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Lightwave Dental
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina

Dental Assistant - Pediatrics

Dental AssistantFull-Time

Listed compensation

$18-$30/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

At Carolina Orthodontics and Children's Dentistry, our top priority is to provide our patients with the highest quality care in a friendly, fun, state-of-the-art environment with unmatched professional service. Our specialists and the entire team are proud to offer outstanding orthodontic and children's dental care.

Are YOU

  • Passionate
  • Empathetic
  • Dynamic
  • Outstanding

WE are:

  • Compassionate
  • Authentic
  • Rowdy (at times)
  • One-of-a-kind
  • Leaders
  • Inclusive
  • Nurturing

Appreciative

At Carolina Orthodontics & Children's Dentistry we believe that every person, every job and every day is important! If you believe that too, we'd love to meet you!

PTO * Health/Vision/Dental * 401k

Position Summary

The job of a pediatric dental assistant is to ensure that each patient consistently receives outstanding, individualized service at each treatment appointment.

Responsibilities

Arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of each clinical day engaged and ready to participate in team morning meeting

  • Welcome patients to the dental office with a smile and positive energy
  • Prepare patients for treatments or checkups ensuring their comfort

Ensure that patients have an excellent experience by providing care in a patient-friendly environment. This includes bringing patients back on time for their scheduled appointment and greeting and acknowledging each patient by name at the treatment appointment

The goal of the assistant is to, over time, get to know the patients and interact with families on an individual level (i. e. team member remembers things about each patient)

Serve as chairside clinical assistant, demonstrating proficiency in all areas of pediatric dental assisting including, but not limited to: photographs, x-rays, assist the dentist through 4-handed dentistry, select and set up instruments, equipment and material needed, any other duties or responsibilities as assigned by the doctor

Demonstrate proficiency in dental language and terminology such that clinical assistant can type chart notes using the terms and abbreviations used by the practice

Demonstrate proficiency in practice management software such that assistant can schedule appointments and cover telephones to help the administrative team when necessary

  • Maintain accurate patient records and assist with payment procedures
  • Efficiently run clinical chair to see 12-15+ patients per day in a timely manner
  • Provide instructions to patients/parents throughout dental treatment
  • Sterilize instruments according to regulations via cold sterile, dry-heat, and autoclave methods and undertake lab tasks as instructed
  • Work with other team members, both clinical and administrative, to help the day run smoothly
  • Provide oral hygiene and post-operative care instructions
  • Keep the dental room clean and well-stocked

Qualifications

  • Training Requirements (licenses, programs, or certificates)
  • Dental x-ray certification
  • Proven experience as dental assistant
  • Knowledge of dental instruments and sterilization methods
  • Understanding of health & safety regulations
  • Ability to perform regulated non-surgical tasks like coronal polishing is a plus
  • Good computer skills
  • Excellent communication and people skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Well-organized and reliable
  • High school diploma; graduating from dental assistant school is preferred

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Chairside assistingDental terminologyPatient careOral hygiene instructionClinical chartingCommunication skillsReliability

Pediatrics Career Context

The cost-of-living index for North Carolina is 94.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$50k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $53k in an average-cost state. 59.2% of North Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Dental Assistant market look like in North Carolina?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$37k–$62kDental Assistant median $47k (middle half $44k–$54k)159 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$53k in purchasing powerNorth Carolina index 94.3 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Dental Assistant listings in North Carolina202 active5,775 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedNorth Carolina healthcare professional listings: 36% state a sign-on bonus (median $15k) · 5% offer loan repayment202 active listings, Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Pediatrics Jobs

6 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

6 jobs · 5 employers
3
<$50k
2
$50k-60k
1
$62k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution

6 jobs · 5 employers
0
1-2
0
3-4
2
5-6
3
7-8
1
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (Pediatrics)

Smilist · Langhorne, Pennsylvania

$25-$30/hr
#2

Dental Assistant (Orthodontics/Pediatrics)

Smilist · Amherst, New York

$24-$28/hr
#3

Dental Assistant - Pediatrics

$22.62-$26.5/hr
#4

Pediatric Dental Assistant

$20-$24/hr
+ 4 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 50% of Dental Assistant listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 342 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Lightwave Dental logo

About Lightwave Dental

Hospitals and Health Care
Woodbridge, Virginia
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

PTO
Health Insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
401k

Living in Fuquay-Varina

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$374k
Typical market rent
$1,875/mo
Residents’ average commute
33 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
92.0
State income tax
Up to 4.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Fayetteville, NC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.