How To Become A Clerical Dentist Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clerical dentist assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Experts

Daniela Taranto,

Carol Donohue

The average clerical dentist assistant salary is $82,890. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an dental assisting major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a clerical dentist assistant. Clerical dentist assistants with a Dental Assistant (RDA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 30,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Clerical Dentist Assistant?

Daniela Taranto

Generally dental assistants like the gratification in helping patients. In calming the anxious child, putting a smile of a lonely geriatric patient's face, listening to their family stories, gaining essentially a stranger's trust and helping them feel safe in what can be a scary environment for them. What they may dislike is some dental specialties such as oral surgery may be more graphic than others, and not everyone can withstand the occasional gore that accompanies a difficult extraction or surgery. So, knowing yourself and your own limits is important when selecting what type of practice, you may consider working in.

ScoreClerical Dentist AssistantUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $82,890

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.8

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.75%

Asian 9.88%

Black or African American 6.97%

Hispanic or Latino 26.03%

Unknown 4.95%

White 51.42%

Gender

female 85.73%

male 14.27%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress Level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.4

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clerical dentist assistant

Explore clerical dentist assistant education requirements

Most common clerical dentist assistant degrees

Bachelor's

26.1 %

High School Diploma

22.1 %

Associate

17.5 %

Start to develop specific clerical dentist assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	38.89%
Chair Side	3.71%
Appointment Schedules	3.66%
Vital Signs	3.54%
Front Desk	3.16%

Complete relevant clerical dentist assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clerical dentist assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clerical dentist assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clerical dentist assistant resumes.

Gain additional clerical dentist assistant certifications

Clerical dentist assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific clerical dentist assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for clerical dentist assistants include Dental Assistant (RDA) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research clerical dentist assistant duties and responsibilities

Help dentist to manage dental and medical emergencies by maintaining CPR certification, emergency drug and oxygen supply.
Enter and chart patient information using Dentrix.
Assist Dr. during surgery with tray setups, composites, crown and bridges, partials and dentures.
Assist with composite/amalgam restoration, crown & bridge preps/seats, endo, extractions, implants, and general anesthesia.

Prepare your clerical dentist assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clerical dentist assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clerical dentist assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Clerical Dentist Assistant Resume templates

Build a professional Clerical Dentist Assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Clerical Dentist Assistant resume.

Apply for clerical dentist assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a clerical dentist assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do clerical dentist assistants rate their job?

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Clerical Dentist Assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Cons

Underplayed and unappreciated