Dental Hygiene Resume Examples to Help You Succeed

Jobs for dental hygiene resumes

Many jobs can benefit from a dental hygiene resume, including:

• Preventative dentist
• General dentistry
• Registered dental hygienist
• Dental assistant
• Dental services
• Dental clinic

In general, hiring managers will seek specific skills – some general, some unique – with all of these jobs. Use the guidance in this article to help create a professional dental hygiene resume.

How to write a dental hygienist resume

When writing your professional resume for the field of dental hygiene, you need to be perceived as proficient and knowledgeable in the industry. Here’s how to present your knowledge to recruiters and hiring managers.

Resume summary or objective

The first thing you showcase in any resume format will be your resume objective or resume summary. Provide a brief overview of your experience, your key skills and your best achievements. You can also mention your training as well as particular strengths in patient care.

Skills

The skills section is what hiring managers look at to see if you have the right abilities for the job. When listing skills for a resume , you will need to include both soft skills and technical skills. Consider these skills:

• Fluoride treatments
• Oral x-rays and digital x-rays
• General help with oral health and oral hygiene
• Periodontal charting and managing periodontal disease
• Periodontal debridement (Including root planing)
• Prophylaxis of dental disease
• Preventative dental screenings
• Usage of dental sealants
• Educating patients on dental care and flossing
• Dental cleanings
• Creation of treatment plans
• Dental treatment
• Usage of Dentrix and Eaglesoft
• Digital radiographs
• Administration of local anesthesia and nitrous oxide
• Identifying oral cancer
• Pediatric tooth care
• Sterilization of tools
• Interpersonal skills

Select about four to six skills to feature in a chronological resume format or up to 12 skills in a combination resume or functional resume format.

Work Experience/Work History

Your work experience is an important part of meeting a hygienist job description. Remember to use action words to describe what work you’ve performed in the dental field – state “Educated patients” and “Managed patient records” to clearly highlight your abilities.

Education

In the education section include your academic accomplishments, whether you completed a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree or you are currently working towards an associate’s degree. Either way, your education and certification details are an important part of determining that you’re legally allowed to practice dental hygiene in the United States.

Certifications

All dental hygienists in the United States need licensure by the National Board of Dental Hygiene Examination before they can practice. You may also choose to get another dental hygiene certification from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner. Listing these certifications in this section allows the hiring manager to see that you meet the job requirements.

3 tips for creating your dental hygiene resume

Include these skills and tips even if you’re just beginning your dental career and applying to an entry-level position.

1. Discuss specific elements of health care you were responsible for in previous jobs.
2. If you helped administer teeth whitening and provided patient education, mention it on your resume.
3. Include both soft skills and hard skills on your resume. Besides skills to provide dental services, you also need to provide good communication with your patients.