Offering a Helping Hand With Patients

The dental nurse isn’t just there to help the dentist during each appointment – it’s about anticipating exactly what the dentist will need next. That might be assisting with aspiration, mixing materials or preparing a set of instruments for a procedure. But one of their most important roles is being there for the patient – helping them to relax, answering questions, and explaining procedures in more depth. Learning how to build rapport with each patient is something that only really comes with experience.

Infection Control

A critical part of the role is sterilising the dental environment, instruments and equipment in order to minimise the possibility of cross-infection. The includes:

• Decontaminating instruments: a multi-stage process that might typically involve manually scrubbing the instruments clean, putting them in an ultrasonic bath then finally through an autoclave (a machine which puts the items under high temperature and pressure to kill pathogens). This process typically takes place in a decontamination room, physically separate from the surgery itself. The instruments might be stored during the day using adental suspension foam before being cleaned in bulk at the end of the day.
• Instrument storage: An understanding of how to store each instrument in order to ensure it is ready for use at the right time.
• Cleaning and disinfecting equipment: All equipment and furniture in the surgery needs to be maintained to an excellent standard of hygiene, being cleaned on a daily basis with specialist cleaning solutions and disinfectant wipes. This will also include cleaning water lines to remove biofilm.
• Managing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the surgery: ensuring all patient-facing members of the team have adequate supplies of masks, gloves, visors, aprons and gowns in order to complete each procedure that day. Sometimes dental nurses are also involved in ordering the dental supplies themselves and managing the stock room.

Helping Other Members of the Dental Team 

Dental nurses are often required to step in to help out on reception, so an understanding of patient confidentiality is important. Some practice managers will seek to get their nurses involved in other tasks such as contacting patients about their appointments, writing letters, or other administrative duties. Flexibility and a willingness to try new tasks is key.

X-Rays, Photographs 

Depending on experience and the relationship between the dentist and the nurse, some dental nurses take additional training in order to take x-rays, take clinical photographs, take impressions, educate patients about oral health or even apply fluoride varnish to teeth.