Are you aware of the benefits that Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs) can provide your dental practice? If you’re a dentist and you are unfamiliar with the role of an EFDA, don’t worry. You aren’t alone.

A 2018 survey conducted by the American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Practice discovered that many dental professionals were unaware of what EFDAs can do within a dental practice. In addition, of the 60% of survey respondents who reported employing an EFDA, less than 45% reported their EFDA was being used to the fullest extent permitted.

Expanded function dental assistants are a newer addition to the dental field. Although they aren’t permitted in every state, an EFDA can bring a lot of value to their office – and to a practice’s bottom line – thanks to the specialized training they receive. By helping a dentist use their time more efficiently, EFDAs can allow their practice to schedule and serve more patients per day. Sounds like a great deal, right? So why are dental offices hesitant to add an EFDA to their team?

Let’s explore the difference between dental assistants and EFDAs, what special skills an EFDA can bring to your dental practice, and why you should be hiring an expanded function dental assistant for your team.

The American Dental Association (ADA) describes the duties of a dental assistant as some of the most comprehensive and varied within a dental practice. Dental assistants help the dentist with patient care, including scheduling appointments, preparing patients for treatment, taking x-rays and processing lab samples, sterilizing equipment, and coordinating billing and payments. All these tasks are crucial to helping a dental office run smoothly.

Becoming a dental assistant generally involves completing an accredited program and passing an exam. However, some states don’t have formal education requirements for dental assistants and the role can be learned through on-the-job training.

Expanded function dental assistants, on the other hand, serve additional functions in a dental office as the name implies. Also known as Licensed or Registered Dental Assistants (LDA or RDA), EFDAs may perform advanced duties such as administering anesthesia, removing prosthetics, coronal polishing, and applying sealants and fluorides on patients.

It’s important to note that, like dental assistants, the training, education, and credentialing requirements for EFDAs varies state by state. In addition, expanded functions must be performed under the direct or indirect supervision of a dentist, who is ultimately responsible for all care a patient receives.

Beyond the specific functions they perform, one of the biggest benefits an EFDA brings to a dental office is efficiency. The 2018 ADA survey mentioned above found that dentists with EFDAs were able to utilize their time and skills more effectively. By allowing EFDAs to perform certain dental services, dentists had more time to see patients, allowing practices to fit in more patients per day and, ultimately, increase their bottom line.

Other benefits of having an EFDA on staff, as cited in the survey, included an increased capacity to treat patients in managed care programs, lower overall operating expenses, and an increased ability to treat patients covered by Medicaid, Medicare or public assistance.

While some staff might feel that integrating EFDAs into an established office workflow could be challenging, the key to success lies in training. When EFDAs are effectively trained on both the office systems and the practice’s philosophy for providing care, the result can be a win-win for everyone. It’s also important to make sure your new EFDA feels welcomed, so be sure to introduce them to all your patients, and remember, your confidence and positive vibes will make your patients more comfortable as well.

By giving increased responsibilities to an EFDA, a dental practice can ensure more of the dentist and staff’s time is spent focusing on patients. This in turn helps patients feel more connected to the dental team and happy with the care and services they receive.

The benefits of having an EFDA in your dental practice are clear, but what about the costs? Some offices may worry about the expense of hiring an EFDA. In reality, however, if dental practices are utilizing their EFDA effectively, they can increase office production substantially, making hiring an EFDA a more cost-effective solution for a practice than bringing on a new dental assistant.

One way to get the benefits of an EFDA without dramatically changing office dynamics is to encourage your current dental assistants to go school to become an EFDA. These kinds of growth opportunities are great for the individual dental professionals and can boost the morale and operations of the whole practice. In fact, some dental offices send their top DA to EFDA school because they understand the value of having an expanded function dental assistant who’s already familiar with the practice and their patients.

Interested in hiring an experienced EFDA for your practice? Unsure of what an EFDA could do for you and your practice’s bottom line? This is where full-service staffing firms like Dental Dynamic Staffing can help. We have experienced EFDAs on staff and we match qualified candidates with your dental practice. We also take care of all the details, allowing you to focus on what you do best – growing your business and patient care.

Have you ever wished for a dental job with a more flexible schedule? Maybe you’re tired of the usual 9-to-5 or want to gain new experience and explore different kinds of dental practices. Perhaps you’re looking to take on additional work for added income and want to find a temp job that fits your lifestyle.

All of these are great reasons to explore opportunities in temporary dental work. Whether you’re new to the dental field or a seasoned pro, temporary work can be an exciting experience for professionals who appreciate diversity and enjoy the variety and change temp work offers.

However, temporary work isn’t without its challenges. From unpredictable hours to learning the operations of a new office, working as temporary dental staff has its downsides and won’t be a good fit for everyone. In order to set yourself up for success, let’s look at a few important things you should know before taking your first temporary dental job.

Before committing to working as a temp, it’s important to know your rights and understand the state and federal laws that govern how you can practice. The U.S Department of Labor has classified temporary workers as employees in all but a few distinct circumstances.

However, a common complaint raised by temporary dental workers is that they are often treated as contractors rather than employees by some referral staffing agencies and dental offices. This classification shifts the tax burden onto the temp, and, should the worst happen, you won’t be eligible for unemployment or workers’ compensation as a contractor.

Our staffing agency, on the other hand, hires temporary workers as employees and pays the necessary federal and state taxes required, as well as issues a W-2. Temporary employees are then placed in offices where they agree to work for certain periods of time. This employment arrangement complies with federal and state laws and helps ensure temporary staff are treated fairly. If you’re interested in pursuing temporary dental work, either full or part-time, be sure your employment agreement aligns with applicable laws and works to your benefit.

Working as a dental temp can be exciting and offers lots of opportunities and experience in various dental settings. However, along with this variety comes some uncertainty. Dental practices operate in different ways, use diverse systems, and have their own expectations when it comes to temporary staff. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is helpful to be prepared and know a bit about how your new practice operates before your first day.

Once you’ve received a temporary assignment, consider reaching out to the office manager or dentist prior to your start date. Confirm the address, when you need to arrive, what hours you’re expected to work and any other questions you might have. If you’re working with a dental staffing agency, they’ll also be able to help you prepare for your first day. A good staffing agency will have resources that ensure you’re ready to get started, and they should be able to answer any of your questions about hours and pay rates.

When you arrive on your first day, try to pay attention to the office flow and watch how the office operates. How does the dentist prefer to work? Do staff chat extensively with patients or are appointments kept short and scheduled back to back? When problems or issues arise, how are they handled and by whom? These kinds of details can be important clues to understanding a practice and will allow you to integrate quickly into office operations while providing quality dental care to your new patients.

Of course, it’s impossible to prepare for every scenario and situation you may encounter, so if something unexpected does come up, don’t be afraid to ask for help. A new office won’t expect you to know your way around and most are happy to help temporary staff learn the ropes.

While working as temporary dental staff offers excitement and the chance to break out of everyday routines, the tradeoff can be felt when it comes to building relationships with staff and patients. Unlike conventional dental employment, temporary work can vary greatly in frequency. A practice may require you to fill in for several weeks at a time or only every now and again when a full-time staff member is out sick.

If the temporary work is especially infrequent, it can feel like you’re constantly starting over and you might not be able to connect with patients and other staff in the ways you’re used to. If this becomes a challenge, talk to your staffing agency and consider looking for long-term temporary work or temp-to-hire positions that offer the flexibility and consistency you desire.

Despite the irregularities of temporary work, you can still establish a good rapport with the dental practice you’re assigned to. Much like the relationship you might build with regular patients, you can develop a good working relationship with a dental office by helping wherever necessary and going above and beyond to learn how the office want tasks to be done. Maybe you help set up or break down rooms and instruments or step up to assist when the dentist is running behind.

Whatever the case, make sure patients always have a good experience, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from other staff. These qualities will help you stand out and be remembered. With a good attitude and willingness to work hard, you’ll leave a lasting impression and increase the likelihood you’ll get called back the next time the practice needs a temp.

Temporary dental work can be a great experience for the right person. Changing offices regularly can help you learn new dental techniques, gain exposure to a variety of patient populations, and improve your clinical and communication skills in different dental environments.

Yet, for all the advantages of temporary work, there are also disadvantages. From disorganized offices to dealing with poor equipment, high expectations, and inconsistent hours, working as temporary dental staff can be draining. Ultimately, it’s important to know yourself and how you prefer to work in order to build a successful dental career.