What exactly does a dental receptionist job consist of?  As a dental receptionist you will sit at the front desk of the office and be the first person that patients meet.  Answering the phone, greeting patients, finding patient charts, scheduling patients for return visits, insurance billing, payment collection, and writing doctors notes are a few of the responsibilites.  Being a dental receptionist gives you a lot more responsibility than a typical receptionist job.  Because of this they are typically paid more. 

Dental receptionists make between$12-$17 dollars an hour.  A high school diploma is usually required and the ability to work quickly, work on computers, good people skills, and being able to deal with frustrated patients are also skills sought out by dentists. 

At the beginning of the article we said that this is the type of job that can catapult you into the dental career you want.  The reason we say this is that you are the doctors life blood.  Without you the doctor is not busy and does not have a full schedule.  There is no better job in the office to see the whole operation of being a dentist.  With this type of job you can observe and really see if being a dentist or dental assistant is right for you.  If you decide that becoming a dental assistant or dentist is the right thing for you, often a dentist will help pay for your schooling to become an assistant.  Not only will the help you pay for school, but by working for a dentist you will have great credibility and a great referral if yo switch to another office in need of your newly obtained skills.  As you can see it can’t hurt to know and have worked for a dentist if you are wanting to stay in the dentistry industry. 

Overall becoming a dental receptionist can be very rewarding as you will see people’s teeth and demeanor’s change right in front of your eyes.  Great benefits usually apply as most positions are full time.  Join the ranks and become a dental receptionist today!