How to hire an expanded duty dental assistant

How to hire an expanded duty dental assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step expanded duty dental assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an expanded duty dental assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new expanded duty dental assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The expanded duty dental assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An expanded duty dental assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, expanded duty dental assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of expanded duty dental assistants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Expanded Duty Dental Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Expanded Duty Dental Assistant	Dental assistants perform many tasks, ranging from providing patient care and taking x rays to recordkeeping and scheduling appointments. Their duties vary by state and by the dentists’ offices where they work.	$13-25
   Dental Nurse	A Dental Nurse assists dentists in carrying out different kinds of oral-care procedures. They look after patient records and make notes when the dentist is examining a patient.	$24-61

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • OSHA
   • Patient Care
   • Vital Signs
   • CPR
   • Dental Care
   • Dental Practice
   • Chair-Side Assistance
   • Study Casts
   • Dental Histories
   • Coronal
   • Dental Instruments
   • Medical History
   • Eaglesoft

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Sterilize dental instruments and maintain the clinic according to OSHA guidelines in regard to cleanliness and sterilization protocol.
   • Place fillings, coronal polish, take impressions and prepare bleaching trays.
   • Create molds for dentures, retainers, whitening trays, partial dentures, bite guards, etc.
   • Assist with surgical extraction, impressions for dentures and partials and also with soft and hard reline procedures.
   • General sterilization procedures according to OSHA guidelines.
   • Greet patients, sterilize instruments and maintain office equipment.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your expanded duty dental assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An expanded duty dental assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, expanded duty dental assistants' average salary in mississippi is 42% less than in minnesota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level expanded duty dental assistants 47% less than senior-level expanded duty dental assistants.
   • Certifications. An expanded duty dental assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an expanded duty dental assistant's salary.

   Average expanded duty dental assistant salary

   $39,095yearly

   $18.80 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level expanded duty dental assistant salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing an expanded duty dental assistant job description

   An expanded duty dental assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an expanded duty dental assistant job description:

   Expanded duty dental assistant job description example

   $4000 sign on bonus

   Expanded Duties Dental Assistant – EDDA – Dental Assistant

   Neibauer - Bowie is looking for a Dental Assistant to join our team.

   Why join a Heartland Dental supported office?

   If you are a reliable and positive individual looking for career satisfaction and continuing educational opportunities, join our team! A Heartland Dental supported office is seeking a friendly Expanded Duties Dental Assistant to support the clinical treatment care of our patients. As an Expanded Duties Dental Assistant, you will play a large role in the provision of effective and trustworthy dental services. You will sustain patient comfort, soothe upset patients, listen to their needs and educate them on dental procedures. You will also manage clinical supplies, work efficiently to maintain the supported dentist’s schedule and adhere to all OSHA and company safety policies.

   Benefits:

   We understand that you work hard, which is why each supported location provides an excellent compensation and benefits package. Additionally, Heartland Dental’s extensive training and continuing education opportunities are unparalleled and exceed industry norms. Each supported location invests heavily in your professional and personal growth and wants to see you succeed. If your career ambitions include leadership and further advancement, our network of supported locations offer many opportunities to help you meet your goals. Heartland Dental’s network of supported locations is expected to double in size within the next five to seven years and new opportunities will be created to support that growth.

   Additional benefits:

   • Medical and prescription drug insurance
   • Free dental services for yourself and your dependents minus lab fees
   • Vision care support
   • Life insurance
   • 401(K) retirement plan
   • 6 paid holidays off
   • Team-focused, uplifting and educational work culture
   • Potential for 2 weeks vacation available

   
   As an Expanded Duties Dental Assistant at a Heartland Dental supported office, you will organize and maintain lab equipment, take and develop X-rays and provide comprehensive post-operative dental procedures to patients.

   Additional responsibilities of the Expanded Duties Dental Assistant include:

   • Taking and recording medical and dental histories and patient vital signs
   • Assisting the dentist in managing dental emergencies
   • Improving your clinical skills and acumen through participation in continuing education and training opportunities offered by Heartland Dental

   Requirements:

   Job Requirement - Expanded Duties Dental Assistant – EDDA – Dental Assistant:

   As an Expanded Duties Dental Assistant, you must have a positive and outgoing personality, exceptional interpersonal verbal and written communication skills, excellent patient care skills and strong organizational skills.
   
   Additional requirements for the Expanded Duties Dental Assistant include:

   • Superior working knowledge of dental procedures and terminology
   • Ability to build rapport with patients
   • Good manual dexterity
   • Computer proficiency and the ability to learn new programs
   • Ability to travel at least once every other month for training, occasionally overnight
   • Dental assisting school certificate is a plus
   • Previous work experience in a dental practice is a plus

   We put our people first at Heartland Dental, and that shows in our generous benefits package.
   
   Company retains the sole discretion to change the duties of the position at any time.
   
   We provide all employees and applicants for employment the protections of federal, state, and local laws affording equal opportunity in employment.

   COVID-19: The Company and supported offices comply with all local, state and federal regulations. Employment is contingent upon an individual's continued compliance with regulations and Company policy, including COVID-19 vaccination or testing.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find expanded duty dental assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any expanded duty dental assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level expanded duty dental assistants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find expanded duty dental assistant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit expanded duty dental assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new expanded duty dental assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect expanded duty dental assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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