Dental Hygienist
Resume Example
Looking to further your career in dentistry? You’re in luck — we’ve got a dental hygienist resume sample and key writing tips that will have you teaching us all about proper oral hygiene in no time.
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Dental Hygienist Cover Letter & Related Resumes
View All Resume ExamplesDental Hygienist Resume Template
The most effective resume format today highlights your strengths and downplays your weaknesses.
Copy-paste Dental Hygienist Resume (Text Format)
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Email: your.email@email.com
Phone: (123) 456-7891
Address: Street, City, State
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile
Resume Summary
- 6+ years of experience and highly proficient in many areas of the modern dental practice including digital radiography (DR), intraoral camera, soft tissue management, Ka-Vo Diagnodent usage, and applying prevention methods such as topical fluorides and sealants
- Effective periodontal evaluation and treatment including periodontal charting, sonic and ultrasonic instrumentation, scaling and root planing, and oral hygiene instruction and motivation
- Basic life support, nitrous oxide monitoring, whitening procedures, and infiltration anesthesia certification
Professional Experience
May 2021–Present | Atlantic Dental Services, Washington, DC
Dental Hygienist
- Full-time Hygienist treating 11 patients daily, skilled in patient assessment, treatment planning and explanation, executing dental hygiene/periodontal treatment, and scheduling follow-up appointments
- Evaluate clinical findings, medical history, and previous dental records, integrating the information into plans for excellent dental hygiene
- Trained two new dental assistants in monitoring, ordering, and stocking hygiene room supplies; managing patient recalls; and cleaning, disinfecting, and arranging work surfaces
August 2017–May 2021 | APPLABS, Boston, MA
Dental Assistant
- Trained on the job in taking and developing X-rays, preparing and sterilizing equipment, taking impressions of patients’ teeth for study casts, teaching appropriate oral hygiene strategies, and office management
- Assessed emergency situations and learned emergency protocols, first aid, and CPR
- Enhanced professional growth and development by participating in educational programs, reading current literature, and attending in-service meetings and workshops
Education
June 2019
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
BSc, Dental Hygiene
June 2017
New England Dental Academy, Worcester, MA
Dental Assistant Certificate
April 2021
Southeastern Regional and National Dental Hygiene Certification – Lic. #2342
Relevant Skills
- Patterson Eaglesoft
- Digital radiography (DR)
- Local anesthesia (certified)
- Monitoring nitrous oxide sedation
- Oral prophylaxis
- Scaling and root planing
- CPR (certified)
Average dental hygienist salaries in the US
This page includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data is presented based on the top states in the USA.
Average dental hygienist annual salaries by state
State | Salary / Year |
---|---|
California | $120,640 |
Texas | $89,160 |
Florida | $80,530 |
New York | $93,600 |
Pennsylvania | $77,560 |
Illinois | $81,920 |
Ohio | $79,680 |
Georgia | $80,250 |
North Carolina | $81,230 |
Michigan | $77,800 |
National Average | $88,303 |
3 Writing Tips for a Dental Hygienist Resume in 2024
Follow these three dental hygienist resume writing tips to get more interviews, faster:
1. Drill down on dental hygiene keywords in your skills section
Your resume’s skills section is a bulleted list of skills-based keywords from the job ad that you didn’t use in the rest of your resume. Adding these resume keywords helps your application get through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and onto hiring managers’ screens.
Because you’re applying for a job in the medical field, you should focus on your technical skills. Here’s an example of a skills section written for a dental hygiene resume:
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
- Patterson Eaglesoft
- Digital radiography (DR)
- Local anesthesia (certified)
- Monitoring nitrous oxide sedation
- Oral prophylaxis
- Scaling and root planing
- Soft tissue management
- CPR (certified)
Other skills for your resume include relevant soft skills that show your ability to interact with patients and coworkers.
2. Start with a resume objective or qualifications summary
Unsure how to start your resume? We recommend you summarize your most relevant skills and achievements in a resume introduction to immediately grab hiring managers’ attention.
Just pick the type of introduction that’s best for your experience level:
If you’re applying for your first job after becoming a registered dental hygienist, use a 2–3 sentence introduction paragraph known as a resume objective that lists your:
- dental licenses and certifications
- relevant hard and soft skills
- career goals and how they’ll help you contribute to the clinic you’re applying to
If you have dental hygiene work experience, write a qualifications summary — a 3–4 bullet point list that includes your:
- technical skills and abilities
- major professional achievements
- licensing and certifications
- years of experience and academic degree
Here’s an example of a well-written resume objective for a dental hygienist resume:
Recent graduate with an Associate’s Degree in Dental Hygiene. Equipped with hands-on clinical experience providing oral hygiene care, including dental cleaning, EHR documentation, and dental X-rays. Possess a positive attitude and tireless energy that will help DC Dental Clinic increase its patient satisfaction rates.
And here’s a professional qualifications summary crafted for a dental hygiene resume:
- 6+ years of experience and highly proficient in many areas of the modern dental practice including digital radiography (DR), intraoral camera, soft tissue management, Ka-Vo Diagnodent usage, and applying prevention methods such as topical fluorides and sealants
- Effective periodontal evaluation and treatment including periodontal charting, sonic and ultrasonic instrumentation, scaling and root planing, and oral hygiene instruction and motivation
- Basic life support, nitrous oxide monitoring, whitening procedures, and infiltration anesthesia certification
- Southeastern Regional and National Dental Hygiene Certification – Lic. #2342 Issued 4/11/19
3. Write a clean and concise professional experience section
Follow these basic rules when writing your resume’s work experience section:
Professional Experience Do's
- Write in complete sentences
- Emphasize your achievements with hard numbers and examples
- Start each sentence with an action verb
Professional Experience Don’ts
- Repeat bullet points between sections
- Write a bland list of duties
- Include fewer than three bullet points per job
Here’s an example professional experience section written for a dental hygiene resume that follows the above resume guidelines:
ATLANTIC DENTAL SERVICES, Washington, DC
Dental Hygienist, May 2019–Present
- Full-time Hygienist treating 11 patients daily, skilled in patient assessment, treatment planning and explanation, executing dental hygiene/periodontal treatment, and scheduling follow-up appointments
- Evaluate clinical findings, medical history, and previous dental records, integrating the information into plans for excellent dental hygiene
- Trained two new dental assistants in monitoring, ordering, and stocking hygiene room supplies; managing patient recalls; and cleaning, disinfecting, and arranging work surfaces
The candidate highlights their accomplishments on their resume to give the hiring manager a clear picture of their previous experience. Do the same to make your resume more impressive, and increase the chances you’ll get called in for an interview.
For a dental hygienist job seeker, showcasing your blend of practical skills, relevant certifications, and professional accomplishments can set you apart in a competitive job market.
Letticia Pierrez, Talent Acquisition Manager at Affinity Dental Management
We wish you the best on your job hunt!
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