dental assistant
4
2.7
- noun
- /ˈdɛntəl əˈsɪstənt/
- US
:
asistente dental
- She works as a dental assistant at the local clinic, where she helps prepare patients for their appointments.
- dental assistants or hygienists
- dentist and a dental assistant
- former dental assistant
Examples
-
There was an opening at the dental clinic, and I got in as a dental assistant.
Fiction book (1996) -
- How's your new dental assistant?
-
Okay, I became a dental assistant.
-
"I am a dental assistant."
Fiction book (1995) -
The dental assistant was putting clamps in the sterilizer.
Fiction book (1995) -
She's a dental assistant.
-
Once schooling for a dental assistant is completed, and you have a job as a dental scaler, there are many opportunities for advancement.
Blog text (19) -
About 80 percent of the women who studied to be secretaries, dental assistants, and cosmetologists got jobs in the field of study after graduation.
Academic text (1990) -
With 2 doctors, 1 oral surgeon, 3 nurses, an EMT, a dental assistant, and 5 non-medical support staff, we treated 687 patients in 4 days.
Blog text (13) -
Some of the common duties around the office that are laid on the dental assistants' shoulders are making sure that the dentist and hygienist have all of the necessary tools they need to perform operations, routine checkups, or any other actions they may carry out.
Blog text (19)
How Qualified
- Specialized
343
1.0
9
3.7
- US
4
2.7
86
2.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person who assists a dentist...' is directly and transparently derived from 'dental' (pertaining to teeth/dentistry) combined with 'assistant' (a helper). This compositional modifier + noun pattern is common in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Dental assistant comes from the word dental, meaning 'about teeth', and assistant, meaning 'a helper'. Imagine someone standing beside the dentist, passing tools and preparing patients, so it means 'a person who helps a dentist'.