Stunning Dental Hygiene Resume Examples to Use This Year

Structure of a Dental Hygiene Resume

The first step is to use the right resume format. If you have a lot of experience as a dental hygienist, you will want to use the chronological format. However, if you are just starting out in your career, you can use the functional format. The combination format emphasizes both skills and experience. Once you’ve chosen a resume format, you’ll add these sections to your resume.

Header

The resume header has your contact information, phone number, email address and professional social media links, such as your LinkedIn.

Resume summary or objective

This is a two- to three-sentence introduction to your resume. If you already have experience in dental care, you’ll usually include a resume summary, which is a general overview of your experience and accomplishments. If you don’t have much experience, you may swap that out for a resume objective, which goes over your skills and knowledge and indicates an objective you’re hoping to accomplish.

Skills

Hiring managers are looking for soft skills, which are skills that you learn to benefit all jobs and your interpersonal relationships. Hard skills are technical skills that you learn specifically for dental care. Here are some bullet points to include in your resume:

• Fluoride treatments
• Digital X-rays and digital radiographs
• Educating patients on oral health and oral hygiene
• Periodontal charting and managing periodontal disease
• Periodontal debridement (Including root planing)
• Prophylaxis of dental disease
• Preventive measures for dental health
• General knowledge of dental practice
• Creation of dental treatment plans
• Chair-side client management
• Taking a medical history and finding patient records, including dental records
• Usage of Eaglesoft and Dentrix
• Tooth whitening
• Regular dental cleanings and dental treatment
• Taking dental health history
• Interpersonal skills
• Application of local anesthesia and nitrous oxide
• Screenings for oral cancer
• Sterilization of tools

If you’ve ever worked in a dental clinic, you may already have the skills of a dental hygienist. Check the job description to see what patient care mechanisms you should be reflecting on.

Work experience

Your work experience section should include any experiences you have in dental care such as a registered dental hygienist, a dental student or a dental assistant. These experiences can show a hiring manager you know what you’re doing.

Education

The most common type of education for dental hygienists is an associate degree in Applied Science (AAS) in Dental Hygiene. However, you may also have a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. No matter which degree you have, include it on your professional resume. Additionally, include your certification as a registered dental hygienist.