An orthodontic dental assistant serves as a key contributor in an orthodontics practice and assists patients who require braces, mouthguards, retainers, and other dental appliances. Howard Healthcare Academy offers an Orthodontic Assistant Permit (OAP) course that teaches you what it takes to provide vital support in the orthodontic specialty.
Receiving this Orthodontic Assistant Training is the first step in advancing your career and learning more about different specialties. We’ll cover the Orthodontic Assistant Requirements, course information, and more in this quick reference guide.
What Are The Benefits of Becoming an Orthodontic Dental Assistant?
Orthodontic Assistant coursework at Howard Healthcare Academy ensures you will learn how to perform the everyday duties of an OAP, including:
- Day-to-day tasks of an orthodontic dental assistant
- Use of an ultrasonic scaler to eliminate excess cement from supragingival surfaces of teeth undergoing orthodontic treatment
- Proper removal of orthodontic bands, brackets, and attachments
- Sizing, fitting and cementing of orthodontic bands
- Placement and ligating of archwires
- Preparation of teeth for bonding of bracket placement after their position has been approved by a supervising dentist
In addition, orthodontic dental assistants possess greater responsibility working with braces and orthodontics than traditional dental assistants. As a result, orthodontic dental assistants frequently earn higher annual salaries and enjoy better job prospects than most dental assistants.
What Does the Orthodontic Assistant Training Course Offer?
The Howard Healthcare Academy OAP class teaches students about:
- Banding
- Brackets
- Bonding
- Cements
Our Orthodontic Assistant program ensures students can practice on typodonts and live patients under direct supervision. This hands-on experience helps you become more comfortable performing orthodontic assistant duties and confident building your orthodontic assistant skill set.
Board Approved Orthodontic Assistant Certification
This Orthodontic Assistant course requires 84 hours to complete. It consists of 24 hours of lectures completed online and on campus, 28 hours of labs are completed on campus and 32 hours of clinical are completed at the student’s office. Students must complete the in-person hours at our San Diego campus in Kearny Mesa. Upon successful completion of the OAP course, you’ll be eligible to sit for the Orthodontic Assistant Permit State exam.
It’s important to understand that this is a Board Approved Orthodontic Assistant Course in the state of California. With this Orthodontic Dental Assistant Certification, you’ll be able to go anywhere in the state and command a better job.
Course Requirements: What you’ll need for admittance
Pre-Requisites
In order to be admitted to the Orthodontic Assistant Permit course, you are required to have
- CPR certification
- 8 Hour Infection Control
- 6 months of work experience in a dental office
OR
- CPR certification
- Current RDA license
Why Should I Enroll in Orthodontic Assistant Training?
The Howard Healthcare Academy Orthodontic Assistant Permit course empowers dental assistants (DAs) and registered dental assistants (RDAs) to achieve their career goal of becoming an OAP. Benefits of the Howard Healthcare Academy OAP course, include:
- Experienced Instructors — Our instructors possess real-world experience and will share their expertise and insights with you to ensure you can perform the duties of an orthodontic assistant consistently.
- Unsurpassed Training — We offer both classroom and hands-on lessons to prepare you for a broad array of orthodontic assistant scenarios.
- Flexible Schedules — We offer a variety of class times so you can enroll in an Orthodontic Assistant Permit class that fits your schedule.

Take the Howard Healthcare Academy Orthodontic Assistant Permit class to be better equipped to aid orthodontic patients. To find out if you qualify for our Orthodontic Assistant Permit class, contact one of our Admissions Representatives by calling (619) ACADEMY (619-222-3369) or emailing info@howardacademy.edu.Enroll in this Orthodontic Assistant Certification in California today!