Biology

My life long dream has been to become a dentist. I often marveled at the clinics setup and the various tools the dentist used on me when I attended dental checkups. I was overjoyed when my dentist accepted my request to shadow him. His clinic is located in Santa Cruz area of California and is relatively busy throughout the year. He has developed a good reputation and is well liked by the towns residents.

I began my shadowing on the 15th of March this year and was initially allocated some clerical duties. I worked with the receptionist and learnt how to book appointments, register new clients and make follow up calls on recovering patients. Later, I was assigned to a dental assistant who introduced me to the various dental tools and demonstrated how they work. This was a very exciting experience even though the simulation was done on dummies. At the end of my second week, I was invited to sit in on patient examinations which were conducted to establish the dental complaints.

I learnt how to record their medical history in a patient file and ask probing questions to establish the root problem. Most of the complaints children had were about toothaches and cavities brought about by eating too many sweet things. A number of them needed braces to straighten their teeth or have their milk tooth removed when they became loose. Young adults came in for cleaning and flossing, tooth replacements, cavity fillings and in two cases I witnessed, dental surgery. Middle aged to the elderly came in for scheduled dental visits, fitting of dentures and in some instances, to be treated for emergencies.

During my fourth week at the clinic, the dentist invited me into his operating room to witness the work he does at close quarters. Together with another dental assistant we were dressed in white lab coats, hand gloves and face masks. During the operations we maintained complete silence and only spoke when addressed to by the dentist. Our task was to hand him the various tools he required to perform his work. It was awesome watching him work so skillfully whether it was extracting a tooth or giving the patient an anesthesia. At the end of each operation I became more convinced that dentistry was the right career for me.

The shadowing ended after the fourth week and we had a small get together with the dentist and his staff. What amazed me was the extremely friendly atmosphere that prevailed in relaxed situations as opposed to the austere mood in the operating room. Every member of staff addressed each other on first name basis and had good knowledge of the other persons family. It was like one small community. I believe the clinic is so successful because the staffs treat their patients in a friendly manner and with upmost respect just as though they were part of this small community.

This experience introduced me to all the aspects involved in running a dentists clinic from front office to the operating room. I got a feel of what is required to run a successful operation and gained some insights into what to do to ensure patients keep coming back and referring others to the practice. I am totally convinced that dentistry is the career I want to pursue in life.