Dental Assistant

Swope Health; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) with company match

Life insurance & AD&D

Short/Long Term Disability

Flexible Spending Account

Paid Days Off 15 days annually

9 holidays + 1 personal day

Job summary

Swope Health in Kansas City, MO is seeking a Dental Assistant to support dental care delivery by preparing treatment rooms, patients, instruments and materials, and assisting clinicians during procedures.

Responsibilities include taking vital signs, seating patients, passing instruments, sterilizing equipment, processing radiographs, and documenting in the EMR. The role also covers patient education, scheduling, and ongoing safety training, with a strong emphasis on teamwork.

Qualifications

• High School or better.
• Dental Assistant Certification required.

Responsibilities

• Prepare treatment rooms, patients, instruments and materials for procedures.
• Assist Dental Clinicians during chair-side procedures and seating/prepping patients.
• Maintain cleanliness and asepsis of the operatory; sterilize instruments and store sterilized items.
• Expose and process radiographs; document procedures in EMR.
• Provide postoperative care instructions and patient education on oral hygiene and preventive dentistry.
• Perform routine clinic duties and participate in CEU requirements as applicable.
• Support clinic flow through teamwork and clerical tasks.
• Complete patient safety training and maintain equipment as required.

Skills

Vital signs

Patient seating

Instruments handling

Sterilization

Radiographs

EMR documentation

4-handed dentistry

Patient education

Clerical duties

Scheduling

CEU compliance

Teamwork

Education

High School diploma or better

Dental Assistant Certification

Job description

The Dental Assistant supports dental care delivery by preparing treatment room, patient, instruments, materials, and performing procedures in compliance with the dental practice act. The Dental Assistant is responsible for the performance of chair side duties, assisting Dental Clinicians, including seating and preparing patients for treatment.

Primary Functions

• Obtains and records vital signs, personal information and medical history.
• Seats and prepares patients for treatments, arranges dental instruments, materials, medications and passes them to dental clinicians as needed.
• Maintains cleanliness of oral operating area by the use of suction devices, water sprays cotton rolls and related equipment.
• Sterilizes dental instruments in autoclaves, dry heat ovens or with chemical disinfectants, stores sterilized instruments and maintains asepsis during storage.
• Exposes and processes dental x-ray films, mounts and labels films as indicated.
• Provides instructions to patients in postoperative care, oral hygiene and the importance of preventive dentistry.
• Be proficient in 4 handed Dentistry to include:

• Pre-procedural rinse
• Signed informed consent
• Radiographs completed and available
• Keep a dry field to include monitoring mouth and throat for excess saliva and clean mirror
• Maintain light/visibility to area of operation
• Patient inclined or reclined
• Room set up for a procedure or sterile field maintained.

8. Complete Radiographs

• Landmarks noted
• Complete periapical and obtain tooth apex
• Bitewings have open contacts & all posterior teeth identified
• Complete panorex diagnostic to include TMJ with no lead apron interference

9. Complete EMR documentation

• Demonstrate competency in EMR
• Enter CDT or ICD codes for all procedures performed (PA bitewing, type of exam, restorative or prosthetic type)
• Accurate clinical notes dictated by providers on exams or other dictated information

1. 10.. Must complete Patient Safety Training curriculum.
2. 11. Performs routine maintenance, lubricating and cleaning equipment.
3. 12. Answers telephone and performs clerical duties as assigned.
4. 13.. Schedule appointments and notify patients of upcoming or missed appointments.
5. 14.. Contributes to the overall flow in the dental clinic via teamwork.
6. 15. Completes 8-10 CEU's annually.
7. 16. Performs related work as required.

About Swope Health Services:

Swope Health, the Kansas City region’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center, has provided comprehensive primary care, dental care and mental health services in the Greater Kansas City area for more than 56 years. Recognized as a patient-centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, our commitment to an integrated model of healthcare aligns with our mission to improve community health and wellness through accessible, quality, comprehensive patient care.

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and The Joint Commission, we served nearly 56,000 patients in 2025 at 24 locations throughout the area, including Kansas City, Belton, Independence, North Kansas City, Hickman Mills, and Wyandotte and Leavenworth Counties in Kansas. Swope Health is a special place that cares for the people who need it most, wherever they are in the community.

As a Swope Health Associate you will be expected to help deliver on the Swope Health Promise of “We Make Care Visible”.

You will do this by V.I.S.I.B.L.E

1. Valuing every person

2. Impacting communities

3. Serving with professionalism

5. Believing that healthcare is a basic human right

6. Leading with accountability and praise

Swope Health Services supports its team members with:

• Medical benefits (including a Health Savings Account option), dental and vision
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Company-paid benefits such as life insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, and Short and Long Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Account
• Paid Days Off beginning at 15 days annually
• Nine annual company-paid holidays; One annual paid personal day

*Swope Health is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

Qualifications

Education

Required

High School or better.

Licenses & Certifications

Required

Dental Assistant Cert

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.