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Orthodontic assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Aaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDH

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical orthodontic assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for orthodontic assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 38.0% of orthodontic assistant resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an orthodontic assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 orthodontic assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how orthodontic assistants use patients:

Provided customer service to patients including billing questions of itemized billing statements in correlation with continuing care
Implemented anticipatory guidance and guided visual imagery techniques to assist patients through difficult procedures.

2. HIPAA

Here's how orthodontic assistants use hipaa:

FRONT DESK COORDINATOR: Managed scheduling for 7 doctors, ensuring record and patient confidentiality were in compliance with HIPAA standards.
Complied with HIPAA regulations while filing patient dental history and paperwork.

3. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how orthodontic assistants use patient care:

Performed all Orthodontic Assistant responsibilities including patient care and record keeping.
Collaborated and assisted the Orthodontist with individual patient care.

4. Chair Side

In most cases, chairside refers to the activities that take place beside a dentist's chair. Chairside assisting stands for any operation performed by a dental assistant to assist the dentist during a procedure or dental examination.

Here's how orthodontic assistants use chair side:

Chair Side Assassinating Removing Orthodontic TiesRetying Taking Impressions Pouring/Trimming Models Setting patients up for an X-Ray Developing X-Rays
Utilized exceptional chair side manners to anticipate orthodontist needs and provide compassionate orthodontic treatment.

5. Infection Control

Infection control describes the principles and practices used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to control and minimize the spread of infections with the aim of lowering rates of infection. Infection control refers to the process of detecting and controlling pathogens in order to reduce their spread.

Here's how orthodontic assistants use infection control:

Serve as an infection control officer, developing infection control protocol, preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment.
Managed infection control in sterilization room by disinfecting and heat sterilization of instruments and equipment.

6. OSHA

Here's how orthodontic assistants use osha:

Performed assistant jobs as well as learning sterilization, OSHA, lab procedures and tasks, and secretarial work.
Maintained patient safety in accordance with OSHA guidelines and communicated with insurance companies to update claim status.

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7. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how orthodontic assistants use cpr:

X-Ray certification, and CPR certification.
Licensed, X-ray and CPR certified.

8. Patient Charts

Here's how orthodontic assistants use patient charts:

Documented all procedures onto patient charts and sterilized instruments for procedures.
Organize patient charts, insurance forms, x-rays and prepare correspondence and reports.

9. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how orthodontic assistants use scheduling appointments:

Provided secondary support for office management by scheduling appointments, handling payment transactions and maintaining files.
Front Desk-Answering telephones, scheduling appointments, patient check in and check out, appointment confirmations, proficient in Microsoft applications.

10. Ortho

Ortho is a medical prefix that refers to straightening something. This is seen in medical professions such as an orthodontist, who straightens teeth, or an orthopedic physician or surgeon, who assists in straightening a skeletal structure to prevent future deformities or harmful issues to develop.

Here's how orthodontic assistants use ortho:

Worked independently, removing of ligatures, wires, appliances, taking of ortho records and entering of treatment electronically.
Assist on all ortho patients of all ages ranging from 4 yrs old to adult.

11. Patient Flow

Here's how orthodontic assistants use patient flow:

Provided excellent customer service by ensuring patient flow ran smoothly and efficiently.
Directed patient flow, taking initial new patient records which includes, wax bites.

12. Dental Procedures

Dental procedures is a term used to refer to the medical procedures and processes which occur within or otherwise related to a patient's teeth or other connected and nearby elements. Such procedures are medical in nature and thus must be done, specifically, by medical experts and professionals who also must be in possession of the appropriate medical licenses. These procedures can include but are not limited to: dental fillings, crowns, extraction of teeth, and braces.

Here's how orthodontic assistants use dental procedures:

Assist Orthodontist during dental procedures and orthodontic exams.
Assisted doctor's in general dental procedures such as fillings, crowns, extractions, implants, bridges and gum grafts.

13. Study Models

Here's how orthodontic assistants use study models:

Take records pictures, impressions for study models, bite registration and mount cast for new patients.
Created vacuum retainers and study models, took dental impressions, took x-rays, and adjusted braces.

14. Front Desk

Here's how orthodontic assistants use front desk:

Schedule Patients-Manage Front Desk-Assist Chairside-Impressions-Pour and Trim Models-Wire Changes
Front desk duties included greeting patients, answering phones, making or changing appointments, accepting payments and insurance billing.

15. Dental Materials

Here's how orthodontic assistants use dental materials:

Prepared dental materials, removal and change of orthodontic bands and separator placement
Managed the lab where retainers, partials, and any dental materials were made or ordered from.

5 Orthodontic Assistant resume examples

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What skills help Orthodontic Assistants find jobs?

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What orthodontic assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Aaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDH

Dental Assisting Faculty, Articulation Officer, Website

In the Dental Assisting program at West Los Angeles College, the advice that we give our students includes several topics. The main recommendation is to take the California's Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) exam. Other advice includes, creating a professional resume (cloud based and on paper), always be respectful of other's time and having a professional mindset. These are qualities that are timeless.

Do you want to know more?

List of orthodontic assistant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an orthodontic assistant resume and required skills for an orthodontic assistant to have include:

Patients
HIPAA
Patient Care
Chair Side
Infection Control
OSHA
CPR
Patient Charts
Scheduling Appointments
Ortho
Patient Flow
Dental Procedures
Study Models
Front Desk
Dental Materials
Dental Instruments

Disinfect Instruments
Impression Materials
Patient Education
Orthodontic Appliances
Orthodontic Procedures
Alginate Impressions
Patient Appointments
Invisalign
Arch Wires
Instrument Trays
Wire Changes
Examination Rooms
Orthodontics
Study Casts
Clinical Procedures
Digital X-Rays

Patient Treatment
RPE
Instrument Sterilization
Oral Hygiene
Routine Maintenance
PVS
Etching
Insurance Claims
Dental Equipment
Dental Impressions
Splints
Headgear
Plaster Models
Digital X Ray
Dental Appliances
Chart Documentation

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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