Dental Hygienist Resume Example

Also called Registered Dental Hygienist, RDH.

A practice hires a hygienist to keep patients healthy and coming back. Your resume should show your license and permits, how many patients you see in a day, and that people accept the treatment you recommend.

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What this example does well

  • The rebooking rate is a number owners care about, and the bullet says how she moved it.
  • The local anesthesia permit is listed separately from the license, because not every hygienist holds one.
  • Patients per day appears in the summary, so a practice can check it against its own schedule.

Updated

Hannah Whitfield

Registered Dental Hygienist

Summary

Registered dental hygienist with seven years in general and periodontal practices. Sees eight to nine patients a day, provides scaling and root planing under local anesthesia and keeps 88% of her patients booked for their next visit before they leave.

Experience

Registered Dental Hygienist, Cherry Creek Dental Care

Aug 2021 – Present · Denver, Colorado

  • Provide cleanings, periodontal charting and X-rays for eight to nine patients a day.
  • Perform scaling and root planing under local anesthesia for patients with gum disease, about 12 quadrants a week.
  • Raised the share of patients who book their next visit before leaving from 71% to 88% by agreeing on a date chairside.
  • Introduced a brief oral cancer screening at every adult visit; three early referrals in two years.

Dental Hygienist, Front Range Periodontics

Jun 2019 – Jul 2021 · Aurora, Colorado

  • Delivered periodontal maintenance for patients after surgery, alternating visits with their general dentists.
  • Placed locally delivered antibiotics and applied desensitizing agents.
  • Taught home care to each patient with models and their own X-rays.

Education

Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene, Community College of Denver

2017 – 2019 · Denver, Colorado

Skills

Prophylaxis, Scaling and root planing, Periodontal charting, Local anesthesia, Digital X-rays, Sealants and fluoride, Oral cancer screening, Eaglesoft

Certifications

  • Registered Dental Hygienist — Colorado Dental Board
  • Local anesthesia permit — Colorado Dental Board
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) — American Heart Association, 2025
An example: Hannah Whitfield is not a real person, and the details show the kind of thing to write rather than a real career. Shown in the Foolscap template. Words that postings for this job often use are marked in yellow.

How do you write a summary for a dental hygienist resume?

Two to four lines at the top that say what you do, for how long, and what you are best at. Here is one for each stage of a career.

  • Entry level

    Dental hygiene graduate who treated more than 120 patients in the college clinic, from children to patients with moderate gum disease. Passed the national board and the clinical exam in 2026 and hold a local anesthesia permit. Gentle, thorough and good at explaining home care.

  • Experienced

    Registered dental hygienist with five years in general practice. Sees eight patients a day, takes digital X-rays, provides periodontal therapy under local anesthesia and builds lasting relationships with patients.

  • Senior

    Lead hygienist with fifteen years in general and periodontal practices. Mentors three hygienists, sets the periodontal protocol for the office and has helped raise hygiene production by a fifth without shortening appointments.

How to write a resume summary, with more examples

What are good bullet points for a dental hygienist resume?

Each starts with a verb and says what was done. Change the details and numbers to your own; a number you cannot explain in an interview is worse than none.

  1. Provided cleanings, exams and periodontal charting for eight patients a day.

  2. Performed scaling and root planing under local anesthesia for patients with periodontitis.

  3. Took and reviewed bitewing, periapical and panoramic X-rays.

  4. Applied sealants and fluoride varnish for children and high-risk adults.

  5. Screened every adult patient for oral cancer and referred suspicious findings.

  6. Explained findings with intraoral photos so patients could see what I saw.

  7. Agreed the next visit with each patient before they left the chair, keeping the recall schedule full.

  8. Recorded probing depths, bleeding and recession at every periodontal visit.

  9. Sharpened and maintained instruments and kept the operatory sterile between patients.

  10. Coached patients on brushing, cleaning between teeth and diet, matched to what their mouths showed.

Which skills should a dental hygienist put on a resume?

Pick the ones the job posting asks for and that you can back up with an example from your work.

Hard skills

  • Prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance
  • Scaling and root planing
  • Periodontal charting
  • Local anesthesia and nitrous oxide monitoring, where permitted
  • Dental radiography
  • Sealants and fluoride
  • Oral cancer screening
  • Ultrasonic and hand instrumentation
  • Practice software (Dentrix, Eaglesoft)

Soft skills

  • Gentle chairside manner
  • Patient education
  • Thoroughness
  • Time management
  • Building trust

Licenses and certifications

  • Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) state license
  • National Board Dental Hygiene Examination
  • Local anesthesia permit
  • Basic Life Support (BLS)

Which keywords belong on a dental hygienist resume?

The words recruiters and applicant tracking systems search for.

  • scaling and root planing
  • periodontal charting
  • local anesthesia
  • X-rays
  • patients a day
  • periodontal maintenance
  • oral cancer screening
  • cleanings

Use the ones that are true for you, written the way the posting writes them, and put each where it shows something you did. A list of keywords with nothing behind it helps nobody. To keep them readable by software, choose an ATS-friendly template, and read how applicant tracking systems read a resume.

What do dentists look for on a hygienist resume?

First, that you are licensed in their state and which permits you hold, since local anesthesia and nitrous oxide rules vary. Second, that you can keep their schedule: patients per day and appointment length.

Third, that patients follow your advice. Rebooking rates, accepted periodontal treatment and recall numbers show that you communicate well, which is hard to prove any other way.

How do you write a dental hygienist resume as a new graduate?

Treat your clinic hours as experience. Give the number of patients you treated, the range of cases and any rotations in public health, pediatric or hospital settings.

List the boards you have passed and the date your license was or will be issued. Practices often hire before the license arrives, as long as the date is clear.

What do healthcare employers look for in a resume?

  • Put your license or registration where it cannot be missed: next to your name or at the top of a certifications section, with the state or country that issued it.
  • Name the setting and its size. A 28-bed surgical unit, a four-dentist practice and a home-care round of nine clients tell a recruiter far more than the job title does.
  • Show safety and accuracy with numbers you can stand behind: patients per shift, audit results, falls, waiting times. Leave out anything that could identify a patient.

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Questions about a dental hygienist resume

Should a hygienist list production numbers?

If you know them and they are good, yes. Daily production or hygiene department growth is a language owners understand. Never guess a figure.

Do temporary and fill-in jobs belong on the resume?

Group them in one entry, for example "Temporary hygienist, various practices", with the dates and the systems you worked with. It shows you adapt quickly.

How long should a dental hygienist resume be?

One page.

Is a photo expected?

Not in the United States or the United Kingdom. Leave it off unless you are applying in a country where photos are usual.

Make this dental hygienist resume yours.

Start from the example, swap in your own jobs and numbers, and switch to any template without retyping a word.

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