In 2009, dental assistants in the United States received an average annual dental assistant salary of $34,000. Most entry-level dental assistants receive around $26,000-$30,000 a year. The highest tabulated dental assistant salary reached to more than $46,500 annually. There are a variety of factors that can affect the computed dental assistant salary. Factors such as location, formal training and education could become a good basis on how much a dental assistant could earn in a year. Those who work as dental assistants in specialty hospitals and in states where the cost of living is higher will apparently receive higher compensations than those working in dental offices and states with lesser living costs. As mentioned above, another basis of a higher dental assistant salary is the dental assistant’s ability, training and certification to work on specialized tasks in the laboratory such as coronal polishing, and radiology, among others.
Apart from the established dental assistant salary, benefits and incentives can also be awarded to dental assistants depending on their employer. In 2009, 50% of dental assistants are insured with health and medical benefits. Aside from that, 86% of dental assistants in the United States were also paid during vacation leaves along with their basic dental assistant salary.
Article Source: http://www.dentalhygienistnassistants.com/dental-assistant-salary/
