pay rate

I can't beleive the low pay scale they want to pay in Ga, or any where. go figure front dest help seems t make more than assistant. This up set me because we have peoples lives in our hand and they want to pay us as we are nothing to them {DR.}

karen in Atlanta, Georgia said: I can't beleive the low pay scale they want to pay in Ga, or any where. go figure front dest help seems t make more than assistant. This up set me because we have peoples lives in our hand and they want to pay us as we are nothing to them {DR.}

You go girl I agree! we are under payed!!!!!

AMEN!!!!! For the pay scale to be SOO high for hygienists in GA, you would think they would pay the assistants a little more!

[guess you would think we are under paid! even for CDA's

I see your comments. I'm moving to Georgia in 2008. How much does a certified dental assistant make per hour?

Yes i would like to know the pay also. Im moving to Griffin Ga in July 2008. Hopefully i will have my cda by then. Is it hard to find a job freash out of school? and what is the pay?

Roxanne Campbell in Orlando, Florida said: Yes i would like to know the pay also. Im moving to Griffin Ga in July 2008. Hopefully i will have my cda by then. Is it hard to find a job freash out of school? and what is the pay?

you want be happy with the pay. valdosta is $8-12

karen in Atlanta, Georgia said: You go girl I agree! we are under payed!!!!!

i want to be a dental assistant but at first i wanted to be a dental hygentist but im not sure if i can do it..im so confused its like i see that dental assistance's dont get paid enough and i dont think thats far because i dont want to go through al of that schooling for nothing..

ok well i get payed 19.00 a hour so I don't under stand

looking to find out how much dental assistant get paid in Atlanta,ga.

I'm considering florida as my new home, but I'll like to know how much dental assistants/receptionist get pay in florida before I make this move.

sinead cunningham 16 years atlanta ga, in Leominster, Massachusetts said: i want to be a dental assistant but at first i wanted to be a dental hygentist but im not sure if i can do it..im so confused its like i see that dental assistance's dont get paid enough and i dont think thats far because i dont want to go through al of that schooling for nothing..

Go for hygiene or better yet- Nursing! Hygienist makes big bucks and they have flexibilities. Over here, they make abt. 35-40/hr. whereas assistants only makes 15-25/hr. If you want to try working in the dental field first to see if this is for you, then you should work as an assistant first.

Im a dental assistant in SW Florida and I make anywhere from 15-20.00 per hr. Im a dental temp . I did work fulltime at one point where I was making 15.00 per hr.

karen in Atlanta, Georgia said: I can't beleive the low pay scale they want to pay in Ga, or any where. go figure front dest help seems t make more than assistant. This up set me because we have peoples lives in our hand and they want to pay us as we are nothing to them {DR.}

Your'e right assistant they pay assistant less and front desk more money!

Hi,

I moving to NYC and would like to know what the salary range is for an RDA with 10 years of experience. Does anyone know what the salary range is in general for RDA's in NYC?

alicia evans in Cape Coral, Florida said: Im a dental assistant in SW Florida and I make anywhere from 15-20.00 per hr. Im a dental temp . I did work fulltime at one point where I was making 15.00 per hr.

I am thinking about moving to cape Coral in August is there alot of Dental assistant jobs???

karen in Atlanta, Georgia said: I can't beleive the low pay scale they want to pay in Ga, or any where. go figure front dest help seems t make more than assistant. This up set me because we have peoples lives in our hand and they want to pay us as we are nothing to them {DR.}

I think the most frustrating part of the pay is we do most of the work and when the assistant is really good we actually increase the dentist profit. A dentist office can run without a hygienist but can a dentist actually do all the work without an assistant? Even if he or she could, the time it would take to preform the functions would cut the profits well over 75%. In some offices the assistances not only assist but also cover the front desk when needed. I wonder what dentist would do if all their assistances called in sick for a week. :-) Just a thought

Hello, I,m moving to idaho in september 2008. I am wondering how much does a dental assistant make there if anyone can plovide some info.thank you

i've had dentist offer me from $10-15. now im working for a wonderful dentist. i just started 3 months ago with $21 and better benefits

teasha in Renton, Washington said: i've had dentist offer me from $10-15. now im working for a wonderful dentist. i just started 3 months ago with $21 and better benefits

How long have you been a CDA? Is there a pay difference if you have a BS degree? Also, is there a pay difference if you are a orthodontic assistant? Thanks

What school did you attend to be what you are know?
How long did it take you to get your current degree?

Here is agreat article that will also show Median hourly pay rates in your state..

www.dentalassisting.com/PDFs/Showme.pdf

karen in Atlanta, Georgia said: I can't beleive the low pay scale they want to pay in Ga, or any where. go figure front dest help seems t make more than assistant. This up set me because we have peoples lives in our hand and they want to pay us as we are nothing to them {DR.}

To Karen and all the other dental assistants out there, there is a specific reason why dental assistants are under paid and under appericiated. The dental assistant is the only employee who is not consider as part of production. The dental assistant is considered as part of overhead. The dental assistant does not, technically speaking produce any money for the practice. Therefore the dental assistant is paid as little as the dentist can get away with.
My advice to all you dental assitants out there, expand your skills, take what ever expanded courses that are offered in your state, the better skilled you are and the more you have to offer to the practice of dentistry, the better you should be paid. Here is the other thing, we accept jobs that are low paying. If dental assitants refused to accept jobs for the low dollars offered, dentists would either: have to do with out an assistant; which would lower their production; or, they would have to pay a fair and liveable wage.

deborah, CDA in Dayton, Ohio said: To Karen and all the other dental assistants out there, there is a specific reason why dental assistants are under paid and under appericiated. The dental assistant is the only employee who is not consider as part of production. The dental assistant is considered as part of overhead. The dental assistant does not, technically speaking produce any money for the practice. Therefore the dental assistant is paid as little as the dentist can get away with.
My advice to all you dental assitants out there, expand your skills, take what ever expanded courses that are offered in your state, the better skilled you are and the more you have to offer to the practice of dentistry, the better you should be paid. Here is the other thing, we accept jobs that are low paying. If dental assitants refused to accept jobs for the low dollars offered, dentists would either: have to do with out an assistant; which would lower their production; or, they would have to pay a fair and liveable wage.

I was wondering why dental assistants are not paid well. To me they are a very important part if the dental team. If it wasnt for them, then dentists would not be able to get alot done in a day without their help. I was looking into going into dental assisting but I want to be paid well. I have a BS in Biology. I would love to work in orthodontics and oral & maxillofacial surgery. to me $15 an hour is not good enough....

I do very much agree with this. I am a pediatric dentist practicing for ten years. Despite the advice of pretty much every consultant in the industry, we do not track production. Our practice is solely based on the extension of exceptional quality care. We have an exceptional clinical team, but it has taken so long to establish it and maintain it. We have been looking to add more members (in addition to our 3)for over 2 yrs now. We have a core of three highly efficient full-time "Clinical Leaders." We do not use the title "assistant," as I feel it is misleading. Our Clinical Leaders run the show, and deliver exceptional care, and create exceptional positive experiences for all our patients, and and and... We have the most difficult time finding other overachievers with such a level of concern. Their pay rate is very high, and they deserve it. Without our Clinical Leaders, the care we would provide would be severely diminished. It is very difficult, though, finding high-performance leaders. My advice is to ask the doctor: "If I can perform this, take care of that, extend this kind of care to all of our patients, how much is this worth to you?" I have never been asked that question, and over the years I have interviewed hundreds, or perhaps thousands of applicants, and we have had numerous staff come and go. If someone told me, "First I am going to show you what I can do for these patients, for this team, for this practice. Then I want you to tell me what I deserve." - I think they would be blown away by my answer.

Joe in Lake Forest IL in lake forest, Illinois said: I do very much agree with this. I am a pediatric dentist practicing for ten years. Despite the advice of pretty much every consultant in the industry, we do not track production. Our practice is solely based on the extension of exceptional quality care. We have an exceptional clinical team, but it has taken so long to establish it and maintain it. We have been looking to add more members (in addition to our 3)for over 2 yrs now. We have a core of three highly efficient full-time "Clinical Leaders." We do not use the title "assistant," as I feel it is misleading. Our Clinical Leaders run the show, and deliver exceptional care, and create exceptional positive experiences for all our patients, and and and... We have the most difficult time finding other overachievers with such a level of concern. Their pay rate is very high, and they deserve it. Without our Clinical Leaders, the care we would provide would be severely diminished. It is very difficult, though, finding high-performance leaders. My advice is to ask the doctor: "If I can perform this, take care of that, extend this kind of care to all of our patients, how much is this worth to you?" I have never been asked that question, and over the years I have interviewed hundreds, or perhaps thousands of applicants, and we have had numerous staff come and go. If someone told me, "First I am going to show you what I can do for these patients, for this team, for this practice. Then I want you to tell me what I deserve." - I think they would be blown away by my answer.

I think my main concern is that I do not want to do a program for a particular field and then not get paid for what I know and can bring to an office. I have a BS in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry and I am currently working on my MPH with a dental emphasis. I would like to be a "Clinical Leader" but I do not want to be getting paid $15.00 an hour.

I would like to think assistant are making the money for the doc's We clean and set up the proceduers and move patients in and out for him Don't we?
We CDA's and do a little more than trained off the streets.I would hope you would like for some one that knows what there doing working in your mouth!

karen in Alachua, Florida said: I would like to think assistant are making the money for the doc's We clean and set up the proceduers and move patients in and out for him Don't we?
We CDA's and do a little more than trained off the streets.I would hope you would like for some one that knows what there doing working in your mouth!

I agree with you. I think that CDA's should be paid at least $25.00 an hour for all the work that they do. All the dentist has to do is come in and sit down and get to work on the procedure that needs to be done.

i think you guys need a union same as everyone else. it wouldn't be a bad idea if all the dental assistants in one state would strike or alone the whole country but a state would be a first. just a thought to show the dentists that he/she needs you and not only the hygienists! besides answering phones, scheduling pts all day, do billing and deal with unappreciative people but at the same time MUST ALSO HELP THE DENTIST TO X RAY AND FILE. RAH. What I don't get in dentists' office, why is there not a lead wall to protect you and only the patient? Distance helps but how far can you go when you are about to press the exposure button and the concrete wall is this much thick to protect you. just another thought to ponder around. it is very small radiation but it is still radiation that you will be doing for the rest of your life if you choose to do so.

I was a CDA years ago and now considering an offer as office manager with some heavy marketing involed. My husband and I owned a small company for years, so I'm not up on the current pay scale. What is the going rate for Office Managers with Marketing/Sales in Atlanta?

ruth mendoza in Los Angeles, California said: Hello, I,m moving to idaho in september 2008. I am wondering how much does a dental assistant make there if anyone can plovide some info.thank you

I just moved from boise and i worked front office for 8 yrs going rate is about 12-17. The only problem is tons of new DA always looking for jobs and will accept lower pay.

deborah, CDA in Dayton, Ohio said: To Karen and all the other dental assistants out there, there is a specific reason why dental assistants are under paid and under appericiated. The dental assistant is the only employee who is not consider as part of production. The dental assistant is considered as part of overhead. The dental assistant does not, technically speaking produce any money for the practice. Therefore the dental assistant is paid as little as the dentist can get away with.
My advice to all you dental assitants out there, expand your skills, take what ever expanded courses that are offered in your state, the better skilled you are and the more you have to offer to the practice of dentistry, the better you should be paid. Here is the other thing, we accept jobs that are low paying. If dental assitants refused to accept jobs for the low dollars offered, dentists would either: have to do with out an assistant; which would lower their production; or, they would have to pay a fair and liveable wage.

I totally agree with that! This is what my teacher was telling us. Ask for an amount you are worth. Dont settle for anything less. She had a student graduate her DA course and ask for $18 and hour and that girl actually got paid that!

I just finished my DA class and I have my x-ray license and I'm not taking anything under $15. I know I'm worth at least that.

I am a medical assistant with seven years of experience both clinical and clerical. I recently accepted a position as an Office Manager for a dental office paying $21.00 an hour, but now I have to learn all the dental codings, yikes!

Chrissy in Port Saint Lucie, Florida said: I am a medical assistant with seven years of experience both clinical and clerical. I recently accepted a position as an Office Manager for a dental office paying $21.00 an hour, but now I have to learn all the dental codings, yikes!

Its really not that hard. You should be able to pick it up in no time!

Hi Ladies,

I made $20 an hour in New York and now I moved to Georgia in January 2008 and am making $22.00 an hour. I have to say that when you go on an interview, please know how much you are worth. If you are fresh out of school then research the going rate for assistants in your area and ask for that. If you have more than 3 years experience than ask your worth. Ask for the top pay because you know you can handle the work load. Don't settle for less than you are worth. YOU ARE NOT FOR SALE. You have bills to pay too and you are not looking for a hand out. You work hard and should be compensated for it! Don't feel bad about the Dentist, they get paid for their services and so should you. The problem is that most of you are scared of the freshly graduating CDA's. They have to get their feet wet and so most of them take anything that the Dentist throws at them. But even they will one day wake up and know that they are worth so much more.

Nancy in New York said: Hi Ladies,

I made $20 an hour in New York and now I moved to Georgia in January 2008 and am making $22.00 an hour. I have to say that when you go on an interview, please know how much you are worth. If you are fresh out of school then research the going rate for assistants in your area and ask for that. If you have more than 3 years experience than ask your worth. Ask for the top pay because you know you can handle the work load. Don't settle for less than you are worth. YOU ARE NOT FOR SALE. You have bills to pay too and you are not looking for a hand out. You work hard and should be compensated for it! Don't feel bad about the Dentist, they get paid for their services and so should you. The problem is that most of you are scared of the freshly graduating CDA's. They have to get their feet wet and so most of them take anything that the Dentist throws at them. But even they will one day wake up and know that they are worth so much more.

Dito and Amen! What part of Georgia did you move to?

I moved to South fulton.

My mother is a Dental Assistant in New York and shes getting paid $12 per hour, she graduated from dentistry a long long time ago from the UCE university in the dominican republic and she has tons of experience, I feel shes being underpaid, she still has not gotten through the process of getting her license to work as a dentist here in new york, I dont know what exactly she needs to do, but i guess she feels too old (shes 49) to go through school or anything like that, I just want her to get a better job or for my own knowledge can anyone tell me what would be the easiest way to get those university credits good here so she can work as a professional? My mother is bilingual but communicates better in spanish than english please help me.

You can call the Second District Dental Society. There is one in the Fort Green area of Downtown Brooklyn. You can speak to Dr. Reneida E. Reyes. She was President of Second District at one point. I don't know if she still is but the office would give you her number. She can instruct your mom. I think she is from Panama. She is fluent in Spanish so she can communicate very well with your mom. Give it a try. Tell me how it goes. Your mom should not be making $12 an hour. That is simply rediculous.

I LIVE IN ATLANTA GEORGIA ,IM THINKING ABOUT ATTENDING SCHOOL TO BE A DENTAL ASSISTANT.DOES ANYONE RECOMMEND ANY GOOD SCHOOLS? ALSO DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE HARD FINDING A JOB FRESH OUT OF DENTAL ASSISTANT SCHOOL?

Johnny in Bronx, New York said: My mother is a Dental Assistant in New York and shes getting paid $12 per hour, she graduated from dentistry a long long time ago from the UCE university in the dominican republic and she has tons of experience, I feel shes being underpaid, she still has not gotten through the process of getting her license to work as a dentist here in new york, I dont know what exactly she needs to do, but i guess she feels too old (shes 49) to go through school or anything like that, I just want her to get a better job or for my own knowledge can anyone tell me what would be the easiest way to get those university credits good here so she can work as a professional? My mother is bilingual but communicates better in spanish than english please help me.

.
I am a dentist graduated in ecuador,your mom has to call to the JADA and get the information, she has to take a NBD Part I and go back to school for 2 years it depends of the state and the school,I am trying to do the same I am 42 ,it's never to late

Veronica in Atlanta, Georgia said: I LIVE IN ATLANTA GEORGIA ,IM THINKING ABOUT ATTENDING SCHOOL TO BE A DENTAL ASSISTANT.DOES ANYONE RECOMMEND ANY GOOD SCHOOLS? ALSO DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE HARD FINDING A JOB FRESH OUT OF DENTAL ASSISTANT SCHOOL?

TSTC COLLEGE IN WACO TEXAS

Veronica in Atlanta, Georgia said: I LIVE IN ATLANTA GEORGIA ,IM THINKING ABOUT ATTENDING SCHOOL TO BE A DENTAL ASSISTANT.DOES ANYONE RECOMMEND ANY GOOD SCHOOLS? ALSO DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE HARD FINDING A JOB FRESH OUT OF DENTAL ASSISTANT SCHOOL?

Don't go to Medix School!! Some private pratices offer on the job training for less than 4,000.

I want to know how much RDA make in Jacksonville Florida with 11 years exp, 6 years back office supervisor experience

sinead cunningham 16 years atlanta ga, in Leominster, Massachusetts said: i want to be a dental assistant but at first i wanted to be a dental hygentist but im not sure if i can do it..im so confused its like i see that dental assistance's dont get paid enough and i dont think thats far because i dont want to go through al of that schooling for nothing..

Its totally worth it!! You will always wish you had gone to school and got your degree to become a hygenist if you want to work in a practice for the rest of your life! ohh and by the way most dentist would prefer you let them train you the way they like to work! FREEEE TRAINING and the # is not that bad if ya just want to assist. ake 18.00 / hr after 7 years. not bad for a highschool drop out

Ive looking for a job in kansas city right now and jobs are just not there for full time assistants. I posted my resume on career builder and got a hit from a company called Primerica! Its totally different from Healthcare but in many ways the same because your helping people not teeth but with there finances. Want a change say GOOD BYE with a Smile! learn more at ajungels923@yahoo.com

I will be starting school this June in the field of Dental Assistant. I've been researching the differnt prices in the USA. I don't mind traveling or moving. And plus, I know that by staying in MS will never get me anywhere. I'm going to take other courses like computer science courses, so that will have inhance my ability of the administrative part of the work. I got some things figured out. But i will be moving to a better regionand find a great dentist that doesn't hassle you about pay. I hope I will be able to do it. I'm a fighter. I'm like you goes, I'm not going to accept low pay of my hard earn education.

I live just west of Atlanta, GA and am looking into getting my certificate for Assisting, but I am SOOOO confused! From what I've read, all you really need is the certificate from an accredited school, but OJT is so much cheaper and much shorter training. My question is, I guess, is it really worth going to an accredited college for 8-10 months, or am I just wasting my time and money? I know some dentists do weekend classes for only 8-10 weeks at much less. What to do?

Also, is there a school around the ATL area that offers dental hygiene courses that are NOT during the day? Seems impossible to find. I would rather do hygiene, but cannot afford to quit my day job, so it seems I am forced to do Assisting instead.

You should check the requirements for your state re certifications. You may not even need to go to school in kansas and missouri its not required. check your local listings the dentist will say they would train the right person for the job. I make 18.00 an hour and I never went to school. Good Luck

If you live in missouri you dont have to go to school they will train you to work with them and you surprised you could make 13.00 an hour entry level. its not that hard and alls yo have is time to learn the best part youre gettin paid!!!!!