Dental Assistant Resume Examples Sure to Work in 2025

Writing a perfect dental assistant resume requires no anesthesia and is less difficult than pulling out a tooth. However, there are some steps you should take to jump into a white apron in your future job!

Read on and learn how to write a dental assistant resume that will land you an interview in no time! I promise it won’t hurt one bit. Ready?

This guide will show you:

• A dental assistant resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a dental assistant resume objective or summary to land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to highlight your achievements and dental assistant skills on a resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a dental assistant to get any job you want.

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We have more examples for other medical fields:

• Dental Hygienist Resume
• Medical Assistant Resume
• Medical Administrative Assistant Resume
• Surgical Tech Resume
• Resident Assistant Resume
• Nursing Student Resume
• Best Resume Examples

Dental Assistant Resume Example

Now, let’s see how to write an equally great dental assistant resume for you:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Dental Assistant Resume

Plan your work before starting it. That will make it easier for you and your patient. The same applies to writing a resume. If you don’t want to spend hours on it and if you want your recruiter to read it easily, start by focusing on what it should look like and what it should consist of. 

Here’s how to format a resume for a dental assistant:

• Select the reverse-chronological resume format, which is the easiest to read, plus it’s preferred by recruiters.
• Outline your dental assistant resume using the following sections:
• Resume Header
• Resume Profile (Summary or Objective)
• Work Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional Sections
• Include your name and up-to-date contact information in the resume header. 
• Use professional resume font. Select 14–16 points for headers and 12 points for the rest of the text.
• Keep 1” resume margins on all sides of the page and 1.15 points line spacing.
• Save your resume in PDF if the job offer doesn’t require a different format.

Pro Tip: Did you know that 87% of all recruiters use LinkedIn as the only way to find new candidates? Always optimize your LinkedIn profile before sending out your resume!

2. Highlight Experience on Your Dental Assistant Resume

Around 54,900 dental assistant job openings are expected each year over the next decade. The employment in your field is expected to grow. You have to make a winning resume to secure not just one of those jobs but a great one! Start by impressing your recruiter with your professional background.

Here’s how to show your work experience on a dental assistant resume:

• Include your job titles, dates worked, and company’s names at each entry.
• Add up to 6 resume bullet points to show your most relevant work experience.
• Start each bullet with an action verb to catch the recruiter’s attention.
• Tailor your resume to answer the requirements of your potential employer better and prove you’re the one they’re looking for.

Dental Assistant Resume—Examples of Responsibilities

As you can clearly see, the first example gives quantifiable achievement in addition to general duties. The second example only lists duties and is, therefore, way more impressive than the first one.

But what if you’re writing an entry-level resume?

Even as a new candidate, you can quickly gain experience for your beginner dental assistant resume. Here’s how:

• Look for volunteer opportunities, even short-term ones. Just a few days of volunteer work can significantly boost your resume.
• Join local associations. Membership in dental or healthcare associations provides great networking opportunities and looks impressive on your resume.
• Show relevant skills. If you lack professional experience, highlight skills like communication, organization, or customer service that are useful in a dental assistant role.

Let’s see how it’s done.

Entry-Level Dental Assistant Resume (With No Experience)

See how impressive that is? And that’s only from a volunteering experience. Add some relevant skills and memberships and you got yourself an interview!

Pro Tip: Focus on your achievements and not on your duties. What you’ve accomplished is way more impressive than what you’ve done as part of your day-to-day responsibilities. 

Making a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a resume ready in minutes.

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3. Show Your Education on a Dental Assistant Resume

Having a well-educated assistant by your side is critical. After all, no dentist wants to explain the difference between a crown and a bridge, or the nuances of a periodontal scaling versus a prophylactic cleaning, during a busy clinic day. Create a great resume education section to prove you’re the right fit.

If you have a lot of relevant experience, simply state: 

• Your degree
• School name and location
• Graduation date

But if you’ve just finished school or still don’t have tons of experience, you might want to add the following:

• Majors and Minors
• Relevant Coursework
• Extracurricular Activities
• High GPA Score (3.5 or higher)
• Cum Laude
• Honor Societies
• Relevant Awards

• Study Abroad

Let’s see what it can look like.

Dental Assistant Resume Examples—Education Section

The first candidate looks great and impressive. It’s relevant, specific, and well-formatted. Can you get any less specific than the candidate from the second example? I don’t think so.

Pro Tip: Write a targeted resume to boost your chances of getting invited for a job interview. It will help you highlight skills and experience that match the specific requirements of the job you’re after. Good targeted resumes are like custom-fit dentures. They must align perfectly for a comfortable and successful result.

4. Choose the Right Dental Assistant Resume Skills

Skill-based hiring is on the rise. That’s one of the reasons you can’t skip this part of your resume. Plus, you can easily implement resume keywords to your document and easily pass the ATS scanners, designed to filter the strongest resumes from the weakest. 

Without further ado, here’s how to create a great resume skills section:

• Carefully study the dental assistant job offer and highlight all the necessary skills.
• Create a list of all your hard and soft skills for a resume you’re writing.
• See which skills overlap. That’s your skills section.

Let’s see a good example of dental assistant skills on a resume.

Dental Assistant Resume—Skills Examples

Here's a short list of real-world dental assistant resume skills to get you started:

Dental Assistant Skills for Resumes—Examples

Build skills into your dental assistant resume using the steps above, and dentists will be forming a queue to hire you!

Looking for more inspiration? Visit our article: Best Employability Skills

5. Add Extra Sections to Your Dental Assistant Resume

There are some more sections to put on your resume. Their goal is to distinguish you the most from other candidates. So choose your additional sections wisely. The key? Keep them as relevant to the job you’re after as possible.

Here are the extra sections you can add:

• Certifications and licenses
• Hobbies and interests
• Volunteer work
• Freelance work
• Language skills
• Conferences
• Association memberships

Let’s see two examples of how it’s done.

Dental Assistant Resume Examples—Extra Sections

The first candidate lists specific things that can be useful for every dentist. The second one lists irrelevant hobbies. Even though the languages section looks impressive, there are no proficiency levels, which makes it questionable: can this candidate really speak that many languages? 

No dentist will ever invite the second candidate over for an interview to find out. There’s simply no time!

Pro Tip: Not sure what credentials are required in your state? The American Dental Association (ADA) has a page on dental assistant education and certification.

6. Write a Dental Assistant Resume Objective or Resume Summary

Time for your resume profile. That’s right, you want to write it last. Everything you can include here is already on your resume. So it’s time to write a resume objective or a resume summary. 

What’s the difference between these two?

• Write a resume summary if you have a lot of relevant experience to convince the reader you’re the perfect fit. 
• Write a career objective if you have little to no experience. Focus on your career goals and not on your professional background.

Take a look at these formulas to help you write your resume profile:

• Dental Assistant’s Resume Summary

• Dental Assistant’s Resume Objective

Let’s see some examples.

Dental Assistant Resume—Summary Examples

The first example screams professionalism. See how these numbers stand out, catch attention, and impress. The other example is the opposite. Any dental assistant could have written it.

Dental Assistant Resume—Objective Examples

Despite not having much experience, the first candidate proves to keep track of their achievements and understand them well. Once again, the second candidate is not worth an interview due to how generic and unimpressive it all sounds.

Pro Tip: Are you wondering how long your resume should be? A one-page resume is usually enough, but if you have a lot of experience, you can also write a two-page resume.

7. Write a Cover Letter for Your Dental Assistant Resume 

Wondering if a cover letter is necessary? Adding it to your resume might only boost your chances of getting hired. Especially since even 83% of employers want to see it attached to your resume. Don’t take that chance and attach it to your resume.

Here’s how to write a dental assistant cover letter:

• Format your cover letter properly and make sure its template is consistent with your resume.
• Open your cover letter with the recruiter’s name. Avoid the “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam.”
• Start with your most impressive achievement and skills that answer the job requirements the most.
• Prove you fully understand the job in the middle paragraph by talking more about your skills and achievements.
• Explain how the company will benefit from hiring you.
• Tease something they might find interesting at the end of your cover letterand offer a date for an interview.

Want to know more about writing a great cover letter? Visit our guide: How to Write a Cover Letter

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Key Takeaway

Your dental assistant resume is ready. Time for a quick recap:

• Use a reverse-chronological format with a professional font, and structure sections for header, work experience, education, and skills. Save as a PDF unless instructed otherwise.
• Focus on achievements over duties, using action verbs and quantifying impact. Include volunteer work and relevant skills if you lack experience.
• List degree, school, and graduation date in education. For entry-level, add coursework, honors, and extracurriculars.
• Match skills to job requirements, balancing hard and soft skills like patient care, X-rays, and communication.
• Stand out with relevant certifications, volunteer work, awards, and memberships.
• Write a resume profile last: use a summary if experienced, an objective if entry-level, emphasizing key achievements and skills.
• Include a cover letter tailored to the job, showcasing achievements and how you’ll add value.

Do you have questions or tips about creating a professional dental assistant resume? Please let me know in the comments section below!

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Sources

• Recruiter Flow: "How to Recruit on LinkedIn – 10 Free Strategies for 2024”
• Bureau Of Labor Statistics: Dental Assistants
• Joseph B. Fuller, Christina Langer, Matthew Sigelman, "Skills-Based Hiring Is on the Rise"
• ADA Resources: Dental Team Education
• Arcadia University: "Is a Cover Letter Necessary in 2022? Do I Need a Cover Letter?"