Healthcare

Dental Hygienist resume example & template

A dental hygienist resume for an RDH with seven years in group practice. It opens with licensure and anesthesia certification, then shows daily schedule, periodontal work and treatment acceptance in numbers an office manager recognizes.

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License, NBDHE, clinical board and anesthesia permits are grouped for fast verification.
Schedule and case mix are specific: patients per day, SRP cases per month, age range.
Findings go to the dentist for diagnosis, which keeps every bullet inside hygiene scope.

Hannah Vang

Registered Dental Hygienist, RDH · General and Periodontal Maintenance

Minneapolis, MN(612) 555-0184hannah.vang@email.comlinkedin.com/in/hannahvangrdh

Summary

Licensed dental hygienist with 7 years in multi-provider group practice, certified in local anesthesia and nitrous oxide. Sees 8 to 9 patients a day from age 3 to 90, with a heavy periodontal maintenance and SRP schedule.

Experience

Dental Hygienist · Park DentalApr 2021 – Present

Minneapolis, MN

Saw 8 to 9 patients a day on a 60-minute schedule in a 3-dentist, 4-hygienist office.
Recorded 6-point periodontal charting on every adult new patient and recare, flagging bleeding and 5 mm+ pockets for the dentist's diagnosis.
Completed about 12 quadrant-based scaling and root planing cases a month, giving infiltration and inferior alveolar blocks.
Showed patients intraoral camera photos at chairside; accepted SRP treatment plans in my column rose from 48% to 63% in 2024.
Took FMX, bitewings and panoramic images on digital sensors, retaking under 2% of images in the 2025 office audit.
Administered nitrous oxide for anxious adults and children under the dentist's general supervision.

Dental Hygienist · HealthPartners Dental GroupJul 2019 – Mar 2021

Bloomington, MN

Floated across 3 clinics, treating 7 to 8 patients a day and adapting to each office's charting and sterilization routine.
Placed sealants and fluoride varnish for pediatric recall patients, averaging 40 sealants a month.

Education

A.S. Dental Hygiene · Normandale Community CollegeMay 2019

Skills

Clinical: Prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance, Scaling and root planing, Local anesthesia (infiltration, IANB), Nitrous oxide, Sealants and fluoride varnish, Ultrasonic and hand instrumentation

Assessment and imaging: Periodontal charting, Oral cancer screening, Digital radiography (FMX, BWX, pano), Intraoral camera

Systems: Dentrix, Eaglesoft, CDT codes (D1110, D4341, D4342, D4910)

Certifications

Dental Hygienist License, Minnesota Board of Dentistry · National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE), JCNDE, 2019 · CRDTS Dental Hygiene Clinical Examination, 2019 · Local Anesthesia and Nitrous Oxide Certification, Minnesota Board of Dentistry · BLS Provider, American Heart Association

How to write a dental hygienist resume

What hiring teams in this field actually screen for, and the terms that get matched.

What dental offices screen for

Office managers and dentists check licensure first, then whether you can run their schedule without slowing the doctor down. Give patients per day, the appointment length you work on, and the mix of prophy, periodontal maintenance and SRP. Anesthesia certification matters in states where hygienists give blocks, because it frees the dentist. Offices also watch treatment acceptance, so one honest number showing how you present periodontal findings is worth more than a paragraph about chairside manner.

Credentials and terms that get matched

List the state license and board, the NBDHE from the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, and your clinical board (ADEX, CRDTS or a state exam). Add local anesthesia and nitrous oxide certification with the issuing board, plus BLS. Postings commonly screen for periodontal charting, scaling and root planing, digital radiography, oral cancer screening, sealants, and practice software such as Dentrix, Eaglesoft or Open Dental. CDT code familiarity helps in offices where hygienists enter their own codes.

Common mistakes on dental hygienist resumes

Hygiene resumes often read as a list of tasks every RDH performs. Replace them with your schedule, case mix and results. A second mistake is wording that crosses scope, such as "diagnosed periodontitis" or "created treatment plans"; you assess, chart and present findings, and the dentist diagnoses. Also check that your anesthesia and nitrous permits match the state you are applying in, since a certificate from one state does not always transfer to another.

Dental Hygienist resume FAQ

Quick answers before you start writing.

What should a dental hygienist resume include?

A strong dental hygienist resume opens with a concise professional summary, then work experience written as quantified, results-first bullets, followed by education, a skills section, and any certifications. The example above shows each section in order.

What skills should a dental hygienist resume highlight?

Lead with the skills the job posting asks for. For a dental hygienist, recruiters and ATS filters commonly look for Prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance, Scaling and root planing, Local anesthesia (infiltration, IANB), Nitrous oxide, Sealants and fluoride varnish, and Ultrasonic and hand instrumentation. Group them so they are easy to scan.

Is this dental hygienist resume template ATS-friendly?

Yes. It uses a single-column structure, standard section headings, real text (no text trapped in images), and no tables or graphics that confuse applicant-tracking systems, so it parses cleanly while still looking polished.

How long should a dental hygienist resume be?

One page is ideal for most dental hygienists. Use two pages only if you have ten or more years of directly relevant experience, then tune the text size and margins so it stays clean.

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