Dental AssistantRDA
Chairside care with time to do it properly — and to actually talk to the person in the chair.
Why this clinic is different
I've owned and operated dental clinics for decades — big ones, busy ones, the kind with a full schedule and a full parking lot. And somewhere along the way I realized the practices I enjoyed most were never the biggest. They were the small, community-based ones, where I knew the family in the chair and they knew me.
So instead of toying with retirement, I'm building a small practice on purpose. Three chairs in a restored house in the middle of Cochrane. A team small enough that we all know each other's names, and each other's families.
There are no production targets here. Nobody is going to lean on you to sell treatment or move faster than the person in the chair is ready for. A visit should feel like visiting a neighbour — we're proudly old-fashioned about that, and I'm looking for someone who feels the same way.
Guaranteed hours. No ramp-up gamble.
Most new clinics ask their team to ride the schedule up with them — light weeks early on, hoping it fills in. We don't.Your 32 hours a week are set and guaranteed from day one, and they will not vary while we build our patient base. You should be able to plan your life around this job, not around our booking calendar.
What you'll do
- Assist chairside through restorative, hygiene support, and minor surgical procedures.
- Set up and tear down operatories, and keep instrument sterilization running properly.
- Take radiographs and intraoral photos within your scope of practice.
- Prepare and place materials, and keep charting accurate as we go.
- Talk patients through what's happening next so nothing feels like a surprise.
- Help nervous patients settle — blankets, a break, a slower pace, whatever it takes.
- Keep inventory stocked and flag what we're running low on before it's a problem.
- Pitch in at the front when the phones get busy — we all wear a few hats here.
What we're looking for
- Registration in good standing with the College of Alberta Dental Assistants (CADA).
- Comfortable working chairside on restorative and hygiene appointments.
- Current radiography certification and solid sterilization habits.
- Genuine warmth with patients — especially the anxious ones.
- Dependable, tidy, and happy to work as part of a very small team.
- Dental software experience an asset (we'll train you on ours either way).
What it's like here
Guaranteed hours
32 hours a week, guaranteed. Your schedule doesn't move with our patient count.
Small team, no targets
Three chairs on purpose. There are no production quotas here and there never will be.
Old-fashioned welcome
People are greeted by name, the coffee's on, and nobody is treated like a number.
The details
- Location
- 212 3rd Ave W, Cochrane, AB T4C 1A6
- Guaranteed hours
- 32 hours per week, guaranteed. They won't shrink as we ramp up our patient base.
- Compensation
- $30–$37 / hour, depending on experience
- Start date
- As soon as we find the right fit
- Reports to
- Dr. John Caldwell
- Employment type
- Part-time · 32 hrs guaranteed
How to apply
- 1Email your resume to admin@bighilldental.com with a few lines about yourself — no cover-letter theatrics required.
- 2We'll reply within a few business days. A real person reads every one.
- 3Come meet the team over coffee and see the house for yourself.
If you've been looking for a place where you can slow down and do the work the way you were taught to do it, come talk to me. There's a chair, a kettle, and a town full of good people waiting.
— Dr. John Caldwell