Certification helps military dental assistants thrive
Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs) with ties to the military have long reported loving their careers. From caring for military service personnel and their families to training up-and-coming dental assistants to traveling and meeting a variety of people, there is no shortage of unique experiences available to dental professionals affiliated with the military.
Holding certification with the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) only enhances a dental assistant’s journey. Along with having the benefit of career mobility, CDAs employed in a variety of settings by and large say certification propels them forward — they stand out from their non-certified colleagues and are top candidates for career advancement.
Military dental assistants and military spouses are no exception.
“It is not a requirement for dental assistants in the military to have their CDA, but it’s definitely something the military will look for,” says Ray Salazar, CDA, dental operations flight chief at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado. “For example, for an instructing position, you have to be certified.”
With the Fourth of July recently on the calendar, we celebrate certificants who are military dental assistants, instructors, and spouses, dedicated to serving their country, colleagues, and patients.
Falling in love with dental assisting
Now a dental operations flight chief, Salazar initially became enamored with dental assisting when he joined the military in 2013. “I had a really good mentor when I first joined,” says Salazar, whose career started at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, then took him to Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. “She went in-depth about why they do everything in dentistry.” Salazar’s mentor inspired him to become an instructor.
“Since we have to do continuing education every year, I encourage military dental assistants to pursue CDA certification because it does separate them from their peers and looks good.”
— Ray Salazar, CDA
From June 2020 to July 2023, Salazar worked in a teaching capacity, and was then promoted to instructor supervisor, at Fort Sam Houston Base in Texas. On the rewards of the role, Salazar says: “Finding different ways to teach different people different learning styles and seeing that light bulb go off when they finally understood ‘this is why we do this or that’ was rewarding. Having all my students graduate was really rewarding as well.”
As an instructor, Salazar acted as the liaison between Fort Sam Houston and DANB, coordinating student exams and answering students’ questions about the benefits of passing DANB exams and earning and maintaining certification.
“Since we have to do continuing education every year, I encourage military dental assistants to pursue CDA certification because it does separate them from their peers and looks good,” says Salazar, who has been certified since 2016. Salazar says it has been fulfilling to have had opportunities to teach, learn, and advance, from working in dental assisting to operations management.
“A lot of people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of a dental clinic,” he says. “We know how to do a little bit of everything, like medics. We work really hard.”
Building a dental assisting foundation
Kyja Parker, CDA, currently works in operations as a Watch NCO at the National Guard Bureau in Virginia, and she’s grateful for the four years she spent as a dental assistant in the U.S. Air Force. Parker’s dental career spans a little more than a decade.
“I worked in oral surgery for the majority of my dental assisting career, and I loved it,” she shares. “Dental assisting was exciting to me. I loved the professionalism. I loved working with oral surgeons. I learned a lot — there was a lot of on-the-job training and always something different to learn.”
“DANB certification has given me credibility and is something that I care about. Dental assisting is the foundation of my professional career. It has been good to me for years of my life.”
— Kyja Parker, CDA
Parker trained as a dental assistant at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. She believes that “dental assisting is a career that allows you to travel to different places,” including academically.
In 2010, Parker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Colorado, and in 2023, she graduated from Champlain College in Vermont with a Master of Science degree in healthcare administration. Since becoming a DANB CDA in January 2013, Parker has maintained certification, even though she has transitioned out of dentistry.
“DANB certification has given me credibility and is something that I care about,” Parker says. “Dental assisting is the foundation of my professional career. It has been good to me for years of my life.”
Finding a dental career after military relocations
Mahaley Decker, CDA, of Converse, Texas, came to the dental assisting profession with a background in law enforcement and an interest in entering the medical field. Initially, Decker considered nursing, but her husband — who recently retired from the U.S. Army after 21 years of service — recommended she instead apply to the American Red Cross dental assistant training program.
“For advancement and promotion in the VA, you must obtain a DANB certification.”
— Mahaley Decker, CDA
Decker recalls a rigorous application process, then a demanding course load, with two excellent instructors who were soldiers in the U.S. Army. As a result, she was introduced to a vast amount of knowledge in what she describes as “soldier settings.”
After completing the Red Cross training in 2016, Decker first worked in the civilian world as an assistant for an oral maxillofacial surgeon. Following eight moves with her military family and navigating job relocations, Decker has found her ideal dental employer, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Decker began working with the VA as an oral maxillofacial surgery assistant and recently was promoted to work in emergency dental triage.
“For advancement and promotion in the VA, you must obtain a DANB certification,” Decker notes. “The VA does encourage all employees to pursue DANB certification, but it is left up to the assistant.”
With Decker and her family — including her oldest son, a first lieutenant helicopter pilot — putting down roots in Texas, she looks forward to more professional development. “I plan to go back and get DANB’s Certified Preventive Functions Dental Assistant certification,” she says. “For me, being DANB certified is being at the top.”