Not only is dental assisting a meaningful career, it’s secure, flexible, and exciting. To make the best out of the profession, there’s a need to take on the best free online classes for dental assistants. Dental assistant online classes provide learners with the basic and necessary knowledge of dentistry. Each of the dental assistant classes online is handled by experts who have mastered the art.
With free online class dental assistant programs, topics will be completed at your own pace, outside of your daily working hours. Video lectures and other online learning tools can make it easy to fit your studies around your job and other life responsibilities.
Take a look at the table of contents below.
Who is a Dental Assistant?
A dental assistant is one who assists the dental care team in the delivery of quality oral health care. They are valuable team members of the dental care team. They provide quality patient care support to dentists by performing the following technical and administrative duties:
- Assisting with dental procedures such as fillings, crowns, and extractions
- Taking & pouring dental impressions (molds of the mouth)
- Preparing patients for surgery
- Operating equipment and monitors
- Talking with patients
- Performing administrative tasks
- Preparing examination areas
- Cleaning up after procedures
- Sterilizing equipment
As a practical profession, the dental field is fast growing. If you wish to augment your existing knowledge about dentistry or get fresh knowledge about the field entirely, there is a need to undertake dental assistant classes online.
SEE ALSO: Easiest Dental Schools to get into in 2021 | Expert Guide
Can I Take Dental Assistant Courses Online?
There is a wide range of dental assistant courses offered across eLearning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, etc. These courses afford learners the pleasure of learning at their own pace from the comfort of their homes. See the best dental assistant online programs.
What Are The Benefits of Taking Dental Classes Online?
With online dental classes, your coursework and assessment (in theory) are completed at your own pace, outside of your daily working hours.
Dental assistants play an indispensable part in providing patient care and delivering an exceptional experience. As a matter of fact, the benefits of a career as a dental assistant are profitable.
The duties of a dental assistant range from preparing for procedures to following up with patients after treatment, dental assistants are key players. About 98% of dentists and dental office managers agreed that effective dental assistants contribute to team synergy and make all team members more effective. In addition, they play an essential role in patient retention.
In addition to the intellectual benefit of taking free online dental assistant courses with certificates, the median annual wage for dental assistants was $41,180 in May 2020 and is projected to grow 7% from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations, according to U.S. BLS.
Free Online Class For Dental Assistants In 2021
Our list of online classes for dental assistants is made up of free and paid dental assistant courses with certificates. Our selection was made based on ratings, reviews, price and the course outline of each of the courses.
#1 Materials in Oral Health – Coursera
Cost: FREE
This free online class focuses on the unique properties of biomaterials such as titanium (Ti), zirconia (ZrO2), and various polymeric materials that have made them materials of choice in oral health: dental implants, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and even regenerative medicine.
Materials in Oral Health is a free 4-week course open to all interested learners. In the course, you will learn about the special properties and benefits of biomaterials including, titanium and titanium alloys, zirconia and other alloys, ceramics, and modern composites. You will gain insights into the practical use of these biomaterials in different aspects of dentistry and clinical implications.
Additionally, you will realize how contemporary dentistry is about unifying synthetic materials to living teeth and bone tissues. You will get in touch with the crucial roles of digital dentistry and learn about CAD/CAM technology in crown fabrication, 3D printing, and digital orthodontics. And lastly, you will be introduced to procedures and testing methods used to test significant mechanical properties of biomaterials in the research laboratory.
#2 HPV – Associated Oral and Throat Cancer: What You Need To Know – Coursera
Cost: FREE
This course, offered by the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is designed to inform primary care physicians and otolaryngologists (general and head and neck surgeons), as well as medical students, residents, nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, dental assistants, about HPV-associated oral and throat cancers. It is also applicable to individuals who wish to broaden their knowledge and vernacular about this disease process, especially those who may have been diagnosed with HPV and/or HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers.
#3 Become a Dental Assistant: Have a Mobile and Flexible Career – Udemy
This free online class for dental assistants is offered on Udemy. This course covers all you need to know to become a dental assistant. In the introductory part of the course, you will learn the two main ways to
Start a dental assistant career, as well as the benefits and bottlenecks of each. This online class is for students who desire to know more about dental assisting either to take it up as a profession or just for knowledge’s sake.
#4 Dental Assistant Fundamentals: 1st Step To Be A Professional – Udemy
This is one of the best dental assistant courses online. In this class, you will gain a practical understanding of the nitty-gritty of dental assistance ranging from understanding the roles and responsibilities to learning the essential skills needed to become an effective dental assistant. Topics like oral diagnosis, dental infection control, dental radiology, and pediatric dentistry will also be covered.
This course is for dental assistants who want to polish their knowledge and skills in the game.
#5 Complete Dental Hygienist Training Course – Udemy
Cost: $19.99
In this online dental assistant class, you will learn the basic role and responsibilities of a dental hygienist. Here you will learn about the dental assisting profession, explore various dental assistant roles, discover how best to manage a dental office, learn about safety in the dental office, and a whole lot more.
This dental assistant course online is for anybody passionate about dentistry.
#6 Purpose of Driven Dental Assisting – Udemy
Cost: $89.99
If you wish to learn how best to assist a dentist this course offers an introductory knowledge of dentistry. This online class gives a general overview of dentistry with a focus on patient interactions, dental operatory, dental hygiene, and dental specialities.
At the end of the dental assistant training, you will comfortably describe the purpose, goals, and responsibilities of a dental assistant.
#7 Dental Extraction: Basic Principles, Forceps, and Elevators – Udemy
Cost: $19.99
In this online class for dental assistants, you will learn the techniques and practical aspects of the interalveolar method of tooth extraction. This course will help you learn indications and contraindications for tooth extraction procedures.
In addition, you will learn the information to be collected from the patient before starting the extraction procedure, the precautions to be taken while doing extractions, the basic principles involved in the usage of forceps and elevators while doing a tooth extraction, and a whole lot more.
#8 Introduction to Dental Medicine – Coursera
Cost: $49
This online dentistry class offered by the University of Pennsylvania provides an overview of dental medicine to engage, educate, excite and assist you in improving the oral health of your patients and members of your community.
This class will review topics in dental medicine including the scope of the field, what to expect in function and some of the many ways that dysfunction may present for different patients. You will also learn about differences between patients and the unique roles that different members of the dental field may play in treatment depending on the patient and condition.
#9 The Oral Cavity: Portal to Health and Disease – Coursera
Cost: $49
In this course, you will learn the basics of interprofessional relationships between dentistry and medicine. For each session, the tutor will present a broad overview of a specific disease entity which will be followed by a dental educator discussing the relevant oral manifestations and implications. The final module of each session will be devoted to the interaction between the dental and other health care professionals.
#10 Dentistry 101 – Coursera
Cost: $49
Dentistry 101 is an introductory online class for dental assistants. In this course, you will explore dentistry as a profession.
Generally, dentistry 101 will help you better envision the paths you can take.
FAQs On Online Class For Dental Assistants
A dental assistant is one who assists the dental care team in the delivery of quality oral health care. They are valuable team members of the dental care team.
With online dental classes, your coursework and assessment (in theory) are completed at your own pace, outside of your daily working hours.
Most free courses offered are not manually graded but many do have multiple choice quizzes that are automatically graded when you hit submit.
Conclusion
Online learning has come to stay, the earlier you start reaping the benefits accurable, the better for your career growth and expansion.