Your Future Begins Here.

Dental Assisting

The Dental Assisting program is designed to provide the student with technical knowledge, manual skills, clinical experiences, and positive attitudes toward the work required to make the graduate a valuable member of the dental health care profession. A variety of learning approaches are employed in the Dental Assisting program. Students participate in lecture, lab, and clinical activities.

Training begins in the technically current dental lab at Tri-County that consists of operatories, a recirculation/sterilization area, an x-ray darkroom, and a complete dental laboratory. Internships in dental offices in the community are required of every student enrolled in the Dental Assisting program. Upon completion of the program, students who have taken and passed the necessary tests to become certified in Radiation Health and Safety and Infection Control through the Dental Assisting National Board will be prepared to work as a Registered Dental Assistant in the state of Massachusetts. After working the necessary hours, the student will then be able to take the Chairside component of the DANB exams and become a Certified Dental Assistant, which is a national certification.

E-mail a Dental Assisting Instructor:

Available Certifications

  • Dental Assistance
  • National Board Certifications in Radiation Health & Safety and Infection Control
  • CPR: Health Care Provider Status
  • General Industry OSHA 10-hour card
  • OSHA – 10 Hour Safety Certification

Articulation Agreements

Massachusetts Community Colleges Porter & Chester Institute (pending)

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Your Future Begins Here.

Career Pathways

Skills and Competencies: Tri-County Training

  • Sterilize instruments
  • Set up instrument trays
  • Take vital signs of patients
  • Provide dental care instructions to patients
  • Make preliminary impressions of teeth
  • Take opposing model-impressions and bite registrations
  • Clean and polish removable appliances
  • Assist the dentist with managing medical and dental emergencies
  • Provide pre- and post-operative instructions as prescribed by dentist
  • Assist at chair side for general dentistry and specialty dentistry
  • Coronal polish teeth
  • Fabricate bleaching trays & sports guards
  • Place dental sealants
  • Perform fluoride treatments
  • Exposed dental radiographs (digital & conventional)
  • Take a tooth print impression
  • Assist with amalgam and composite restorations

Tri-County Diploma or On-The-Job Training

  • Dental Assistant
  • Dental Laboratory Assistant
  • Medical Records/Health Information Technician
  • Dental Receptionist
  • Insurance Biller

Two-Year or Four-Year College Majors

  • Dental Hygienist
  • Dental Laboratory Technician
  • Health Information/Medical Records Administrator
  • Radiological Technician
  • Regional Office Manager
  • Dental Assisting Teacher
  • Dental Consultant
  • Dental Management Careers
  • Dental Sales Representative
  • Dentistry