The Honest Tooth

Thoughts of a future dentist

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Tooth Truths About Dental School

You’ve committed to your life career. You’ve wanted this since you were a child (at least that’s what your applications said). You have a passion for healthcare, people, and can work with your hands. The first year of dental school finally comes and it’s not what you expected. Here is what I have learned so far:

1. No one studies as much as they say they do- You’ll ask if people have started to study for an exam and the answer is always yes. Toothtruth, they are dealing with the same workload you are and are probably doubling the hours they actually have.

2. You will feel underqualified- I came in with a very poor background in dentistry. No family in it. Minimal shadowing. Never worked as an assistant. It is overwhelming when everyone else seems to have more experience. But guess what, IT IS OKAY! If you were to learn everything before school we would just have an apprenticeship. Not 4 years of post-bachelor work.

3. There will be something that takes you more time to get-

4. You will study and still not understand an exam- nothing is more frustrating than knowing the material inside and out then getting to the exam that has material you never saw. It happens. It’s not fair. You will pass and move on.

5. It is okay to fail- Sometimes you won’t pass. You won’t pick up on how to wax Molar 2 or your crown prep on #11 will look like a tent peg. You will make mistakes during test time you never made before and you will have to redo your work. Even a bad prep is good practice. Deep breath, you will get there.

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Anxiety

I had a bout of anxiety today.

It was crippling and out of the blue.

I watched to-do lists go unchecked and exams unstudied for.

For an hour, I did absolutely nothing.

I couldn't go to class, even though I knew I should. It was as if nothing mattered anymore.

AND THAT’S OKAY

Tomorrow is a new day, I’m still here, life goes on.

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What are you doing after graduation?

Here’s a secret: everyone expects you to know what your next step will be after school. When we don’t they follow that up with a “you’ve got plenty of time” placating phrase that feels slightly false even on your own lips. But you know what? There are always going to be options. Explore them all. Give more time to some and less time for others. There is always a way around a bad test score or a rough class. Make time for the things that matter, the people you care about and the opportunities you want to explore. It is okay not to know what you want to do, as long as you are thinking about your options.

I do my best to talk to DSOs, dentists in private practice, residents going for their next round of school. My future isn’t set, but that doesn’t mean it’s uncertain.

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It's been a hot sec, but a few quick updates. I had the opportunity to go to Lobby day with my schools ASDA chapter. It was an incredible experience. Politics are daunting to get into and the atmosphere can be intimidating. However, this years conference managed to train and empower me in the world of politics. Sometimes our voices are small but can have a huge impact. Never back down from a way to challenge yourself because you're worried you dont know enough.

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Motivation

Have you ever thought about where you draw your motivation? It’s something we instinctively know, but often we fail to articulate it. When we don’t verbally acknowledge where our motivation comes from we assume others have the same motives as us. No wonder we never see eye to eye on things. Our passion, our strength, our purpose is fundamentally different.

I never appreciated this until starting dental school. Before, I think it was easy to surround myself with people who drew their motives from a similar place as I did, but the further you go through life the more people you meet. Motivation can be for the people around you (you may be filling a gap in a community, offering support to people or fulfilling a dream of someone else), or it can be directed more towards yourself (knowledge, respect, confidence), maybe it is from the competition task gives you or the rush a crisis can provide. Figuring out where your motives arise will keep your passion stoked through the hard times.

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Become a dentist

“ When life is kicking others in the teeth, become a dentist.”

- Kevin Myers 

After a semester and a half of dental school, I felt the need to record the experience and here we are. So here’s to sharing the laughs, the tears, the blood and the sweat-everything that makes life worth living.

Best of luck to your future endeavors and thanks for sharing this experience with me.