What is an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant?

While a career in Dental Assisting is a rewarding journey in itself, gaining an Expanded Duty Dental Assisting certification is a quick way to start taking on more responsibility and increase your value in the dental office.

There are some key differences you might enjoy after obtaining your Expanded Duty Dental Assistant certification (sometimes called Expanded Function Dental Assistant).

As you might expect, Expanded Duty Dental Assistants tend to perform more advanced tasks in the dental office than entry-level Dental Assistants. It can be exciting to learn valuable new skills and begin working with more independence. Dentists are often looking to hire qualified Dental Assistants—especially those with an EDDA certification.

Dental Assistant Responsibilities

Whether you have your expanded duty certification or not, your main undertaking is to assist the dentist with any and all tasks in the dental office. Dental Assistants might schedule appointments, prepare patients for treatments, sterilize equipment, process billing and payment, or process x-rays and lab samples. After obtaining an EDDA certification, you’ll likely begin to take on other duties:

Expanded Duty Dental Assistant Responsibilities

• Caries and cavity classifications
• Tooth morphology
• Cavity preparations
• Properties of amalgam
• Esthetic restorative materials and procedures
• Placement of bases and liners
• Etching
• Bonding
• Composite resin
• Amalgam utilizing two-handed and four-handed dentistry
• Crown and Bridge Impressions
• Cord Packing
• Temporary Crown Fabrication and Cementation
• Orthodontics

Dental Assistant vs EDDA Average Salary

Salary estimates provided by payscale.com

Expanded Duty Dental Assistants enjoy an average pay that is typically higher than that of an entry-level Dental Assistant in Colorado. The additional certification is a relatively small time and monetary commitment compared to the initial training to become a Dental Assistant, so it’s an excellent investment in yourself—because it pays off fast.

How to become a Dental Assistant in Colorado

Program length varies by state, but at IBMC College in northern Colorado, you can finish your diploma in as little as 10 months. With start dates multiple times a year, you can always begin your training soon.

You’ll gain practical knowledge in subjects like anatomy, radiography and dental office management that will be crucial as you work with dentists and patients every day. When you complete your program, you’ll need to pass an exam to become certified as a Dental Assistant in Colorado.

How to become an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant in Colorado

At IBMC College, the EDDA certificate program is only five, 8-hour days over the course of 3 weekends. This schedule allows you the flexibility to be present at your job during the week and train on the weekends.

Dentists are often looking for ways to streamline the processes of their offices, so some are willing to pay for Dental Assistants to receive further certification that will qualify them to perform more tasks.

Asking your employer to consider covering the cost of the EDDA certification is an option, but paying out of pocket is an option, as well. The cost for the program is $1,500 in total (includes the final exam, books, and materials for the course), but IBMC College offers a payment plan if students are not able to pay in full at the time of enrollment.

Getting started at IBMC College

Interested in getting your EDDA certification in Fort Collins or Longmont? IBMC College is now enrolling for upcoming sessions. Visit our Expanded Duty Dental Assisting program page for more details, or call 1-866-574-6834 for more information.