Your Hands-On Dental Assisting Program Experience
Live Patient Clinics
When you decide on your path to becoming a dental assistant, you know you want the best education possible to prepare you for your future. While you can learn the basics almost anywhere, few training programs offer the hands-on work that will put you in clinicals from the start of your program through graduation. Finding a program that ties classroom theory to real-world applications is vital for jump-starting a long, successful career.
At the American Institute of Dental Assisting (AIDA), we prioritize comprehensive, hands-on learning that gives you real-world experience you can feel confident in. We give our students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to live patients so they can achieve success after graduation.
Set yourself up for long-term career success with our live-patient dental assistant school.
Real Patients, Real Skills, From Day One
The term “hands-on” has become something of a buzzword for training programs, but its definition usually varies by program. Do they mean hands-on as in you’ll be touching textbooks and tools, or do they mean truly hands-on, where you work with real patients in active dental offices?
At AIDA, we proudly offer the latter. With an accelerated 13-week program like ours, we believe you should start gaining real-life experience as soon as possible. Soon after you join our program, you’ll meet with your instructors, many of whom are practicing dentists.
When you’re not in class, you’ll be in clinicals, working chairside as your instructor guides you through many of the roles you can expect to be a part of your daily life as a dental assistant. As you work in one of our practicing clinics, you’ll also gain experience taking dental X-rays and working with the latest industry technology that ensures you provide patients with the best care available.
AIDA’s dental assistant program lets you graduate with real clinical experience — not just with plastic dummies. In our program, you’ll be able to work with live patients and get more experience than you’ll find elsewhere.
How Live Training Prepares You for Your Career
Training on real patients under a dentist’s supervision supplements your classroom learning by giving you an opportunity to apply what you know in a live work setting. As a result, you’ll be better prepared to apply your skills in your first dental assistant role.
Many dental assistant programs can take longer to complete and may rely heavily on mannequin-based practice. Here’s what makes our accelerated program special:
| Benefit | Training on Mannequins | Training on Live Patients (AIDA) |
| Real-world pacing | Static, controlled practice | Learn to manage real-time patient flow and unexpected situations |
| Communication skills | No patient interaction required | Practice patient communication, chairside manner and empathy |
| Problem-solving | Simulate perfect, unchanging scenarios | Develop critical thinking by addressing unique patient needs |
| Career confidence | Confidence in theory | Graduate with experience working in a real dental clinic |
| Job market value | Seen as entry-level trainee | Real-world experience can help you stand out to employers |
You’ll complete our program with the skills and experience you need to thrive in a busy clinic setting. If you need help finding a job placement after graduation, you’ll have a strong network of professional connections to guide you in your search.
Your 13-Week Clinical Experience At a Glance
Our accelerated study program covers more in 13 weeks than traditional dental assistant courses, which can last a year or more. We stick to teaching only what’s necessary so you can enter the workforce and start earning faster.
By the end of our program, you’ll have:
- Hands-on practice with intraoral digital scanning and X-rays on patients
- Hours of direct chairside experience in a real dental clinic
- Direct participation in clinical restorations, such as fillings and crowns
- Execution of professional infection control protocols in an active clinic
- Connections with program faculty and practicing dentists
At the end of your training, you can look forward to being a certified dental assistant with the skills needed to complete advanced certifications for X-rays and coronal polishing.
Classroom Theory That Supports Your Clinical Work
Your clinical hours are just one part of our advanced learning program for aspiring dental assistants. When you aren’t working with patients, your instructors will give you valuable information about your new field and what you’ll be expected to know when you start practicing as a certified professional.
Your classes will focus on the essentials like:
- Dental anatomy and physiology
- Patient exams
- DANB X-ray practice
- Coronal polishing
- Intraoral digital scanning
- Infection control protocols
- Dentrix Dental software
- Clinical restorations (fillings and crowns)
By the end of our program, you’ll understand all the need-to-know information that goes into a dental assistant’s daily tasks. You’ll also enjoy activities beyond classroom work, such as hands-on clinical rotations in active, state-of-the-art facilities and job placement assistance even after graduation.
We offer this program at both our Mesa and Phoenix campuses so you can earn your certification at the location that’s most convenient for you.
A Flexible Schedule Built for Your Life
The best news of all? Our program is entirely flexible, making a career change achievable for most, even if you have a busy job or personal responsibilities to maintain.
Whether you’re looking to launch your dental assistant career, change career fields or re-enter the workforce after some time away, we’ll help you create a schedule you can stick to. Our accelerated program is unique for its one-day-a-week format, which lets you choose the day and time that makes the most sense for your schedule. Day, evening and weekend classes are available at both campuses.
We have new students starting their training every month who take a range of daytime, morning, evening and weekend courses. Whatever your scheduling conflicts, AIDA will help you earn your certification as quickly as possible.
Live Experience Becomes Lifetime Support
From the moment you join the AIDA family, you’ll have more to look forward to than dental assistant training with clinicals. Our Student Services team is committed to seeing you succeed inside and out of your patient interactions, so you’ll have full access to resources like tutoring, certification application assistance, resume writing support and interview coaching. These critical services can help you do better in your program and prepare you to step out into the dental assisting industry when you are ready to move forward.
Even once you graduate, you can rest assured that the AIDA team wants to help. Our years as an established hands-on training program make our students highly sought-after professionals, and we have connections that help them find their place after graduation. We will help you locate the best roles for your situation, whether you’ve just finished your program or you’re years into your career. Our lifetime job placement services will remain available to our graduates long after their time in our program ends.
Take Advantage of Our Dental Assistant Clinicals in Phoenix, AZ
Are you looking to get started in the dental field? In just 13 weeks, you can be on a career path that changes your life. Let the American Institute of Dental Assisting help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to harness security, stability and satisfaction through the remainder of your working years. Apply online, book a tour, or reach out to our team at (480) 637-4420 for more information today. We are now accepting new students at our Mesa and Phoenix campuses.