What Is the Beginning Salary for a Dental Assistant?

Dental assistants set up the exam rooms and treatment rooms with instruments and other materials, and assist the dentist during procedures. Some also help out with administrative tasks in the front office. Their salary depends on the type of practice in which they work.

Starting Salary

Median beginning salary for dental assistants in 2009 is about $11 an hour, with an increase to about $15 an hour with five years experience.

General Range

About 80 percent of dental assistants in 2008 were making between $11 and $22 an hour. Narrowing it further, the middle 50 percent were making between $13 and $19 an hour.

Average Pay

Nearly all dental assistants work in dental offices, and the average hourly pay is about $16.

Higher-Paying Opportunity

Mobile dental practices offer higher-paying opportunities to dental assistants with experience taking x-rays--around $20 an hour in some cases.

Specialties

In statistics from the Dental Assisting National Board on their certified dental assistants, those assisting specialist dentists earn higher pay. Endodontist assistants were making $16.70 an hour in 2008, orthodontic assistants made $18, oral surgeon assistants made $18.50, and periodontic assistants made $19 an hour.