Top 12 Orthodontic Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume

Landing a role as an orthodontic assistant takes a nimble mix of chairside finesse, infection control know‑how, digital savvy, and a warm touch with patients. A resume that spotlights the strongest orthodontic assistant skills signals you can keep treatment humming, support the orthodontist without missing a beat, and make patients feel looked after from hello to retainers.

Orthodontic Assistant Skills

1. Radiography
2. Invisalign
3. Sterilization
4. Dental impressions
5. iTero Scanner
6. Patient education
7. Bracket placement
8. OrthoTrac software
9. Scheduling
10. Dental photography
11. 3M Clarity
12. Damon System

1. Radiography

Radiography in orthodontics means capturing diagnostic images of teeth, jaws, and facial structures to help diagnose, plan, and monitor treatment.

Why It's Important

Clear, properly exposed images guide precise treatment decisions, reduce surprises, and track progress with confidence while keeping radiation exposure low.

How to Improve Radiography Skills

Sharper images, safer patients, smoother flow:

1. Follow ALARA principles. Use thyroid collars, rectangular collimation, and selection criteria to keep doses as low as reasonably achievable.

2. Nail positioning. Master head alignment, sensor placement, and stabilization; use positioning aids and repeatable head posture for consistency.

3. Tune exposure settings by patient size and region. Avoid retakes by checking preview histograms and contrast before dismissing the patient.

4. Maintain equipment. Calibrate, test, and document quality assurance; keep logs for exposure consistency and sensor performance.

5. Standardize protocols. Create step‑by‑step checklists for panoramic, cephalometric, and bitewing workflows.

6. Communicate calmly. Explain steps so patients hold still—fewer motion artifacts, better images.

7. Keep credentials current. Maintain required radiation safety training per state and local regulations.

How to Display Radiography Skills on Your Resume

2. Invisalign

Invisalign uses a series of clear, removable aligners to move teeth without fixed brackets or wires.

Why It's Important

Patients love the discreteness and flexibility; teams appreciate easier hygiene, fewer emergency visits, and streamlined check‑ins when compliance is solid.

How to Improve Invisalign Skills

Small refinements add up fast:

1. Stay trained on system updates, case selection, and protocols. Techniques evolve; your workflow should too.

2. Attachment placement matters. Use precise isolation, accurate templates, and careful flash cleanup for reliable retention and force delivery.

3. Dial in IPR. Measure, protect contacts, polish smooth, and document amounts to keep tracking on course.

4. Own the scan. Capture accurate occlusion, scan distal to mesial, and rescan holes to reduce fit issues.

5. Coach compliance. Clear wear‑time rules (20–22 hours/day), hygiene, and case‑specific tips—use teach‑back to confirm understanding.

6. Track progress. Note fit, attachments, refinement needs, and mid‑course corrections with photos and scan checks.

How to Display Invisalign Skills on Your Resume

3. Sterilization

Sterilization eliminates all microbial life on instruments and critical surfaces using validated methods like steam autoclaves, dry heat, or chemical sterilants.

Why It's Important

It stops cross‑contamination in its tracks, protects patients and staff, and keeps the practice compliant and safe.

How to Improve Sterilization Skills

Make your sterilization center a machine:

1. Follow current dental infection control guidelines and OSHA requirements; keep written protocols accessible and updated.

2. Master the flow: pre‑clean, ultrasonic/washer‑disinfector, dry, package with indicators, sterilize, cool, store sealed.

3. Verify sterilizers. Weekly spore tests, routine chemical indicators, and cycle parameter checks—with documented logs.

4. Handle safely. PPE on, sharps management tight, and clear “dirty/clean” zoning to prevent mix‑ups.

5. Maintain unit waterlines and suction lines on a set schedule; test and record.

6. Label and track loads. Date, sterilizer ID, cycle, and contents for traceability.

7. Drill the team. Onboard training, refreshers, and periodic mock audits to catch weak spots early.

How to Display Sterilization Skills on Your Resume

4. Dental impressions

Dental impressions create accurate molds of teeth and soft tissues for diagnostics, appliance fabrication, and treatment planning.

Why It's Important

Good impressions mean appliances fit, labs deliver, and treatment timelines stay intact. Bad ones waste time and money.

How to Improve Dental impressions Skills

Precision from tray to pour:

1. Select the right tray and try it in. Use adhesive and proper extensions; check vestibular coverage.

2. Choose material wisely (alginate vs. PVS) based on use and required detail; mind working and set times.

3. Mix to spec. Powder‑to‑water ratios or automix systems—watch for bubbles and temperature effects.

4. Seat posterior first with steady pressure; retract cheeks and lips; guide material into sulci to capture critical anatomy.

5. Hold still through set. Support the mandible if needed; keep the field dry.

6. Remove with a quick, firm pull along the long axis; avoid rocking that distorts detail.

7. Inspect immediately. Look for voids, pulls, tray show‑through; disinfect per manufacturer instructions.

8. Pour promptly (especially alginate) and store casts properly to prevent dehydration or swelling.

How to Display Dental impressions Skills on Your Resume

5. iTero Scanner

The iTero scanner captures precise 3D digital impressions of the dentition and bite, replacing many traditional impression workflows.

Why It's Important

Fast, comfortable scans fuel accurate appliances and aligners, speed up starts, and make case presentation more vivid.

How to Improve iTero Scanner Skills

Turn scanning into second nature:

1. Practice the recommended scan path for upper, lower, and bite; rescan voids instead of restarting.

2. Control moisture and soft tissues. Use effective retraction, air, and gauze to clear saliva and tongues from the field.

3. Keep the tip spotless and calibrated; replace sleeves between patients and follow disinfection protocols.

4. Monitor live color maps for holes and distortion; slow down over reflective or crowded areas.

5. Leverage software tools—marking, bite alignment checks, and simulations—to validate quality before submission.

6. Stay current on software updates and new features that reduce chair time and improve accuracy.

How to Display iTero Scanner Skills on Your Resume

6. Patient education

Patient education is the art of translating treatment plans, appliance care, diet, hygiene, and expectations into clear, memorable guidance.

Why It's Important

Informed patients cooperate better, clean better, break fewer appliances, and finish faster—with fewer surprises and fewer emergency visits.

How to Improve Patient education Skills

Make instructions stick:

1. Use simple language and short steps; avoid jargon unless you define it.

2. Lean on visuals—models, photos, animations—to show rather than just tell.

3. Apply the teach‑back method. Ask patients to explain or demonstrate care steps.

4. Provide take‑home handouts and quick‑reference cards; translate when needed.

5. Set expectations early: soreness timeline, foods to avoid, wear‑time rules, what’s an emergency vs. what can wait.

6. Follow up. Send reminders and post‑visit summaries through approved messaging systems.

How to Display Patient education Skills on Your Resume

7. Bracket placement

Bracket placement is the precise positioning and bonding of brackets on teeth to deliver the right forces for efficient tooth movement.

Why It's Important

Good placement reduces wire bends, speeds alignment, and saves appointments otherwise spent repositioning.

How to Improve Bracket placement Skills

Accuracy is everything:

1. Study crown anatomy and reference lines. Use height gauges to mark long‑axis and slot position.

2. Dry field, strong isolation. Etch, prime, and bond per manufacturer timing; avoid saliva contamination.

3. Apply consistent adhesive volume, seat with controlled pressure, remove flash, and light‑cure fully from multiple angles.

4. Use positioning jigs when available; verify angulation and height with a straight segment of wire.

5. Note any necessary repositioning early; document changes for continuity across visits.

How to Display Bracket placement Skills on Your Resume

8. OrthoTrac software

OrthoTrac is an orthodontic practice management platform that centralizes scheduling, records, treatment notes, imaging, billing, and communications.

Why It's Important

It ties clinical and front office workflows together so patients move smoothly from check‑in to chair to checkout.

How to Improve OrthoTrac software Skills

Work smarter inside the system:

1. Customize templates for new patient exams, progress notes, and debond visits to standardize documentation.

2. Use procedure codes, time units, and chair resource blocks to reflect real appointment lengths.

3. Activate automated reminders and recall prompts; keep contact preferences current.

4. Integrate imaging and scans so records are viewable from the chart without extra clicks.

5. Learn shortcuts and reporting tools—daily huddles flow better with accurate production, AR, and no‑show metrics.

6. Set user permissions appropriately and maintain backups; audit regularly for data hygiene.

How to Display OrthoTrac software Skills on Your Resume

9. Scheduling

Scheduling coordinates patient appointments, staff availability, and chair time to keep the clinic running on tempo.

Why It's Important

Great schedules shorten waits, fill the day with the right mix of procedures, and lift patient satisfaction.

How to Improve Scheduling Skills

Build a calendar that behaves:

1. Adopt block scheduling. Reserve protected time for long procedures, quick checks, new patient exams, and same‑day starts.

2. Do time studies. Measure actual appointment lengths and adjust templates to reality.

3. Hold emergency and repair slots so true urgencies don’t derail the day.

4. Confirm smartly. Layer text/email/phone reminders and allow easy rescheduling to cut no‑shows.

5. Create a waitlist for earlier slots; fill cancellations fast.

6. Collect forms and insurance info before the visit with e‑forms to speed check‑in.

7. Bundle records, photos, and scans with consults when possible to reduce extra visits.

How to Display Scheduling Skills on Your Resume

10. Dental photography

Dental photography captures standardized images of teeth, bite, and smile for diagnosis, planning, patient communication, and progress tracking.

Why It's Important

Images tell the story—before/after, compliance, changes—and support documentation, lab communication, and insurance needs.

How to Improve Dental photography Skills

Consistency beats luck:

1. Standardize the series: extraoral (frontal, profile, smile) and intraoral (frontal, right, left, upper occlusal, lower occlusal).

2. Use appropriate gear: DSLR or mirrorless body, macro lens, and ring/twin flash for even illumination.

3. Lock in settings for sharp detail—low ISO, small aperture, fast enough shutter—and white balance that matches your lights.

4. Warm mirrors to reduce fogging; place retractors comfortably for full arch capture.

5. Mind composition: centered, level occlusal plane, teeth in focus, minimal shadows, clean background.

6. Follow strict infection control—barrier sleeves, disinfection between patients, and careful handling of accessories.

7. Label and store securely; apply minimal post‑processing for exposure and cropping, never altering clinical information.

How to Display Dental photography Skills on Your Resume

11. 3M Clarity

3M Clarity refers to esthetic orthodontic systems from 3M, including ceramic brackets and clear aligners designed to blend with teeth while delivering effective tooth movement.

Why It's Important

Patients seeking low‑visibility treatment often choose ceramic brackets or clear aligners. Knowing their nuances keeps outcomes predictable and smiles discreet.

How to Improve 3M Clarity Skills

Handle esthetics with care:

1. Bonding specifics. Use proper primers and isolation for ceramic brackets; avoid excessive adhesive and thoroughly remove flash.

2. Debond gently. Employ recommended tools and techniques to minimize enamel risk with ceramics.

3. Wire and ligation choices. Understand friction profiles and elastic/ligature options that protect esthetics and performance.

4. Aligner workflows. Master attachment templates, precise IPR, and wear‑time coaching for clear aligner cases.

5. Patient guidance. Prevent staining with hygiene and diet tips; discuss care of aligners and ceramic components.

6. Inventory management. Track bracket prescriptions and aligner deliveries to avoid delays.

How to Display 3M Clarity Skills on Your Resume

12. Damon System

The Damon System uses self‑ligating brackets with a sliding mechanism instead of elastomeric ties, aiming to reduce friction and appointment frequency while improving comfort.

Why It's Important

When used appropriately, it can shorten chair time and simplify archwire changes, with smooth progress across the wire sequence.

How to Improve Damon System Skills

Get comfortable with the mechanics:

1. Open and close clips properly; protect the mechanism and avoid deforming the bracket.

2. Follow wire sequencing and timing guidelines; don’t rush transitions if alignment isn’t ready.

3. Know when auxiliaries or ties are still needed; self‑ligation isn’t a one‑size‑fits‑all solution.

4. Coach hygiene around brackets and wires; fewer food traps doesn’t mean no food traps.

5. Document elastics patterns clearly so patients can replicate them between visits.

How to Display Damon System Skills on Your Resume