The People You’ll Meet a Dentist Office

A dentist office can be a confusing place, filled with busy people all rushing around, all of them usually in some form of medical garb. Even during a normal appointment and cleaning, you’ll probably deal with at least three different types of employees. Here’s a list of the typical staff of a dentist office and what each of them are responsible for.

1. A receptionist or front desk worker. Most often, these are the people who you talk to when you call the office and they’re responsible for the majority of the logistical work that goes into running a dentist office. They’ll help with your medical records, scheduling and can answer any questions you may have about your next appointment or what to expect. They are super knowledgeable and usually super friendly. After all, they are the first person you meet when you walk in the door!

2. A billing or insurance manager. In some cases, this role is covered by front desk workers, but in some offices it’s an entirely different role. As their title suggests, these people handle the financial side of the office. They can help with any billing questions or walk you through what your insurance covers at their office.

3. A dental hygienist. When you visit the dentist office for a bi-annual cleaning, it’s typically a dental hygienist that will do the majority of work. They can take x-rays if needed and will generally do any necessary cleaning and flossing. They are very well educated and can answer just about any question you might have. They also serve as the right-hand man (or woman) for the dentist if the dentist is doing a more complicated procedure.

4. The dentist. Surprisingly, if you visit the dentist for a standard cleaning and visit, you’ll probably spend the least amount of time with the dentist themselves! Dentists are extremely busy on their days in the office and look to balance friendliness and conversation while also still having time to get to every patient that visits the practice. You’re much more likely to spend significant time with the dentist if you’re having some type of procedure done, like a filling or extraction.

5. A specialist. Now, there are not specialists in every office, so don’t be surprised if there isn’t one at your local dentist. But some larger dental practices have specialists on hand for unique dental cases, like extractions or oral surgeries.

Hopefully this list helps make a bit more sense of the folks you see scurrying around the dentist office next time you go in for your visit!