How to hire a dental receptionist

How to hire a dental receptionist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step dental receptionist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a dental receptionist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new dental receptionist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a dental receptionist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a dental receptionist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect dental receptionist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of dental receptionists.

   Type of Dental Receptionist	Description	Hourly rate
   Dental Receptionist	Receptionists perform administrative tasks, such as answering phones, receiving visitors, and providing general information about their organization to the public and customers.	$12-20
   Patient Service Representative	A Patient Service Representative is responsible for coordinating with patients, ensuring accuracy and satisfaction at all times. The duties of a Patient Service Representative revolves around greeting and responding to patients, offering assistance in documentation, gathering and maintaining their personal information, and even communicating with the family or guardian... Show more	$12-18
   Front Office Clerk	A front office clerk performs various administrative and secretarial duties, including welcoming and greeting clients and visitors, answering telephone calls, and managing the office budget. You will be responsible for monitoring, organizing, and forwarding emails and maintaining files and records... Show more	$12-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Phone Calls
   • Patient Accounts
   • Front Desk
   • HMO
   • Data Entry
   • Dental Insurance
   • Check-In
   • Insurance Verification
   • Insurance Claims
   • Insurance Eligibility
   • Dental Appointments
   • Insurance Forms

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage an adjoining veterinary supply shop that sell medications, animal food and pet equipment.
   • Perform administrative and receptionist duties by managing patient records while staying in compliance with HIPAA and JCAHO.
   • Manage Eaglesoft system thereby maximizing and balancing the calendar of appointments to drive practice revenue while maintaining optimal practice productivity.
   • Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
   • Register new patients according to office protocol using EagleSoft.
   • Experience in PPO and some HMO insurances.

   More dental receptionist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your dental receptionist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A dental receptionist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, dental receptionists' average salary in alabama is 44% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level dental receptionists earn 36% less than senior-level dental receptionists.
   • Certifications. A dental receptionist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a dental receptionist's salary.

   Average dental receptionist salary

   $16.52hourly

   $34,359 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level dental receptionist salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average dental receptionist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$41,867	$20
   2	Massachusetts	$41,468	$20
   3	New York	$41,358	$20
   4	District of Columbia	$40,783	$20
   5	Minnesota	$40,635	$20
   6	California	$38,784	$19
   7	Connecticut	$38,746	$19
   8	Michigan	$37,696	$18
   9	Illinois	$37,399	$18
   10	Virginia	$36,393	$18
   11	New Jersey	$36,154	$17
   12	Arizona	$35,462	$17
   13	Missouri	$35,186	$17
   14	Florida	$34,838	$17
   15	Indiana	$34,366	$17
   16	Montana	$33,903	$16
   17	Pennsylvania	$33,310	$16
   18	North Carolina	$33,127	$16
   19	Texas	$32,896	$16

   Average dental receptionist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of Southern California	$42,159	$20.27	3
   2	Hess	$40,110	$19.28	3
   3	United Dental Group	$37,057	$17.82	41
   4	The Family Health Centers of Asheville	$36,945	$17.76	26
   5	United Health Centers Of The San Joaquin Valley	$36,912	$17.75	10
   6	Generations Family Health Center	$36,508	$17.55
   7	La Jolla Pharmaceutical	$36,505	$17.55	3
   8	da Vinci Dental Studios	$36,490	$17.54
   9	Clinica Sierra Vista	$36,384	$17.49	12
   10	GPAC	$36,293	$17.45
   11	St. Vincent de Paul	$36,094	$17.35
   12	Covenant Community Care	$36,048	$17.33	3
   13	Bluestem Health	$36,039	$17.33	5
   14	Project Home, Inc.	$36,031	$17.32
   15	HealthSource of Ohio	$35,970	$17.29	21
   16	Smile Brands	$35,933	$17.28	91
   17	Anthony L. Jordan Health	$35,880	$17.25	10
   18	Healthpoint	$35,568	$17.10	6
   19	American Dental Association	$35,261	$16.95	58
   20	Hampton Roads Community Health Center	$35,171	$16.91

4. Writing a dental receptionist job description

   A dental receptionist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a dental receptionist job description:

   Dental receptionist job description example

   Assist patients to effectively utilize dental services and perform a variety of general clerical duties. Handle all billing activities of the department.
   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
   Greet clients and answer phones courteously for the clinic. Direct clients to appropriate services as needed. Explain NEMS' system and clinic services to new clients. Direct and escort clients to assigned operatories. Handle schedules/appointments for patients and clinic providers. Keep track of DentiCal or insurance authorization and schedule appointment accordingly. Handle dental records: filing appropriate information in dental charts and in NextGen system, file X-rays, request charts from Medical Department as needed, prep charts and superbills for scheduled clients. Obtain Denti-Cal / Medi-Cal stickers from clients. Verify Denti-Cal eligibility. Handle cash register, check client's balance and obtain payment from responsible party. Prepare and audit charge and receipt summary at the end of the day make corrections to data entry if needed. Handle daily clerical duties: typing, filing, office supplies, receiving and sorting mail, etc. Handle/process/file all type of billing in the department, including Medi-Cal / Denti-Cal, Medicare, and private insurance. Performs other job duties as required by manager/supervisor.
   
   QUALIFICATIONS:
   Minimum high school degree and at least 2 years of similar work experience. Prior training and experience in dental insurance billing is preferred. Knowledge of dental terminology and ability to read radiographs to facilitate insurance billing is highly preferred. Ability to handle computer data entry (NextGen). Current documentation of Basic Life Support is required.
   
   LANGUAGE:
   Must be able to fluently speak, read and write English. Fluent Chinese speaker (Cantonese and Mandarin) required Fluent in other languages are an asset.
   
   STATUS:
   
   This is an FLSA Non-exempt position.
   This is not an OSHA high-risk position.
   
   NEMS is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer welcoming diversity in our workforce. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
   
   NEMS BENEFITS: Competitive benefits, including free medical, dental and vision insurance for employee, spouse and/or children; and company contribution to 401(k).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find dental receptionists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your dental receptionist job on Zippia to find and recruit dental receptionist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit dental receptionists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new dental receptionist

   Once you've decided on a perfect dental receptionist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new dental receptionist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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