Amber Pierce is a dental assistant in East Berlin, Pa., who has obtained her license in Expanded Functions Dental Assisting, which permits her to perform more advanced procedures. Pierce has more than 15 years of experience assisting in a variety of dental specialties, such as orthodontics, periodontics and oral surgery. She has extensive knowledge in both restorative and cosmetic dentistry. Pierce was exposed to the dental assisting profession early, at age 16. Although Pierce did receive a quality education in dental assisting, she emphasizes the importance of continuing education, as the job is constantly changing. Aside from working as a dental assistant, Pierce runs a blog, Dental Assisting Divas: Taking Dental Assisting to the Next Level, along with a friend in the field, Gina Roth. The blog is an opportunity for the two to network with other dental assistants and share their knowledge.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
This career kind of pursued me. When I was 16, my family dentist asked me to help him for the summer, and I have been hooked on dentistry since then. After I graduated from high school, I decided to go to school for dental assisting.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
Working in a dental office as a teen really gave me an advantage in my schooling. I had already seen many of the procedures being taught, knew teeth numbers, how to develop X-rays and sterilization procedures.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?
My initial schooling lasted about one year and included classroom and lab training. I also did a three-month internship at the University of Maryland dental school where I assisted dental students. The final part of my schooling was a six-week externship in a dental office.

How did your education help you in your career?
I feel my education has helped me to be a very competent assistant. I know the anatomy of teeth, I know why procedures need to be done, my dentist can feel confident to let me explain to patients their treatment plans and I can confidently speak with other dentists, specialists and lab technicians about my patients' needs.

What was your career path like in this field? 
I was very fortunate to extern in a multi-doctor, multi-specialty office early in my career. I was able to learn and assist in general, endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery and orthodontics. This gave me a well-rounded experience and education in all the fields of dentistry. About four years ago, I went back to school to obtain my license for Expanded Functions Dental Assisting. I am now able to place/polish restorations, sealants, apply fluoride and coronal polish.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
You must be able to multitask, anticipate what the dentist needs during a procedure, you must have excellent customer service skills and be very detail oriented.

What do you do on a typical workday?
A typical day for me is very busy. We see a lot of new patients in our practice, so that involves taking a full mouth series of X-rays, recording data from the hard and soft tissue exam, scheduling patients for appointments, taking intra-oral photos of the teeth, and educating them on their dental needs. I also assist in crown/filling procedures and restore the teeth myself if needed. There are also sterilization and chart notes that are done throughout the day.

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field? 
I am always looking for opportunities to grow. Gina and I currently have a dental blog that we keep up with, dentalassistingdivas.com, which was started to network with dental assistants and exchange tips/ideas to take our skills to the next level. I am very interested and have already participated in public speaking events and would like to pursue that further.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Someone who has a passion for helping people, who is open to learning and will take constructive criticism. Procedures and techniques are constantly changing in the dental field, which means a lot of continuing education to be the best at what you do.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Gain as much knowledge as you can, ask lots of questions and shadow in dental offices to see if it is something you would enjoy doing.