What does a dental nurse do?

The role of a dental nurse is to work along side and assist dentists, therapists and hygienists in the care of patients.  It is a varied job and can include everything from supporting with routine check ups to advanced specialist treatments.

A very important aspect of the role is making the patient feel relaxed and comfortable during appointments.  Other responsibilities include preparing materials for treatments, removing saliva from the patient’s mouth during treatment, record keeping for the dentist, sterilising instruments, stock control and cleaning and tidying the dental surgery.

One of the dental nurse role is making the patient feel relaxed and comfortable during appointments.

Some dental nurses carry out extra qualifications after completing their basic dental nursing course in order to take responsibility for more advanced tasks such as; taking CBCT scans and x-rays, assisting in oral sedation, carrying out oral hygiene education, taking impressions or photographs or applying topical fluoride.

There is a broad range of career options open to fully qualified and registered dental nurses.  After gaining additional qualifications and experience many dental nurses continue on to become practice managers, or move into management roles within practices or hospitals or become trainers themselves.

Taking further courses in specialist areas is a great way to open doors to a whole host of career options.

Visit our website to meet the dental team at Smile Concepts.