How To Become A Dental Assisting Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a dental assisting instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Dental assisting instructors are in charge of educating future dental assistants through theoretical and practical instruction. Their main duty is to conduct instructional classes and help students achieve their certification in dental assisting. But more than that, they are also responsible for creating coursework, maintaining student records, and assessing students using a combination of written and practical tests.

Dental assisting instructors use a variety of methods to instruct students, which may include PowerPoint presentations, practical training sessions, guest speakers, video showings, field trips, and more. They also help students learn proper assisting techniques by showing them how it's done in front of the classroom.

A dental assisting instructor must be a certified dental assistant as well. Furthermore, they may also be required to have a license to teach, depending on their state and employer. Other common requirements include good classroom management skills, communication skills, and time management skills.

On average, dental assisting instructors earn $42,000 or roughly $21 an hour. If you want to pursue this career, you can find opportunities in educational institutions that offer dental assisting programs, such as community colleges.

ScoreDental Assisting InstructorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,268

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.32%

Black or African American 7.04%

Hispanic or Latino 10.03%

Unknown 4.91%

White 66.42%

Gender

female 87.13%

male 12.87%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a dental assisting instructor

Explore dental assisting instructor education requirements

Most common dental assisting instructor degrees

Bachelor's

35.1 %

Associate

26.0 %

Diploma

12.8 %

Start to develop specific dental assisting instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	12.71%
RDA	10.44%
DANB	9.46%
Classroom Management	9.36%
Student Learning	8.12%

Complete relevant dental assisting instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New dental assisting instructors 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 dental assisting instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real dental assisting instructor resumes.

Gain additional dental assisting instructor certifications

Dental assisting instructor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific dental assisting instructor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for dental assisting instructors include Dental Assistant (RDA) and Certified Dental Assistant (CDA).

More About Certifications

Research dental assisting instructor duties and responsibilities

Utilize nursing process and critical thinking skill and manage flight medic activities in combat deployment environment.
Train students and ensure CPR, OSHA, HIPAA and RDA certification.
Facilitate learning through PowerPoint presentations, guest speakers, field trips, and hands-on class activities.
Lecture courses in basic anatomy and physiology.

Prepare your dental assisting instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your dental assisting instructor 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 dental assisting instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable dental assisting instructor resume templates

Build a professional dental assisting instructor 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 dental assisting instructor resume.