A dental assistant is responsible for diverse duties that include helping the dentist with patients, performing lab work and handing office tasks.  A good dental assistant can greatly improve the efficiency and services provided at a dental office.

1. To be an outstanding dental assistant, you need to have excellent organizational skills.  Patient care and office procedures should be carefully planned and everything should be ready for the dentist immediately. 

2. Secondly, dental assistant needs to be reliable and responsible because the dentist and patients are depending upon her to be there to perform necessary duties. 

3. A third quality of a truly great dental assistant is the ability to be a team player.  The dentist, office workers, the dental hygienist and patients all need to work with the dental assistant. 

4. A dental assistant needs to be able to communicate effectively and listen to what is required, which brings us to the fourth quality of a good dental assistant – the ability to work well with others.  Beside being a team player, a dental assistant needs to speak up regarding what needs to be done and make sure it gets done properly without disrupting co-workers and clients. 

5. Finally, a dental assistant should have excellent manual dexterity and enjoy working with dental instruments.  Because a dental assistant is required to help out in patients' mouths, they have to work well with their hands and be able to use dental instruments correctly.

A dental assistant is a challenging, rewarding position. With the proper skills and attitude, dental assistants really make a difference!