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How to become a Dental Nurse

Dental Nurse

Career progression and salary expectations for a Dental Nurse

1

Dental Nurse

| Up to £22,000

The role of a Dental Nurse

Is science your strongpoint? Are you always getting complimented on your smile? If yes, you might want to consider becoming a Dental Nurse.Dental Nurses work with Dentists to assist them with all aspects of patient care, from carrying out check-ups to seeing patients through operations.You can work in a general practice, within a hospital or even in the armed forces, but your typical responsibilities will include:
  • Setting up and sterilising equipment in the surgery ready for each patient
  • Ensuring the Dentist has everything they need to hand during the course of the appointment
  • Reassuring patients
  • Recording information about each case
  • Using dental tools to remove saliva from each patient's mouth so the Dentist's job is unhindered
You might want to think again about becoming a Dental Nurse if you can't stand the sight of other people's mouths - and remember that you might see some pretty serious displays of poor oral hygiene too. A good Dental Nurse will be ready for anything and appear unflappable even in the face of a patient clearly not enjoying root canal surgery.Dental Nurses should be:
    • Calm and reassuring
    • Excellent at communicating with people of all ages
    • Good at working in a team
    • Highly organised
    • Interested in the science of oral health
"I knew I didn't want to go to university when I left school and was worried I'd end up in a boring office job. But then someone suggested training as a dental nurse - and I've never looked back. I get to meet lots of nice people and the job is never boring because every case is different. I'm also learning all the time - there's so much to discover. I'd recommend this career to anyone."

Get qualified as a Dental Nurse

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