Your clinical team can be a great asset. Many dentists don’t realize how much their staff can help to make their orthodontic department efficient and hassle-free. Orthodontics is the leading area of dentistry where assistants can take a significant role working chairside with patients. Here is a checklist of the tasks that our orthodontic assistants can help us with.
- Run the orthodontic marketing (e.g. set up posters, brochures, photo board, Facebook posts)
- Identify patients with potential orthodontic need
- Assist with the orthodontic screening (View our 9-part Ortho Screening Checklist)
- Assist at the 1st consultation
- Take intra oral photos (View our photo video tutorial)
- Take extra oral photos
- Take pan/ceph
- Take growth wrist x-ray
- Take impressions or intra-oral scan for models
- Take progress records
- Take final records
- Digitalize records into finished files (scanned, cropped and in 1:1 calibration)
- Import records into DentalCAD within the SmileStream software
- Trace ceph
- Trace models
- Prepare and print forms (Patient Consultation Report, Consent Form, Contract)
- Assist with 2nd consultation
- Place spacers
- Size bands
- Cement bands
- Re-cement bands
- Order appliances after patients accept treatment
- Fill out lab order forms
- Work with ortho labs
- Prepare bracketing set up
- Assist with bracketing
- Put on indirect bonding brackets
- Size archwires
- Tie in archwires
- Retie archwires for reactivation
- Fit cervical headgear and reverse pull headgear and discuss it with the patient
- Fit transpalatal arches (TPAs)
- Adjust and deliver lower lingual arches (LLAs)
- Fit functional appliances
- Change elastics
- Place open coils
- Place closed coils
- Insert split hooks
- Put on power chains
- Bond cleats
- Discuss orthodontic emergencies like loose brackets and poking wires (view the Orthodontic Emergencies Guide)
- Prepare deband set up
- Assist with removing bands, brackets, archwires, and cements
- Fabricate in-office clear retainers
- Fit retainers
- Sterilize and care for instruments
- Set up, order, and maintain inventory (8 supplies you’ll need to start ortho cases)
- Encourage and manage patients
- Talk to patients about referring their friends and family members who are seeking ortho treatment
- Check retainers for the patient in follow-up appointments
Please note: Orthodontic roles and opportunities may change by country or region. In some countries like Australia and Canada, for example, the orthodontic responsibilities listed are often done by the dental hygienist instead of the dental assistant. We encourage you to check what roles are typical and encouraged for your staff in your area.
A skilled team can improve your orthodontic efficiency and profitability immediately. To reduce the doctor’s chair time in orthodontic cases, we encourage you to train your staff to perform all tasks permitted by auxiliaries. We offer a comprehensive 3 day course with hands-on exercises which will help them gain understanding and confidence in their responsibilities. Our Assistant and Team Orthodontic Training is very popular with POS students and graduates, and doctors can attend with their staff at no additional charge.
We’re interested to hear how you run your team! Which tasks do your orthodontic assistants do the most? Which task would you like them to learn? Reply in the comments below:
