What does a Dental Nurse Do? A Day in the Life…

What does a dental nurse do?

When it comes to dental nurses, some may assume that all we do is ‘suction’, when in fact a dental nurse has a more challenging role than you may think!

Most dental nurses start by training as a student dental nurse. We do this in-practice alongside dentists and qualified dental nurses to ensure we get the correct training and necessary experience. As well as working in practice, a trainee dental nurse will either attend college or complete coursework online at home. The course is a combination of coursework (called ‘record of experience’), a written exam and a practical exam. Together, these will then demonstrate a trainee has a clear knowledge and understanding of the role.

Within the journey of becoming  a qualified dental nurse, we need to know everything from basic assistance to dealing with cross contamination and sterilisation; basic life support; how to understand radiographs; dental anatomy etc. We essentially need to know everything a dentist needs to know.

Not only does a dental nurse need to learn all the complicated stuff, but we’re also a hand to hold, an ear to talk to, and even a friend for patients. It’s important that our patients feel comfortable the minute they come into the practice – especially the anxious ones! We understand dental practices can be a scary place for some, so we try to make you feel calm and confident in us.

We only want the best for you!

What is a day in the life of a dental nurse like?

A day in the life of a dental nurse starts with setting up surgery in the morning. First, we gather all necessary lab work for the day (e.g. crowns, nightguards, and dentures that the lab has made for us). Then we check materials for expiry dates and make sure we have topped everything up i.e., bibs, plastic cups, tray liners etc. We also ensure all equipment in the decontamination room is ready – including the washer disinfectors and autoclaves. We do our daily and weekly checks on all equipment in the surgery and the decon room to ensure all our equipment is working efficiently so we perform treatments well and to make sure all equipment is sterilised accordingly!

Throughout the day we will assist the dentist with their appointments. On any given day, treatments can be anything from a simple examination to an extraction or root canal! Some nurses will have extra qualifications meaning they can assist with implants or more.

In between patients, we clean down the surgery. Every surgery has a clean and dirty side so we ensure everything that we have used goes on the dirty side to avoid cross-contamination! We wipe down everything. The chair, the spittoon, the lights, the dentist’s tray – anything anyone may have touched. All ‘dirty’ instruments must be put through the decontamination cycle in the decon room. The decontamination cycle involves hand washing the instruments, then putting them through the washer disinfector and autoclaves to sterilise them so they are ready to use again. We must ensure everything is cleaned 110%!

At the end of the day, we will repeat this process ready for the following day. We’ll do our daily cleans of the handpiece, as well as of the tubes connected to the saliva ejector and high-volume suction. We then close down surgery, get everything ready for the next day, ensure we have received all lab work if needed for next day etc.

Final thoughts

Being a dental nurse can be challenging some days. We’re always having to think 3 steps ahead of the dentist, ensuring they have everything they need to carry out treatments. However, it is also a very rewarding role. Not only are we working towards a career, but the most beneficial part of the role is seeing the smiles from patients who put their trust in us and seeing the confidence they gain from transforming their smiles.