The American Dental Assistant Association was founded over eighty years ago and is dedicated to dental assistants everywhere. They embrace the idea of a group, or many would say a community, of assistants coming together to find more information and services.

If you are new to the dentistry field, then the ADAA is a great stopping place for information. They offer a wide range of services that may prove to be very beneficial to you during the course of your career.

Dental care assistants have a lot of responsibility. Sometimes they work in small offices that do not provide insurance. That is where the ADAA steps in to help. The organization provides lines of credit, insurance, travel and leisure services.

They can also provide you with salary comparisons for other health care assistants around the country so you will know where you are in comparison. That is a very valuable tool when it comes time to negotiate your next raise or when it comes time to find a new job, especially if increasing your dental assistant salary is always on top of your "to do" list.

If you are looking to get into the dental assistant training program or a dental assistant school, then you will probably need a scholarship or some other form of financial aid. This is where the American Dental Assistant Association can definitely help. They offer scholarship programs to those who qualify. The scholarship is the Juliette Southard Scholarship and can help you with the cost of tuition, books and lab fees.

The ADAA also offers a list of the duties that a medical technician can expect to do on the job, as well as a grievance board that can step in if there is a problem at your place of employment. This is a great benefit and of a tremendous value should you find yourself in a sticky situation with your employer and your job is in jeopardy. Speaking of jobs, they also have a section that deals with employment if you are looking for a dental assistant job.

The American Dental Assistant Association is well worth the cost of the membership fee. There are two different applications. One is the regular membership application and the other is the student application.

Both offer insurance and discounts on different benefits. The regular membership is $110 and the student membership is $35. That is an incredible bargain considering all the benefits that you receive.