Basics

• Orthodontist assistants make patients comfortable while assisting the orthodontist. They prepare instruments and examination rooms for use, prepare patients, prepare dental impressions, make appointments, maintain patient records and take and process radiographs, according to Education-Portal.com. Although orthodontist assistants perform many of the same duties as regular dental assistants, their training focuses more on orthodontic procedures, such as helping to apply and adjust braces and retainers.
  
  

Degree

• While some orthodontist assistants simply are trained on the job, assistants can be more successful if they have completed a dental assisting program. These programs are available at community colleges and technical/trade schools and lead to an associate degree or diploma. The best schools are those approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation within the American Dental Association. Students should choose a school that offers special courses or programs in orthodontist assisting or allows students to pursue internships in an orthodontist's office. These accredited programs, which typically last one to two years, also make graduates eligible to obtain certification through an examination from the Dental Assisting National Board. This certification makes graduates even more employable. To get into an orthodontist assistant program, a student must have a high school diploma or GED.
  
  

Courses

• Classes in an orthodontist assistant training program cover topics such as replacing or removing ligatures; selecting, adjusting or removing archwires; and replacing bracket tensioners, according to DegreeDirectory.org. Students also learn about making and trimming molds or casts of patients' mouths; preparing the correct orthodontic instruments and materials; and cleaning and adjusting braces. In addition, students study the fabrication and use of orthodontic cement; stages of orthodontic treatment; how teeth move; and about orthodontic bands, separators, spacers and impressions/bite registrations, according to Trapezio, which has an academy for orthodontist assisting.
  
  Other courses might include chemistry, time management and administrative or clerical duties. Basic dental assisting courses cover anatomy, physiology, dental terminology, CPR/first aid, pharmacology, pathology, dental equipment use and care, infection control procedures, clinical dental procedures, dental materials and dental radiography, according to Pima Medical Institute. An internship also typically is a requirement in these programs.
  
  

Job Prospects

• With orthodontist assistant training, students can pursue jobs in a variety of orthodontic offices. Students also can work in general dentist practices that offer orthodontic services. Many orthodontic offices provide hands-on training for newly hired assistants.
  
  

Outlook

• Employment of dental assistants such as orthodontist assistants is expected to climb 36 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. These professionals earned median annual wages of $32,380 in May 2008. More education in the field usually translates to higher earnings.