychology, philosophy, and history of nitrous oxide sedation by inhalation
• Physiological and psychological aspects of pain and anxiety
• Stages of drug-induced central nervous system depression
• Anatomy and physiology of respiration
• Physiological and pharmacological effects of nitrous oxide inhalation
• Advantages and disadvantages of nitrous oxide sedation
• Prevention and management of life-threatening situations arising from nitrous oxide inhalation

After the classes, you will also need to take an exam.

Restorative Function License

You need to finish the course of a restorative function, and have a 2 years experience as a Registered Dental Assistant within the past 3 years,

The course must involve 96 hours in 3 weeks, and the topics include:

Week 1:

• Dental occlusion and morphology
• Dental product safety and hazardous materials
• Principles of cavity preparation
• Instrumentation for restorations
• Bases and liners, placement and types

Week 2:

• Rubber dam placement and isolation
• Caries
• Insertion, carving, and packing of amalgam, including a lab on this topic
• Placement and selection of matrix retainers

Week 3:

• Carving, insertion, and packing of glass ionomers
• Laboratory on the carving, insertion, and packing of glass ionomers

Before getting your license, you will need to take an exam and a clinical test.

Prosthetic Function License

You need to finish the course of a prosthetic function and have 2 years of experience as a Registered Dental Assistant within the past 3 years.

Week 1:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Dentulous soft tissue, such as the gingival sulcus
• Edentulous soft tissue
• Principles of soft-tissue management
• Tray selection and impression materials
• Master impressions and border molding
• Fixed prosthodontic impressions

Week 2:

• Methods of gingival retraction
• Pharmacology of medications and techniques for placement
• Techniques for making impressions
• Laboratory practice for fixed impressions with infection control techniques
• Fabrication, placement, and polishing of temporary restoration

When the classes end, you will need to take an exam.

Dental Radiography License

You will need to take a class that lasts for 14 hours and approved by the Board.

The topics include:

• Radiographic exposure and evaluation techniques
• Radiographic equipment
• Patient management techniques
• Radiation safety for the patient and operator
• Quality assurance
• Exposure errors
• Mounting and labeling radiographs for diagnostic assessments

Keeping Your Licenses Up-to-Date

You need to take 24 hours of classes every 2 years in order to keep your license updated unless you have to renew your Registered Dental Assistant license for the first time.

These classes must relate to chemical dependency and the field of dentistry.

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