Dual Role Registered Dental Assistant

About Christ Community Health Services

Since 1995, Christ Community Health Services (CCHS) has provided high-quality healthcare to underserved communities through distinctively Christian service. As a faith-based Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), we serve approximately 60,000 patients each year across our Memphis health centers, offering primary care, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and specialty services.

About the Role

Christ Community Health Services is seeking a welcoming, detail-oriented Registration Representative and Expanded Functions Dental Assistant to support both patient access and clinical dental services. This position often provides a patient's first impression of CCHS by greeting patients, answering calls and questions, completing registration and payment activities, coordinating appointments and referrals, and communicating accurate messages to the dental team.

The role also provides chairside assistance to a licensed dentist, performs approved expanded dental functions, maintains clinical records and supplies, and supports infection-control and equipment procedures. The employee must be prepared to work at various CCHS locations as operational needs require.

Why Join CCHS?

• Support patients from their first phone call or registration interaction through their dental visit and follow-up care.
• Use both front-office and clinical dental skills in a mission-driven healthcare environment.
• Work closely with dentists, hygienists, administrators, and other members of the care team.
• Help underserved patients understand payment options, insurance requirements, referrals, and future appointments.
• Contribute to a culture grounded in compassion, service, excellence, and Christian faith.

Our Core Values - and What They Look Like in This Role

CCHS team members are expected to demonstrate our core values every day. In this role, they mean:

• Intentional Love - Welcoming patients with compassion, patience, dignity, and respect in both front-office and clinical interactions.
• Devoted Service - Providing responsive assistance, accurate communication, and dependable chairside support throughout the patient experience.
• Humble Excellence - Maintaining accurate records, following clinical standards, and performing authorized dental functions carefully while remaining teachable and Christ-centered.

What You'll Do

• Greet patients, respond to questions when appropriate, and connect patients with the correct staff member or resource when additional assistance is needed.
• Facilitate completion of registration forms and ensure patients receive the information needed for registration, follow-up appointments, and future communication.
• Obtain and update patient demographic information in the practice-management system.
• Verify insurance coverage and primary care provider selection when applicable.
• Establish the method of payment and collect copayments, deductibles, insurance payments, and sliding-fee payments accurately.
• Schedule appointments, consultations, and procedures in accordance with provider availability and applicable insurance guidelines.
• Make reminder calls for appointments and recall services across CCHS health and dental centers.
• Answer and route incoming calls promptly, use the overhead paging system when needed, and take complete messages for administrators, dentists, hygienists, and other staff.
• Document the date, time, and operator initials on messages and email messages to managers from dental offices as appropriate.
• Complete daily activity reports, count funds collected, and reconcile the cash drawer at the close of each business day.
• Generate and track dental referrals and dental preauthorizations as directed by the dentist.

Dental Assisting Responsibilities

• Provide chairside assistance to a licensed dentist, including retracting the patient's cheek, tongue, and other tissue and using water-removal equipment.
• Take, expose, and develop dental radiographs of the mouth, gums, jaws, and teeth in accordance with applicable standards.
• Apply topical medications and place rubber dams as authorized.
• Remove excess cement adjacent to crowns, bridges, and orthodontic bands; place matrix bands; remove and replace ligature wires; and remove sutures when permitted.
• Perform dietary and salivary analyses and required infection-control procedures.
• Demonstrate oral-care procedures and techniques and accurately chart the patient's mouth.
• Flush evacuation systems with approved chemical cleaners and follow established equipment-cleaning procedures.
• Complete clinical reports and maintain accurate patient and operational records.
• Order supplies and equipment, maintain an accurate inventory, request repairs for dental equipment, and research pricing and equipment specifications.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Expanded Functions

• Perform coronal polishing and mechanically polish restorations.
• Place and remove temporary restorations.
• Monitor patients while nitrous oxide is being administered.
• Apply pit and fissure sealants.

What You'll Bring

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Completion of a Registered Dental Assistant program and expanded-functions education.
• One to two years of experience performing fundamental and expanded duties of a registered dental assistant as outlined by the Tennessee State Board of Dentistry.
• Experience completing dental radiographs and alginate impressions.
• Experience performing clerical and patient-registration duties in a dental office.
• Current registration to practice as an Expanded Functions Dental Assistant in accordance with the laws and administrative rules of the Tennessee State Board of Dentistry.
• Current CPR certification.
• Strong communication, customer-service, scheduling, documentation, and cash-handling skills.
• Ability to maintain accuracy and attention while balancing recurring front-office and clinical variables.

What Success Looks Like

• Patients receive a welcoming, professional first impression by telephone and in person.
• Registration, demographic, insurance, payment, scheduling, referral, and preauthorization information is accurate and complete.
• Calls and messages are routed promptly and documented with the details staff need to respond effectively.
• Chairside and expanded dental functions are performed safely, accurately, and within the employee's authorized scope.
• Dental records, reports, inventory, equipment requests, and daily financial reconciliation are maintained accurately.
• Infection-control requirements and equipment-cleaning procedures are followed consistently.
• The employee responds dependably to staffing needs across CCHS locations.
• The Christian mission and values of CCHS are reflected in daily patient care and teamwork.

Work Environment

This position operates in dental clinic and front-office settings and involves exposure to contagious and infectious diseases, chemical fumes from dental processing solutions, intense dental lighting, and possible burns from autoclave equipment. Travel between work sites may involve exposure to varying weather conditions.

The role requires sitting for approximately 30% of the workday, standing for approximately 30%, and walking for approximately 40%. Duties may include chairside assistance, front-desk and computer work, instrument sterilization, taking radiographs, retrieving files, greeting patients, and obtaining supplies.

Lifting, pushing, or pulling occurs approximately 15% of the time and may involve patients in wheelchairs, supply boxes, or movement of a patient chair weighing up to 30 pounds. The position frequently uses dental chairs, dental radiograph equipment, computers, dental instruments, autoclaves, and processing equipment, all requiring a high degree of hand-eye coordination. Work-related travel between CCHS sites may account for approximately 25% of the position.

What We Offer

• Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Generous Paid Time Off, including 120 hours during the first year, plus paid holidays.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Annual paid Restorative Day supporting wellness and work-life balance.
• Mission-driven culture and employee recognition programs.
• Professional development and opportunities to grow within healthcare and dental operations.
• The opportunity to help expand access to high-quality healthcare throughout Jackson.

Make a Difference Through Dental Care

If you are a registered dental assistant who can combine compassionate patient service, strong front-office skills, and safe expanded-function dental support, we invite you to consider joining Christ Community Health Services.

Come serve with purpose. Come care for patients with compassion. Come make a difference in our community.