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Dental assistant extern resume examples from 2026

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Updated March 26, 2025
6 min read
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How to write a dental assistant extern resume

Craft a resume summary statement

Put a resume summary on the top of your resume to highlight your accomplishments. A resume summary sums up your experience and skills, making it easy for hiring managers to understand your qualifications at a glance. Here are some tips to write a strong, impressive resume summary:

Step 1: Mention your current job title or the role you're pursuing.

Step 2: Include your years of experience in dental assistant extern-related roles. Consider adding relevant company and industry experience as relevant to the job listing.

Step 3: Highlight your greatest accomplishments. Here is your chance to make sure your biggest wins aren't buried in your resume.

Step 4: Again, keep it short. Your goal is to summarize your experience and highlight your accomplishments, not write a paragraph.

These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some dental assistant extern interviews.

Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.

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List the right project manager skills

Your Skills section is an easy way to let recruiters know you have the skills to do the job. Just as importantly, it can help your resume not get filtered out by hiring software. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:

  1. Look at the job listing and skills listed. You need to include the exact keywords from the job description to get your resume in front of an actual human. Do you have those skills? Fantastic! Be sure to list them.
  2. Include as many relevant hard or technical dental assistant extern skills as possible for each job you apply to.
  3. Be specific with the skills you have and be sure you are using the most up to date and accurate terms.
These five steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some dental assistant extern interviews.

Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a dental assistant extern resume:

  • Patients
  • Dental Procedures
  • Patient Care
  • Instrument Trays
  • Infection Control
  • Exam Rooms
  • Vital Signs
  • Oral Hygiene
  • Front Desk
  • Chair Side Assistance
  • Dental Instruments
  • Digital X-Rays
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Treatment Rooms
  • Oral Health
  • Dental Assistants
  • Oral Surgery
  • Alginate Impressions
  • Blood Pressure
  • Amalgam
  • Patient Charts
  • Eaglesoft
  • CPR
  • Root Canals
  • Study Casts
  • Medical History
  • Patient Education
  • Instrument Sterilization
  • Dental Materials
  • Dental Equipment

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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How to structure your work experience

A work experience section is a vital part of your resume because it shows you have the experience to succeed in your next job.

  1. Put your most recent experience first. Prospective employers care about your most recent accomplishments the most.
  2. Put the job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
  3. Include only recent, relevant jobs. This means if you're a fairly experienced worker, you might need to leave off that first internship or other positions in favor of highlighting more pertinent positions.

How to write dental assistant extern experience bullet points

Your resume is not a list of responsibilities or a job description. Instead, it is your chance to show your accomplishments and show why you're good at what you do.

  • Use the What, How, and Why format. Answering these questions turns a bland job description into an effective showcase of your abilities.
  • What were your responsibilities or goals?
  • How did you accomplish them?
  • Why were your results important? (How did it impact your company? Can you quantify the results in numbers? )

Here are effective examples from dental assistant extern resumes:

Work history example #1

Dental Assistant/Receptionist

CNA Financial

  • Worked in the orthodontic department as a RDA.
  • Utilized knowledge of CPR, when complications arose with clients' breathing, and gave them oxygen.
  • Assisted dentists with four-handed dentistry, handing instruments and materials in anticipation of procedures.
  • Assisted doctor with all general dentistry tasks, including oral surgery, denture fabrication, dental implants.
  • Scheduled patient appointments and facilitated communication between the medical staff and Spanish-speaking patients/family members.

Work history example #2

Care Taker

Caregivers

  • Provided high-quality elder care, companionship, meal preparation, & coordinated medication schedules
  • Provided companionship and safety monitoring for an elderly consumer in his home.
  • Provided home health care for elderly including medication supervision, transportation to appointments, and companionship.
  • Required to be certified in adult CPR as well as certification as a medication aid.
  • Provided companionship, social engagement, mental stimulation and enjoyable activities.

Work history example #3

Dental Assistant Extern

Pacific Dental Services

  • Cleaned each operatory in accordance with the American Dental Association guidelines.
  • Practiced in an atmosphere where high dexterity is required.
  • Supervised all dental assistants and staff and associate dentists to make sure correct OSHA guidelines were followed.
  • Updated all OSHA & HIPPA requirements.

Work history example #4

Dental Assistant Extern

Smiles Dental Care

  • Assisted the dentist with general dentistry on children specifically *Handled all complaints and patient care with guardian *Sterilization *Maintained equipment maintenance
  • Worked with Patterson EagleSoft products to file, store and organize records.
  • Assisted the hygienist with periodontal charting.
  • Instructed Dental Students *Chair side and Instruments *CPR Certified *OSHA Standards *Radiology Certified Anatomy and Anesthesiology
  • fillingOrdered all inventory and all lab workComplied with all OSHA standards

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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Add an education section to your resume

Employers are looking for a few things when looking at the Education section of your resume:
  • The highest degree you have achieved.
  • TWhere you attended school, and the dates (Although if you graduated some time ago, leave the date off to avoid ageism)
  • TField of study
  • TAny honors, relevant coursework, achievements, or pertinent activities

Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:

Some College Courses in dental assisting

Indiana University South Bend, South Bend, IN

2018 - 2018

Some College Courses in dental assisting

Concorde Career College, Memphis, TN

2015 - 2015

Highlight your dental assistant extern certifications on your resume

Certifications can be a crucial part of your resume. Many jobs have required certifications.

Include the full name of the certification, along with the name of the issuing organization and date of obtainment.

Here are some of the best certifications to have on dental assistant extern resumes:

  1. Dental Assistant (RDA)
  2. Certified Dental Technician
  3. Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
  4. Medical Assistant
  5. Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
  6. Certified Dental Assistant - Coronal Polish (CP)
  7. Certified Dental Assistant - Radiation Health and Safety (RHS)
  8. Certified Dental Assistant - Sealants (SE)
  9. Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)

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