How much does a receptionist make at a dental office

A receptionist at a dentist's office is often the first and last person a patient speaks to during their appointment. The dental receptionist not only needs to welcome the patient and answer any questions, but they also have to leave a good impression so that the patient will be inclined to return. If you’re interested in the dental field and have strong customer service skills, you may be able to excel as a receptionist in a dentist’s office.

Dental Office Receptionist Job Description

The primary role of a dental office receptionist is to intake patients and their information, according to Ashton College. This includes greeting patients, updating their dental records, making appointments and scheduling follow-ups. The receptionist may also need to send referrals to dental specialists and manage the lab test results. Receptionists also have many logistical duties, such as managing late or early arrivals, filling cancellations and confirming appointments.

An important part of the dental receptionist role includes overseeing patient insurance forms, payment plans and payment schedules. They will also need to be familiar with preparing bills and submitting forms to insurers. A receptionist at a dentist office may also be in charge of inventory in some cases, ordering office and medical supplies as necessary.

Dental Office Receptionist Education Requirements

While there are no formal requirements for becoming a receptionist, dental offices may require their staff to take specialized dental receptionist courses, according to Ashton College. These programs include information on dental terminology, billing procedures, billing software and insurance filing. The courses will also cover patient financial plans, dental codes and treatment estimates.

Dental receptionists should also have training in organizing patient charts. In addition, they will need to understand how to use the most common scheduling and billing tools used in dental offices. In addition, many workplaces will offer on-the-job training for dental receptionists.

Dental office receptionists need to have strong time-management and task-management skills, as they are often required to multi-task. In addition, customer service and communication skills are key when dealing with patients. Having strong listening and problem-solving skills is helpful so that receptionists can help patients and colleagues come to resolutions when there are conflicts.

A dentist office receptionist salary ranges from $13.54 an hour to $16.70 an hour, according to Indeed. Salaries may vary based on seniority, experience and credentials. In addition, region may be a factor, so that a dental receptionist salary in NJ will differ from a dental front desk salary in CA.

Dental Office Receptionist Industry

A dental office receptionist typically works in a patient-facing area, usually located in the lobby of the office or the waiting room. It’s important to keep a neat workstation that is well-organized, as it is in full view of patients. As dental office receptionists deal with patients, it’s important to address them by name to establish a relationship. Although patients may only come in every six months, showing them that you know who they are can help to build rapport.

Dental receptionists also work closely with dentists, hygienists and assistants. As a result, it’s important to know dental terminology and understand each team member’s needs. Ashton College recommends helping fill supply cabinets or handle paperwork whenever possible to create a supportive and positive work environment.

Dental Office Receptionist Job Growth Trend

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall receptionist jobs are expected to grow five percent between 2018 and 2028, which is in line with the growth rate for all jobs. Job prospects for dental receptionists are good as there is a high demand for healthcare. It’s important to have related work experience when applying to a dental receptionist job. Those who have expertise in dental scheduling and billing software will be in demand.

If you like to work with people, you may enjoy being a dental receptionist. Your job responsibilities will be general, and you will need to visit with clients, schedule appointments, and perform administrative tasks. You will also be required to answer clients' questions, take and process payments, answer the phone, contact clients, file records, and do basic accounting.

It is not difficult to be a dental receptionist, but you need to be organized, ethical, and punctual. Communication skills are a must, and some computer knowledge is also very good. As a dental receptionist, you will be in charge of the front office area, and you need to know the dental world.

A high school diploma or GED is necessary, and you need to have 0 to two years of work experience as a receptionist. Some dental offices may expect you to have associate degrees or higher and specific clerical and dental training. You will be busy and make an average of $28,000 per year.

What Does a Dental Receptionist Do

There are certain skills that many dental receptionists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, computer skills and customer-service skills.

Learn more about what a Dental Receptionist does

How To Become a Dental Receptionist

If you're interested in becoming a dental receptionist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 18.5% of dental receptionists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.1% of dental receptionists have master's degrees. Even though some dental receptionists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Dental Receptionist

Top Dental Receptionist Jobs Near You

Dental Receptionist Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a dental receptionist can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as office assistant, progress to a title such as executive assistant and then eventually end up with the title office manager.

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Average Salary for a Dental Receptionist

Dental Receptionists in America make an average salary of $34,359 per year or $17 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $42,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $27,000 per year.

Average Dental Receptionist Salary

$34,359 Yearly

$16.52 hourly

What Am I Worth?

Dental Receptionist Education

Dental Receptionist Majors

Dental Receptionist Degrees

Top Skills For a Dental Receptionist

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 19.7% of dental receptionists listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and computer skills are important as well.

  • Insurance Companies, 7.1%

Dental Receptionist Demographics

Dental Receptionist Gender Distribution

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among dental receptionists, 95.1% of them are women, while 4.9% are men.
  • The most common race/ethnicity among dental receptionists is White, which makes up 56.8% of all dental receptionists.
  • The most common foreign language among dental receptionists is Spanish at 84.8%.

Online Courses For Dental Receptionist That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.

Introduction to Dental Medicine

The mouth is the window into human health. This course provides an overview of dental medicine to engage, educate, excite and assist you in improving the oral health of your patients and members of your community. We will review topics in dental medicine including scope of the field, what to expect in function, and some of the many ways that dysfunction may present for different patients. This will include discussions of mouth, jaw, and tooth anatomy, pathology, and treatment. We will talk about...

Patient Safety

Preventable patient harms, including medical errors and healthcare-associated complications, are a global public health threat. Moreover, patients frequently do not receive treatments and interventions known to improve their outcomes. These shortcomings typically result not from individual clinicians' mistakes, but from systemic problems - communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, and poorly designed care processes, to name a few.\n\nThe Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Specialization covers t...

Applying Health Coaching in Patient Care

For health practitioners, having knowledge of treatment protocols is not enough. They must be able to inspire behavior change in their patients. In order for the treatment to be effective patients must be empowered to implement therapeutic approaches in their lives. In this course, you will learn about health coaching, which is an effective method for helping patients change their behaviors. Health coaching uses a blend of evidence-based strategies, interventions and communication to actively...

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Best States For a Dental Receptionist

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a dental receptionist. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Massachusetts. Dental receptionists make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $49,998. Whereas in Hawaii and Oregon, they would average $46,686 and $41,808, respectively. While dental receptionists would only make an average of $41,420 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

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    What are the duties of a receptionist in a dental office?

    Generally, dental receptionists:.
    Greet people as they come into the office..
    Answer clients' questions..
    Schedule appointments..
    Take and process payments..
    Perform administrative tasks (answer the phone, take messages, contact clients, file records, basic accounting, and more)..

    What type of receptionist make the most money?

    High Paying Receptionist Jobs.
    Information Receptionist. Salary range: $35,500-$52,000 per year. ... .
    Office Coordinator Receptionist. ... .
    Registration Receptionist. ... .
    Corporate Receptionist. ... .
    Administrative Assistant Receptionist. ... .
    Bookkeeper Receptionist. ... .
    Office Assistant Receptionist. ... .
    Office Receptionist..

    How much does a dental receptionist make in Florida?

    How much does a Dental Receptionist make in Florida? The average Dental Receptionist salary in Florida is $30,880 ( $14.84 per hour) as of 2021, but the range typically falls between $27,860 and $36,110.

    How much does a medical receptionist make in Michigan?

    The estimated total pay for a Medical Receptionist is $33,880 per year in the Michigan area, with an average salary of $32,320 per year.