Orthodontic Assisting Certification Exam Practice Tests and PDFs

The insurance provider should not be included in the patent's clinical record. Any finance- related information should not be included in the clinical record because it should contain only information related to the clinical care of the patient. This includes the dental chart and any notations about the dentition and treatment provided. Current and previous treatment plans will also be found in the chart, as well as detailed notes about the patients history. Any dental images captured will also be part of the clinical chart. It is beneficial to keep these separate to avoid any discrimination or service interruption due to finance-related concerns during patient care.

The image that will show the orthodontist the current state of the patient’s facial anatomy is the lateral cephalometric image. By viewing where the structures are currently located, the orthodontist can make estimates on how the orthodontic therapy should work and may use this image to determine the exact type of orthodontic therapy to administer to the patient. Posteroanterior, temporomandibular, and panoramic images are all valuable in dentistry, but they do not have the ability to show the facial structures in the views needed to accurately assess a patients orthodontic needs.

Nerve tissue is classified as having low sensitivity to ionizing radiation. This means that when exposed to radiation, the negative effects or changes that take place to nerve tissue are minimal. It does not mean that it is safe to expose nerve tissue to radiation, because no radiation exposure is safe, but less damage can be done. Bone marrow is a type of tissue that is highly sensitive to radiation exposure and has a higher chance of being negatively impacted if exposed. Connective tissue and oral mucosa are grouped and identified to have medium sensitivity to ionizing radiation.

The acceptable alternative for standard orthodontic separators are steel separating springs. The separators and steel separating springs can both be inserted between the teeth and will provide a very small shift in the teeth, allowing for a greater space between the teeth that needs bands to be placed. This is not an aspect of orthodontic therapy that can be avoided because, if this step is not completed, the orthodontist may not be able to properly place the bands needed to hold the arch wire to move and guide the teeth.

The white line that the patient and the orthodontic assistant are noticing on the roof of the patient's mouth is called the medial palatal suture. This is the place where the two bones that form the roof of the mouth joined during formation, and the white line indicates the area where the tissue connected and joined together. The tuberosity, mental protuberance, and lacrimal bone are other bones found in the skull that can be identified during a radiographic exam.

When the orthodontic assistant is performing procedures under direct supervision, this means that the procedures that have been authorized by the orthodontist can be done as long as the orthodontist is present in the office. The orthodontist does not need to be next to the orthodontic assistant and does not need to watch every step of the procedure, but he or she must be present in the office while it is being performed. The orthodontist must authorize every procedure that takes place in his or her practice because it is his or her license that any auxiliary staff members are working under. For procedures that fall under the direct supervision category, the orthodontist is also required to meet with and examine the patient before the patient leaves the clinic in order to review the work completed by the auxiliary staff member.

The first step is to thoroughly polish the surface of the tooth with pumice and then rinse. Cheek retractors are placed and the tooth dried before it is covered with etchant, which is left in place for about 20-30 seconds and then rinsed for about 10 seconds using air and water combination, being careful to suction the solution so that the etchant does not contact tissue. The tooth should be protected from saliva and dried thoroughly and then sealant applied to the tooth and adhesive to the bracket. After application, the adhesive is light cured for 10-40 seconds.

The best use of the MRI would be to diagnose disease of the salivary gland. The MRI provides excellent visualization of soft tissues but CT and standard radiographs provide better visualization of hard tissues, so the MRI would not be used to diagnose facial fractures. MRI may be contraindicated if the patient has a metal-containing orthodontic prosthesis. MRI is expensive and time-consuming, so other methods should be used to evaluate a condition, such as malocclusion, when appropriate.

Ligating the arch wire is a method of ensuring that the wire stays in place throughout the treatment. It is the force from this wire that is placed in each bracket on each tooth that moves the teeth to their desired position. If the arch wire consistently falls off the teeth, the patient would be visiting the orthodontic office almost daily, which would not result in good patient relations nor effective dental treatment. There are several materials that the dental team can use for this process including wire and elastic ties.

The assistant is positioned at 2 to 4 0'clock. Both the operator and the assistant must be positioned so they have a clear view of the patients mouth. There are 4 working zones about the patient with the patient's head considered the 12 0'clock position: the operator's zone (9 to 12 o'clock), the static zone (12 to 2 0'clock), the assistaris zone (2 to 4 0'clock) and the transfer zone (4 to 9 0'clock).