How To Become A Certified Registered Dental Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a certified registered dental assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Daniela Taranto

The average certified registered dental assistant salary is $38,723. The most common degree is a associate degree degree with an dental assisting major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a certified registered dental assistant. Certified registered dental assistants with a Dental Assistant (RDA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 30,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a certified registered dental assistant?

Daniela Taranto

Generally dental assistants like the gratification in helping patients. In calming the anxious child, putting a smile of a lonely geriatric patient's face, listening to their family stories, gaining essentially a stranger's trust and helping them feel safe in what can be a scary environment for them. What they may dislike is some dental specialties such as oral surgery may be more graphic than others, and not everyone can withstand the occasional gore that accompanies a difficult extraction or surgery. So, knowing yourself and your own limits is important when selecting what type of practice, you may consider working in.

ScoreCertified Registered Dental AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,723

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 7.22%

Black or African American 8.03%

Hispanic or Latino 20.15%

Unknown 4.86%

White 58.97%

Gender

female 94.66%

male 5.34%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a certified registered dental assistant

Explore certified registered dental assistant education requirements

Most common certified registered dental assistant degrees

Associate

52.3 %

Diploma

15.4 %

Bachelor's

12.3 %

Start to develop specific certified registered dental assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	40.40%
OSHA	7.65%
Front Desk	6.33%
Dental Procedures	5.82%
Vital Signs	4.08%

Complete relevant certified registered dental assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New certified registered dental assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a certified registered dental assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real certified registered dental assistant resumes.

Research certified registered dental assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage surgery center infection control plan to meet OSHA, CDC and ADA standards.
Aid with full mouth restorations, implant crowns and dentures.
Prepare patients, sterilize and disinfect instruments.
Assist in oral surgery under local and twilight anesthesia in a private practice setting.Primary IV starter and administer anesthetics on command.

Prepare your certified registered dental assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your certified registered dental assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a certified registered dental assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable certified registered dental assistant resume templates

Build a professional certified registered dental assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your certified registered dental assistant resume.

Apply for certified registered dental assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a certified registered dental assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do certified registered dental assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

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2 stars

1 star

Certified registered dental assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

I love being able to help people get back on track with their health. I love to be a part of the process that stops and maintains oral disease.

Cons

It is taxing on your body, especially your neck and back.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019