What Employers Look for in a Dental Hygienist Resume

When employers review resumes, they seek candidates who demonstrate both clinical expertise and interpersonal abilities. However, hiring managers spend just seconds scanning your resume before deciding whether to continue reading.

Your technical knowledge forms the foundation of your candidacy. Employers expect proficiency in clinical skills such as scaling and root planing, prophylaxis procedures, radiography techniques, periodontal assessments, and infection control protocols.

Beyond these hard skills, employers highly value soft skills, particularly empathy and communication abilities. That's why your resume should highlight your capacity to explain complex dental concepts clearly, make anxious patients comfortable, work collaboratively with team members, and listen actively to patient concerns.

Employers also expect to see qualifications such as a valid RDH license, local anesthesia certification, and current CPR/BLS certification. Competitive candidates should also showcase specialized experience in periodontal therapy, pediatric dentistry, or geriatric care.

Organizational skills also rank highly, as your ability to manage patient schedules and maintain accurate records directly impacts practice operations.

How to Choose the Right Dental Hygienist Resume Format

It's important to select the right format for showcasing your qualifications. There are three primary formats used in the dental industry:

Chronological Format

This is the most widely used format. It lists work experience in reverse chronological order, emphasizing career progression.

This format is ideal if you:

• Have consistent work history in dental hygiene

• Want to showcase career advancement

• Have relevant, recent experience

Functional Format

This format emphasizes skills and qualifications rather than a work history timeline, and it organizes experience by skill categories.

Consider this format if:

• You're changing careers into dental hygiene

• You have significant employment gaps

• You're returning after an extended break

Combination Format

Combination format blends elements from both formats, typically beginning with a skills section followed by chronological work history.

This works well if:

• You have specialized skills to emphasize

• You have consistent work experience but want to highlight specific abilities

• You're applying for a specialized position

Choose the format that presents your qualifications most favorably for your specific background and target positions.

How to Write a Strong Professional Summary for Your Dental Hygienist Resume

Your professional summary is the first section employers see on your dental hygienist resume and allows you to make a powerful first impression. This brief section appears beneath your contact information.

A practical summary should be concise (2–4 lines) while highlighting your most marketable qualities, including years of experience, technical skills and specialties, and career goals. 

Tailor your summary to match each job application, incorporating relevant keywords from the job description. This helps demonstrate fit and helps your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Example:

"Dedicated dental hygienist with 5+ years of experience providing comprehensive preventive oral care. Skilled in digital radiography, periodontal therapy, and patient education. Seeking to leverage expertise in a collaborative dental practice focused on excellent patient outcomes."

Focus on what makes you unique and how you can benefit your potential employer.

Essential Skills to Highlight on Your Dental Hygienist Resume

When you craft your resume, highlight the necessary skills for dental hygienists and organize them into three main categories:

Clinical skills

• Scaling and root planing

• Taking and developing digital radiographs

• Providing effective oral hygiene education

• Comprehensive charting and documentation

• Administering local anesthesia

• Applying sealants and fluoride treatments

• Performing comprehensive oral health assessments

Quantify when possible. For example: "Performed comprehensive oral health assessments for 12–15 patients daily"

Technical skills

• Practice management software (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, OpenDental)

• Digital radiography systems

• Intraoral cameras

• CAD/CAM technology

• Patient education software

• Electronic health records systems

• Periodontal screening technology

Soft skills

• Patient-centered communication

• Empathy and compassion

• Time management

• Teamwork and collaboration

• Attention to detail

• Problem-solving abilities

• Adaptability

Use bullet points to improve scannability, and tailor your skills list to match keywords from each job description. For recent graduates, position your skills section prominently to compensate for limited work experience.

How to Detail Your Work Experience on Your Resume

Your work experience section should showcase your professional journey and achievements.

Format Your Experience Effectively

List experience in reverse chronological order with bullet points rather than paragraphs. Each position entry should include:

• Job title

• Company name and location

• Dates of employment

• 4-6 bullet points highlighting key responsibilities and achievements

Focus on Achievements Instead of Duties You Had

Transform descriptions to focus on achievements and impact rather than listing out your position's responsibilities. It's also wise to quantify achievements. For example:

Instead of: Performed dental cleanings and patient education

Try: Provided comprehensive preventive care to 12–15 patients daily while implementing personalized oral hygiene education that increased patient compliance by 25%. 

Other examples of quantification include:

• "Increased patient retention rate by 15% through implementation of personalized oral health plans."

• "Reduced appointment scheduling errors by 20% after introducing a new patient management system."

Address Employment Gaps

Employment gaps can be addressed by highlighting:

1. Continued learning during the gap

2. Volunteer work

3. Freelance or temporary positions

4. Transferable skills from other fields

Be honest with straightforward explanations rather than attempting to hide gaps.

Tips for Recent Graduates

If you are a recent graduate, it means you have limited professional experience. In that case, you should highlight clinical experiences during school, specialized skills, relevant coursework, leadership roles, and volunteer experience.

Quantify when possible. For example: "Provided preventive care to 200+ patients during clinical rotations."

Mention Education and Certifications in Your Dental Hygienist Resume

This section validates your qualifications and demonstrates your commitment to professional excellence.

Educational credentials include:

• Full degree name

• Institution name

• Location of institution

• Graduation year

• GPA of 3.5 or higher

In addition to educational credentials, you should include licensure information, such as the state where you're licensed, your license number, and the expiration date.

Your resume should also have important certifications:

• CPR/Basic Life Support (BLS) certification

• Local anesthesia administration

• Nitrous oxide administration

• Any specialized training certifications

Include the issuing organization and expiration date for each.

Mention your continuing education, if applicable, for recent courses that relate directly to the position, demonstrate advanced skills, or show specialization. Don't forget to include membership in organizations like the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA).

Extra Sections to Set Your Resume Apart

Strategic extra sections can differentiate your resume from competitors. 

Professional affiliations: Membership in organizations like ADHA demonstrates commitment beyond employment. List membership status, leadership positions, and committee participation.

Volunteer work: Include community dental outreach or nonprofit clinic work. These include free dental clinics for underserved populations, oral health education in schools, community health events, or services at nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

Languages: Highlight multilingual abilities with proficiency levels (basic, conversational, fluent, or native).

Keep these sections relevant to dental hygiene and prioritize the most impressive information that aligns with the position.

Tailor Your Dental Hygienist Resume for Each Job

Customizing your resume for each role significantly increases your chances of landing interviews, especially when practices use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter candidates.

Start by analyzing the job description. Identify keywords related to technical skills, software, and soft skills, and incorporate them naturally into your resume to improve ATS compatibility and signal alignment with the role.

Next, highlight the most relevant experience. For a pediatric practice, emphasize working with children. For a periodontal office, focus on advanced scaling or root planing. Applying to a tech-forward clinic? Showcase your proficiency with digital tools and charting systems.

Cultural fit also matters. Research the practice’s tone and values. A family-oriented office may value patient education and compassion, while a cosmetic practice might prioritize precision and aesthetic sensitivity. For community health centers, emphasize versatility and experience with diverse populations.

Maintain a master resume with all your roles, certifications, and continuing education. This makes tailoring faster; simply pull the most relevant details for each application.

Resume Formatting Tips

Choose professional fonts: Use easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Keep font size 10–12 points for body text and 14–16 points for headings.

Use white space effectively: Don't overcrowd your resume, allow breathing room between sections for improved readability. Maintain one-inch margins with single-spacing within sections and additional space between sections.

Structure with bullets: Use bullet points to break down job responsibilities and achievements, making information more scannable.  Maintain consistent formatting for headings, dates, and bullet points throughout the document.

Keep length appropriate: Aim for one page for most dental hygienists, especially early-career professionals. For extensive experience (10+ years), aim for two pages maximum. Focus on your most impressive and relevant qualifications rather than exhaustive duty lists. Include only experiences directly related to dental hygiene and transferable skills.

Include quantifiable achievements: Use numbers to make accomplishments concrete: "Provided comprehensive care for 12–15 patients daily while maintaining 98% satisfaction ratings." Use powerful action verbs and quantifiable achievements instead of vague responsibility statements.

Add certifications: Mention all relevant certifications, continuing education, and specialized training.

Have a strong professional summary: Craft a powerful summary that immediately showcases your unique value.

Avoid typos and grammatical errors: Thoroughly proofread and have someone else review your resume. Errors signal a lack of attention to detail.

Use updated contact information: Confirm all contact details and license information are current.

Save as PDF: Save as PDF unless another format is requested. Use a professional email address and consider including professional social media profile links.

Find Work Through Teero

​A compelling dental hygienist resume is necessary to showcase your clinical expertise, interpersonal skills, and dedication to patient care. By carefully selecting the appropriate format, highlighting relevant skills and achievements, and tailoring your resume to each job application, you position yourself as a strong candidate in the dental field.

A well-structured resume reflects your qualifications and provides potential employers with insight into your professional demeanor and suitability for their team.​

Another way you can embark on a job hunt is with Teero. Our platform can assist you in finding dental hygiene positions that align with your career goals. Teero offers flexible work opportunities, allowing you to set your schedule and hourly rate, and provides benefits such as same-day pay and employer-paid taxes.

Download our app and learn more about employment opportunities through Teero.