Job Description

Certified Dental Assistant (DANB)

Canandaigua, NY (VA Medical Center) | Full-time | Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–4:00 PM

Position Overview

Two full-time DANB-certified Dental Assistants are needed to support the VA dental clinic serving Veterans in the Finger Lakes region. The worksite for this posting is the Canandaigua VA Medical Center at 400 Fort Hill Avenue, Canandaigua, NY 14424. The contract also covers the Rochester VA Outpatient Clinic and the Bath VA Medical Center, so occasional assignment to those sites may be required. This is a weekday, daytime role: no evenings, weekends, on-call, or holiday shifts. The contract starts January 1, 2027, with a one-year base period and three option years.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide four-handed chairside assistance for restorative, prosthodontic, periodontal, endodontic, oral surgery, and implant procedures.
• Fabricate, recement, and remove temporary crowns and bridges. Adapt and seat stainless steel crowns.
• Take intra-oral and extra-oral radiographs of diagnostic quality, and record images in the patient record.
• Set up and turn over operatories. Debride and prepare instruments for Sterile Processing, following VA Reusable Medical Equipment SOPs.
• Take preliminary impressions. Pour and trim study models. Make custom trays, bite rims, and athletic mouth guards.
• Take vital signs, apply topical fluorides and desensitizing agents, remove sutures, and place rubber dams.
• Triage dental and medical emergencies. Initiate emergency codes when needed.
• Schedule appointments, fill schedule gaps, start progress notes, and chart findings and treatment plans for the dentist.
• Give patients oral hygiene, post-operative, and prosthesis-care instructions.
• Track dental supply inventory and coordinate reorders with Logistics.
• Follow OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens, Hazard Communication, and SDS labeling requirements.
• Qualifications & Experience
• Current Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) certification. Required.
• Any dental assisting credential or license held must be valid and unrestricted.
• Chairside experience with expanded functions, including temporary crowns and bridges, radiography, and impressions.
• Fluent spoken and written English.
• Able to provide documentation of education and training, with any gaps explained.
• Must complete VA credentialing and a background investigation before starting work.
• Prior VA or federal dental clinic experience is a plus.

Compensation

$28.87–$30.00 per hour*

Pay is based on experience. Full-time, about 40 hours per week.

*Pay rate includes base wage plus Health & Welfare paid as cash, per U.S. Department of Labor Service Contract Act Wage Determination 2015-4161 (Rev. 35).

Application Process

Submit a current resume, a copy of your DANB certification, and 3 professional references. Include your most recent supervisor. A signed Letter of Intent is required by the VA