The role of a Dental Assistant in the UK is both essential and fulfilling. As the dental industry grows and evolves with advancements in oral healthcare, the demand for skilled dental assistants remains robust. From leading dental practices in London to clinics in Manchester and Edinburgh, employers are actively seeking qualified professionals, offering attractive salaries and exceptional opportunities for career growth in this vital field.
Dental assistant salary
Base pay £19K – £26K/yr
£22K/yr average base pay
The estimated salary for a Dental Assistant is £22,221 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The “Most Likely Range” represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.
The “Most Likely Range” reflects values within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role. Glassdoor salaries are powered by our proprietary machine learning model, which utilises salaries collected from our users and the latest government data to make pay predictions.
What do Dental assistant earn
How much does a Dental assistant make in United Kingdom?
£23,203/yr
Highest paying cities for Dental assistant near United Kingdom
- London £34,653 per year
11 salaries reported - Plymouth £31,433 per year
16 salaries reported - Leeds £27,766 per year
5 salaries reported - Cardiff £23,756 per year
5 salaries reported - Bristol £23,617 per year
7 salaries reported - Birmingham £23,492 per year
9 salaries reported - Newtown £23,191 per year
5 salaries reported - Liverpool £22,651 per year
9 salaries reported - Middlesbrough £21,460 per year
8 salaries reported
What’s on Quora?
Do you feel bad about paying your Dental assistants a wage that barely affords them a living? You do make six figures.
Top Answer
I do consulting and I am an inventor/entrepreneur , so I don’t have an assistant.
However, my wife is a dental assistant RDAEF. She works super hard, works through lunch, works late, etc. To me, she is like a Doctor of Dental Assisting. The only thing separating her from being an actual doctor is the lack of a doctoral degree. She could easily be a dentist. She has over 20 years of clinical dental experience. She has even “trained” new doctors out of dental school. I feel bad that she doesn’t earn more $$.
But, on the other hand, she is not a business owner. She doesn’t run the dental business. She doesn’t have to worry about production, payroll, marketing, selling, case presentation, getting sued, paying malpractice insurance, handling office finances, hiring, firing, repaying $300k of student loans, taking 25 hours of CE per year, going to study clubs, paying $8,000 per month rent, answering emergencies at night and weekends, etc., etc, etc. Keep in mind also that dental practices often revolve around the doctor. So, if the doctor is not in, or the doctor gets a bad reputation, there is no business. It’s not like money automatically rolls in the door.
So, if you are a dental assistant and you want to earn more $$, my advice would be to see how close you could align yourself with the financial health of the dental practice. Why not take a bunch of office business cards and pass them around wherever you go to become a marketer of the business. How about asking every (good) patient to refer a friend or relative. Why not look for deals on supplies and take over the supply-ordering process. How about suggesting to host monthly “idea” meetings whereby everyone collaborates on making the office the best it can be. How about doing some prevention seminars. Go to the Chamber of Commerce meetings and promote your doctor. When your doctor sees how much you care about the financial health and the reputation of the office, I’m sure you’ll get raises and bonuses.
And then, maybe you can start your own consulting business to help assistants make more money by making their dental offices more money. And then you’ll see how hard it actually is to make money and provide jobs for people who just seem to complain all day.
