Dentist CV Examples, Guide & Expert Tips
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As a dentist, you have excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and a passion for helping people achieve optimal oral health. Your CV for a dentist should be a reflection of your achievements and qualifications.
We’ve created this guide to help you write a new dentist CV or update your existing one. We’ll show you how to make the most of your critical thinking skills and display your dental knowledge and business acumen to get the job you want.
Entry-Level Dentist CV
Mid-Level Dentist CV
Experienced Dentist CV
Start by editing this dentist CV template sample or browse our 40+ CV templates to find the best one for you.
Dentist CV sample (text version)
Jacinda Blackwell
Glendale, CA 90039
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Summary Statement
Dedicated dentist with over ten years of experience in the dental field. Passionate about educating patients on the importance of oral hygiene. Committed to providing the best patient care through communication and high-quality service. Experience in working with children, adolescents, and adults, as well as those who suffer from dental anxiety. Skilled team player who understands the importance of collaborative care for the best treatment outcomes for patients. Devoted to remaining up to date on the latest techniques to provide the highest level of patient care possible.
Core Qualifications
- Preventive care
- Infection control protocols
- Anesthetic administration
- Tooth extraction
- Sealant applications
- Electronic record management
- Compassion
- Patience
Education
- University of California – Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
Doctor of Dental Surgery Dentistry - University of California – Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Science Biology
Work Experience
November 2019 – Current
West Coast Dental Services – Los Angeles, CA
Lead Dentist
- Develop treatment programs for patients suffering from periodontal disease, tooth decay, TMJ and other dental issues.
- Provide patient education on at-home oral hygiene that includes brushing and flossing to prevent future problems.
- Check an average of 40 patients per week and examine teeth, gums and the surrounding tissue, using appropriate instruments and equipment to look for signs of abnormalities.
- Lead a team of 10 dental staff members and establish innovative safety policies and procedures, resulting in 55% of performance improvement.
September 2012 – October 2019
River Dentistry – Los Angeles, CA
Dentist
- Received over 98% positive patient satisfaction scores on post-visit surveys.
- Reviewed patient x-rays and charts to understand patient health history and current complaints for better care.
- Collaborated with oral surgeons, periodontists, dental hygienists and other members of the team for enhanced patient care.
- Completed paperwork, recognized discrepancies and promptly addressed them for resolution.
June 2010 – August 2012
Pacific Dental Services – Los Angeles, CA
Assistant Dentist
- Diagnosed dental diseases based upon patient history, physical examination, X-rays, and other information.
- Developed enhanced patient care for those who suffered from dental anxiety for better patient satisfaction and retention.
- Recognized as the “Dentist of the Month” based on patient satisfaction scores three times.
- Treated an average of 20 patients weekly on an emergency basis to repair cracked/ split teeth and cavities.
Conference Presentations
- “Why Do We Have to Keep an Eye on Gum Deceases?”, Dental Summit – (2021)
- Dentistry, Health and Esthetics Conference – (2019)
- Five Steps for Effective Preventive Care – (2017)
- “The Importance of a Good Dental Hygiene”, Roosevelt Elementary School – (2016)
- “What to Ask Your Dentist”, Grant Elementary School – (2015)
Conference Attendance
- California Dental Association Spring Convention, Anaheim, CA – (2022)
- CDA Presents: The Art and Science of Dentistry, Anaheim, CA – (2022)
- American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA) Annual Session – (2021)
- AAOSH Hot Topics, Virtual – (2021)
- National Dental Association Annual Convention – (2019)
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
- California Dental Association – (2021)
- Los Angeles Dental Society – (2019)
- American Dental Association – (2018)
- American Student Dental Association – (2012)
Certifications and Licenses
- Infection Control Certification (CIC) – (Updated 2022)
- California Dental Licensure – (Updated 2021)
- Board Certified in Dental Anesthesiology – (2019)
- Certification in Laser Dentistry – (2018)
- CPR / First aid Red Cross Certification – (2017)
Profession Relevant Skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills for enhanced and effective patient care.
- Familiar with several charting and recording software programs.
- Exceptional critical thinking and analytical skills, enhancing the ability to diagnose problems and find solutions.
- Solid background in dentistry, including cosmetic dentistry, with the ability to provide patients with several options for treatment.
- Excellent leadership abilities and attention to detail to minimize oversight and mistakes to reduce unnecessary expenses for the practice and the patient.
- Expertise in prophylaxis, teeth cleaning, root canals, crowns and extractions.
- Accommodating when helping patients overcome dental fears by displaying patience and compassion.
Languages
- English
Native or Bilingual - Spanish
Limited Working
Hobbies and Interests
I am an avid yogi and enjoy spending time outdoors. I am also highly involved in a local after-school program that helps at-risk youth. I coach my son’s little league baseball team and my daughter’s youth soccer team. I also provide regular dental hygiene education courses at the local schools.
5 essentials of a top dentist CV
Contact details
Create a section at the top of your CV for your contact information, like our CV sample for a dentist. This section is important for the recruiter or hiring manager because they need to be able to reach you for an interview if you’re selected. The standard way to display your contact information is as follows: your full name, then your city, state and ZIP code, followed by your phone number and professional email address. If you have a LinkedIn profile and professional website, add those too.
Personal statement
A personal statement, also called a professional summary, is a compelling paragraph in your dentist CV consisting of three to five sentences introducing you to the hiring manager. Include best your expertise, strongest job-relevant skill, how long you have been in the industry, and one or two of your most notable professional accomplishments.
For example:
Experienced dentist with 10 years+ of experience in providing exceptional dental care to patients. Strong diagnostic skills and proficiency in a wide range of dental procedures, such as root canals, dental implants, and oral surgeries. Achieved a 25% increase in patient retention rates by implementing a patient-centered approach to dental care.
Skills
The skills section of a CV is one of the most important pieces of your job application. Display your job-relevant skills with bullet points to make them easy to read. Include a mix of hard skills, like patient assessment, diagnosis and infection control, and soft skills, like cultural competency, foreign languages and attention to detail, as demonstrated by our dentist CV sample. If you are applying for your first dentist job, include transferable skills. These are a must-have addition to a first-time dentist CV.
Work history
A detailed employment history section is essential in a CV for a dentist. In reverse-chronological order, display your current and previous employers, along with company names, locations and dates worked. Under each position, add three bullet points of measurable achievements. For example:
- Successfully performed 100+ complex dental procedures, including root canals, dental implants, and oral surgeries, with a 98% success rate.
- Developed and delivered a series of oral health education seminars for local schools, reaching over 1,000 students and improving community awareness of dental health.
- Achieved a 90% case acceptance rate by effectively communicating treatment options to patients and addressing their concerns, resulting in a 20% increase in revenue for the practice
If you don’t have work experience in the field or if this is your first job application, mention relevant extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, community service and professional and personal projects.
Education
A CV for a dentist job must include your academic career. Use bullet points to list all your postsecondary education. Include the name of the school, degree and year of graduation, if it’s under a decade. Add any relevant coursework, projects, research and relevant membership organization, like the American Student Dental Association (ASDA). Be concise but thorough.
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Action words for an effective dentist CV
Action words add impact to a CV because they tell the hiring manager exactly what you have done in your role in past experiences.
Here’s a short list of great action words for a dentist CV:
- Examine
- Diagnose
- Develop
- Review
- Provide
- Collaborate
- Analyze
- Treat
- Implement
- Communicate
- Council
- Organize
- Network
Need to create the perfect CV now? Our CV Maker has all the tools you need to craft a professional dentist CV in minutes! You can make edits on the fly, download your finished CV and save it as a PDF, .doc or plain text. It just doesn’t get any easier!
Top skills for a dentist CV
Review the job description carefully and match the required skills to the ones that fit you.
Your skills as a dentist might include the following:
- Compassion
- Business acumen
- Positivity
- Patience
- Verbal communication
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Leadership
- Customer service
- Prophylaxis
- Teeth cleaning
- Root canals
- Crowns
- Extractions
Certifications for a dentist CV
In the United States, dentists need a state license to practice. They are not required to be certified, but voluntary certifications are available. These include:
Pair your CV with a matching cover letter
Dentist CV FAQ
What to include in a dentist CV
Like our dentist CV sample, your document must always include five primary sections:
- Contact information
- Personal statement
- Skills
- Job history
- Education
After that, your CV can include any number of sections, including:
- Professional memberships or associations
- Presentations
- Publications
- Certifications and licenses
- Volunteer experience
- Related hobbies and interests
The easiest way to determine what sections to add to your CV and how to fill them out is by reviewing the essential requirements of the job description. First add the necessary job requirements and then choose what additional information could catch the eye of a prospective employer. If you’re unsure as to where to begin, use the dentist CV example on this page for guidance.
What’s the best CV format for a dentist?
The best CV for a dentist format is one that shows your qualifications in the best light. There is actually no set format for CVs. As long as you start with your bold, professional header and include the basic sections, you can move each section as you see fit. Starting out your career? Move your education to the top. Looking to incorporate specialized areas? Show your career history first, starting with your most recent position. Tailor your dentist CV for each role you apply for.
What are some tips for creating an excellent CV for a dentist job?
- When you detail your work history, use action verbs to start the statement, such as “treated,” “administered,” “examined,” “researched” and “coordinated.”
- Your dentist CV is not the place to discuss personal issues or detail why you left a position. Although you can demonstrate your character and personality through your CV, it is important that it remains professional.
- Include any quantifiable metrics when you discuss your skills, accomplishments, and work history. This might include the number of patients treated or clinic growth.
- Stress your interpersonal communication skills associated with your capacity to provide excellent patient care.
- Focus on your personal summary statement, as this is the place where you will hook the hiring manager. Highlight your experience and skills.
- Don’t forget to include your proficiency with technology, equipment and computer programs, especially those specific to dentistry.
- Make sure to proofread your dentist CV several times. You do not want to miss out on a job opportunity due to typos and errors in your document.
What technical skills should you put on a dentist CV?
Your technology knowledge plays a vital part in securing the job you desire. Advancements in the dental industry are ongoing. You want to show hiring managers that you’re up- o date on the latest developments in your field. List all the medical devices, techniques, computer programs and equipment you use. This can range from X-ray machines and drills to lasers and digital scanners. Additionally, show your level of expertise with statements such as “Proficient with X, Y and Z.” When listing any software, such as charting and recording applications, state the version that you use. To learn more, review examples of CVs for dentists.
Do’s and don’ts for building a CV for a dentist job
- Use measurable achievements to describe your dentist skills and experience.
- Use action words to make an impact on your dentist CV.
- Tailor your CV to your target dentist job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your dentist CV.
- Format your dentist CV so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your dentist experience and skills.
- Boast about your incomparable dentist abilities.
- Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience that do not pertain to being a dentist.
- Forget to proofread. A dentist CV with errors is unprofessional and will be discarded.
Top 4 tips for acing a dentist interview
Learn about the company before your interview.
It’s vital to take the time to learn about the company’s history, goals, values and people before the interview. Being able to show that you have in-depth knowledge about your potential employer shows genuine interest, dedication and commitment — traits that hiring managers look for in every job candidate they talk to. Plus, having a glimpse of the company culture will give you an idea of what to expect on arrival so that you can feel confident.
Practice at home.
Practice! Practice! Practice! It does make a difference. Start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- How do you determine priorities when scheduling your time?
- How would you describe your leadership skills?
- Why did you choose this career?
Write down possible answers as you review potential questions, then ask a friend or relative to help you perform a mock interview so you can get comfortable with the questions and keep the answers in your mind. Ask your interview partner for a review and work on improving your weaknesses. You’ll feel confident and ready when it’s time for the real thing.
Be proactive and ask questions.
Your interviewer will ask if you have any questions at the end of your session. You should always have at least three questions ready to ask; job candidates who don’t ask questions are not as likely to get hired because hiring managers assume they aren’t interested in the role or haven’t put much thought into it.
Some questions you might ask for a dentist job are:
- What are the prospects for growth in this position?
- Could you elaborate on the daily duties and patient demographic?
- How many clients can I expect per month?
- What are the biggest challenges a new dentist in this office can expect?
- How do you support professional development and continuing education?
Gather references.
You’ll need professional references quickly if the hiring manager offers you the job after the interview. Preparing them will save you stress and time, so have a list of two former colleagues and a former manager willing to speak to your abilities and give you an exceptional review. And if they can write a letter of recommendation for you, even better!
If you are applying for your first full-time job and don’t have former colleagues or a manager for reference, ask a former instructor, volunteer coordinator, classmate or community leader who can vouch for your character and skills.
Resume examples for the next step in your dentistry career
Cover letter examples for the next step in your dentistry career
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Since 2013, we have helped more than 15 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupation Outlook Handbook Dentists
- Student Dental Association Writing your CV
- University of California San Francisco. Office of Career and Professional Development. Dentistry CVs and Cover Letters Dentistry CVs and Cover Letters
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Dentist CV Example
Kellie is a Certified Professional Resume Writer with extensive experience in digital media. She is passionate about helping job seekers navigate their careers. She earned a B.A. in English and writing from Temple University.
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