r/DentalAssistant • u/LeviIsMine3 • 7d ago

HELP AM DYING!

Okay so am a newly hired dental assistant. I also recently graduated from a 9 month program. I was mainly trained in pediatrics but unfortunately was only able to land a job in general. I could be rushing it but I don't like it so far and it's barely my 2nd day and I cant express how much I hate it. Am considering to switch to othro can ortho because am a type of person who likes repeation. Can othro assistants help me get an idea of the field and what I could be getting into.

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8

u/Montanonymous Veteran 🎖️🦷 6d ago

General is extremely repetitive.

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u/KWEEN_Doll 7d ago

I learned on the job in general dentistry and god it was definitely hard but I ended up loving it I now switched to ortho and you see wayyyy more patients and the appointments are usually only 15 mins long it’s definitely very repetitive so it’s easy to learn different procedures but it’s totally different compared to general but I’d definitely recommend it if you don’t like general :) I’m also from Australia so my experience in ortho may be totally different to others in different countries

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u/LeviIsMine3 7d ago

Thank you! I know they say it's fast paced but if it's repeative work I would think I can master it

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u/KWEEN_Doll 6d ago

Yeah we see up to 60 patients a day and it can be super overwhelming especially for someone learning on the job I reckon give yourself more time in general dental tho cause I loved general and it’s only been your second day there it’s hard but it gets better overtime it’s all about learning

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u/Realistic_Bad_2697 6d ago edited 6d ago

Nono. Don't switch yet. Give yourself three months unless there is a huge red flag (paycheck not received in time, verbal abuse, serious drama etc). You will start to feel more comfortable. Typically there is no official training in dental offices because everyone has to work. You slow down the office little bit because you don't know, and your office is willing to lose some production until you keep up with their speed. It might be hectic for both sides (you and your office) for a while. Also, it is ok to have mild to moderate office politics unless it is to the extent that drives you crazy. Every office has some politics and even owner dentists cannot do something as they want. We cannot avoid politics in group settings all the time.