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The differences between dental assistant/receptionists and expanded function dental assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a dental assistant/receptionist and an expanded function dental assistant. Additionally, a dental assistant/receptionist has an average salary of $38,823, which is higher than the $38,666 average annual salary of an expanded function dental assistant.
The top three skills for a dental assistant/receptionist include patients, customer service and dental procedures. The most important skills for an expanded function dental assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Expanded Function Dental Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,823 | $38,666 |
| Hourly rate | $18.66 | $18.59 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 80,317 | 69,681 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A dental assistant/receptionist is responsible for managing dental appointments, including scheduling or canceling patients' dental sessions. Dental assistants/receptionists inform patients ahead of time if the dentist is out to reschedule another appointment. They also process payments, respond to customer's inquiries about dental services the clinic offers, updating patient information on the database, and creating a patient chart and visiting records for the dental staff's reference. A dental assistant/receptionist must have excellent communication and organization skills to assist patients efficiently and perform administrative tasks as needed.
An Expanded Function Dental Assistant is responsible for assisting a dentist in examining and treating patients. They place and remove matrix retainers, and clean and polish the coronal surfaces of teeth to remove stains.
Dental assistant/receptionists and expanded function dental assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Expanded Function Dental Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,823 | $38,666 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $57,000 | Between $28,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | - |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | - |
| Best paying company | Mount Sinai Health System | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a dental assistant/receptionist and an expanded function dental assistant in terms of educational background:
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Expanded Function Dental Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Dental Assisting |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between dental assistant/receptionists' and expanded function dental assistants' demographics:
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Expanded Function Dental Assistant | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.7% Female, 93.3% | Male, 8.8% Female, 91.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |