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So you’ve decided to further your education and are planning to become a dental assistant. Congratulations! Dental assisting is a career that will allow you flexibility, creativity, responsibility and the chance to earn a competitive income. If you are looking for a dental assisting program, here are some characteristics to look for:

• Experienced owners and instructors. While anyone can conceivably open a dental assisting school, you should look for one that is owned and operated by a dentist or other dental professional with years of experience. It’s best if the individual’s experience in the dental field is recent, as that way you’ll be getting the most up-to-date information and hands-on training possible.
• Convenient location. Since you’ll be commuting to your dental assisting program, it’s important that the program is located convenient to your home. This is less important if the program is very short-term and more important if it is to last for many weeks or months.
• Appropriate length of program. There is a wide range of time allotted toward various dental assisting programs. You might be able to assist after only a few weeks, but a dental office might be hesitant to hire someone without a dental x-ray certification and adequate time learning four-handed dentistry. You might also find programs that last a year or two, which gives you a lot of experience but will cost you a lot of time and money.
• Payment plans. You might not be able to spend several thousand dollars (or more) at one time. Some dental assisting schools allow you to spread out your payments over time. Others might participate in programs that will give you longer to pay the tuition or might even cover some or all of the education. Inquire with any program you are considering to find out what your options are.

You’ll find that at Sunrise School of Dental Assisting, you’ll receive a lot of hands-on practice, including practice taking dental x-rays. We have several locations in both North and South Carolina, and our program is 13 weeks long. This is long enough to learn what you need to know to become a successful dental assistant, but not so long that you will be dedicating many months or even years toward learning your new career. We offer various payment plans, including monthly billing, and we participate in Care Credit and other programs that might be able to help you pay your tuition.

Please give us a call to find out more about our dental assisting programs and learn a trade that can change your professional life!