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Dental Hygienist Resume Example

A dental hygienist resume must prove chairside productivity and patient-education outcomes, since dental group ATS systems filter on licensure, radiography certification, and daily patient-volume keywords.

Dental Hygienist Resume Sample

A complete, recruiter-approved example you can use as a starting point. Open it in the builder to edit every line.

Dental Hygienist resume example rendered in the Professional template
Built with the Professional template

JOSHUA POWELL

Registered Dental Hygienist

Sacramento, CA · j.powell@email.com · (555) 901-2678

Summary

Licensed dental hygienist with 6 years in high-volume general and cosmetic practices. Sees 10-12 patients daily for prophylaxis and periodontal therapy, with a recall compliance rate 20% above practice average.

Experience

Dental Hygienist · Aspen Dental

2020 - Present

  • Perform prophylaxis, periodontal charting, and scaling/root planing for 10-12 patients daily
  • Drove a 20% increase in patient recall compliance through personalized home-care education
  • Generate $4,500+ in weekly hygiene production, consistently exceeding office targets
  • Mentor two new hygienists on periodontal charting protocol and Dentrix documentation standards

Dental Hygienist · Pacific Dental Services

2017 - 2020

  • Administered digital radiography and fluoride treatments for 8-10 patients daily
  • Identified and referred 50+ periodontal cases annually for specialist treatment
  • Applied sealants to 300+ pediatric patients per year through a school outreach program

Dental Assistant · Sierra Family Dental Group

2015 - 2017

  • Assisted two dentists chairside through 25+ restorative and crown procedures each week
  • Sterilized instruments and prepared 6 operatories daily under OSHA bloodborne pathogen rules
  • Captured bitewing and panoramic radiographs, charting 400+ active patients in Dentrix

Education

Associate of Science, Dental HygieneSacramento City College · 2017

Skills

RDH Licensed, Prophylaxis, Periodontal Charting, Scaling and Root Planing, Digital Radiography, Local Anesthesia Certified, Dentrix, Patient Education, Sealants, OSHA Compliance

Certifications

Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) License, Dental Hygiene Board of California

Local Anesthesia and Nitrous Oxide Certification, Dental Hygiene Board of California

BLS for Healthcare Providers, American Heart Association

Key Achievements

Named Hygienist of the Year at Aspen Dental Sacramento for 2023 production and retention

Presented a periodontal screening in-service to 30 staff at the 2022 regional practice meeting

Must-Have Keywords for Dental Hygienist Resumes

These are the keywords ATS systems and recruiters search for. Include them naturally in your Skills, Summary, and Experience sections.

RDH LicenseProphylaxisPeriodontal ChartingDigital RadiographyScaling and Root PlaningPatient EducationLocal Anesthesia CertifiedDentrixInfection ControlFluoride TreatmentSealantsOSHA Compliance

The Right Resume Structure for Dental Hygienist Roles

ATS systems parse your resume top to bottom. The order of your sections matters — here is the order that works best for Dental Hygienist applications:

  1. 1Contact Information
  2. 2Licensure & Certifications (RDH, Radiography)
  3. 3Professional Summary
  4. 4Clinical Experience
  5. 5Skills (Clinical | Software | Compliance)
  6. 6Education
  7. 7Continuing Education

ATS Optimization Tips for Dental Hygienist Resumes

  • Lead with your RDH license and state radiography/anesthesia certifications — hard filters for dental postings.
  • Quantify daily patient volume: "Performed prophylaxis and periodontal charting for 10-12 patients daily".
  • Show case-acceptance or treatment-plan outcomes if you track them — offices care about production numbers.
  • List specific procedures (SRP, sealants, fluoride varnish) as individual keywords, not bundled phrases.
  • Name your practice management software (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental).
  • Mention any local anesthesia or nitrous oxide certification separately since not all states require it.
  • Highlight patient education and retention — offices value hygienists who build recall compliance.

Ready to Build Your Dental Hygienist Resume?

Start from this pre-filled Dental Hygienist example — it already has the right keywords, format, and structure. Edit every line in the builder.