How to hire an oral surgery assistant

How to hire an oral surgery assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step oral surgery 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 oral surgery assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new oral surgery assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your oral surgery assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an oral surgery assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An oral surgery assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, oral surgery 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of oral surgery assistants.

   Type of Oral Surgery Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Oral Surgery 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.	$12-37
   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
   • Infection Control
   • Patient Care
   • Dental Care
   • Chair Side
   • Root Canals
   • Vital Signs
   • IV
   • CPR
   • OSHA
   • General Anesthesia
   • Dental Treatment
   • Blood Pressure
   • Surgical Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist in intravenous sedation, prepare syringes with proper medication, placement of EKG leads, record and monitor during procedures.
   • Provide postoperative care with anesthesia patients monitoring vital signs until patient is conscious; establish patient comfort and review prescribe medications.
   • Maintain HIPAA compliance through patient confidentiality.
   • Train how to assist Dr, in surgery.
   • Set up and sterilization of instrumentation, making sure OSHA standards and high standards of the practice are met.
   • Anticipate surgeons' needs, pass instruments, cuts, sutures, hold retractors, obtain and process tissue samples.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your oral surgery assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An oral surgery assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, oral surgery assistants' average salary in montana is 46% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level oral surgery assistants earn 68% less than senior-level oral surgery assistants.
   • Certifications. An oral surgery assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an oral surgery assistant's salary.

   Average oral surgery assistant salary

   $44,205yearly

   $21.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level oral surgery assistant salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

4. Writing an oral surgery assistant job description

   A good oral surgery assistant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an oral surgery assistant job description:

   Oral surgery assistant job description example

   Our Bloomfield Hills Specialty practice is searching for a part-time Surgical Dental Assistant!
   $2,500 Sign On Bonus!!
   
   Located at 300 East Long Lake Rd, Suite 290 ~ Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48304
   
   Join a neighborhood dental center backed by a national network of support.
   
   We're searching for an O.S. Dental Assistant who wants to join a truly patient-centric dental group. In this highly collaborative role, you will ensure our patients are comfortable and prepared for treatment and serve as a valuable resource to your practice's dentist during a variety of treatment procedures. As a Surgical Dental Assistant, you will have the opportunity of working side by side with a talented Oral Surgeon and assist them in procedures from surgical extractions, preparation for implants, bone grafting, and dentures, sutures and much more. At Great Expressions, you'll feel like you're a part of a local, neighborhood practice while enjoying all of the support of a stable, national network. Whether you need outside expertise on a tough case or your practice needs equipment repairs, help is always just a single phone call away.
   
   The hours you need. The balance you deserve.
   
   One thing that makes a career at GEDC unique is that you'll never have to worry about getting the hours you need, no questions asked. Along with our ability to provide flexibility in your scheduling and a comprehensive package of benefits, you can be sure that at Great Expressions, your work life and personal life won't have to compete with each other.
   
   Thrive at Great Expressions. Experience our total rewards:
   
   + Competitive pay and bonus potential
   
   + Medical, dental, and vision insurance
   
   + 401k retirement plan
   
   + Paid holidays and vacation time
   
   + Accident coverage
   
   + Hospital indemnity coverage
   
   + Life insurance
   
   + Short- and long-term disability plans
   
   + ID theft protection
   
   + Tuition reimbursement
   
   + Pet insurance
   
   Our patients rely on us to improve their oral health and we deliver it - one smile at a time.
   
   Founded in 1982, Great Expressions Dental Centers has consistently ranked among the nation's leading dental groups, providing oral health care services, dental education, and setting new standards for clinical excellence and patient satisfaction. And we do all of this while keeping a healthy smile affordable and convenient in a world of tight budgets and busy schedules. Join our team and help us continue to provide high quality, patient-focused dental care to our communities.
   
   Your safety and wellbeing matter.
   
   To maintain the health of our team members and patients, we have implemented a number of added safety measures, as outlined by the CDC, throughout our practices. These include, but are not limited to, daily team member and patient screening, mask usage in non-clinical areas, increased disinfection of common areas and social distancing whenever possible. Our goal is to make sure you feel as safe as possible at work, so you can focus on providing exceptional patient care.
   
   Your qualifications:
   
   + X-Ray/Radiology Certification where state regulations specify, otherwise preferred
   
   + Dental Assisting Certification required where state regulations specify
   
   + Past experience as a medical assistant, dental assistant, or in a customer-focused role desired
   
   ID: 2022-24218
   
   External Company URL: www.greatexpressions.com
   
   Telecommute: No

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right oral surgery assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find oral surgery 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

   Your first interview with oral surgery assistant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 oral surgery assistant

   Once you've found the oral surgery assistant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new oral surgery assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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