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http://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/vpcmz/what_advice_would_you_have_for_someone_starting/
Was cruising reddit and found what seemed to be very pertinent advice for incoming students, posted by "PanFlute." Not sure if he/she is on here and will see this, but I thought I'd recreate his/her advice in case it somehow gets deleted on there.
Good luck to all the fresh D1's! I'm starting up in about a month and enjoyed reading this...
Was cruising reddit and found what seemed to be very pertinent advice for incoming students, posted by "PanFlute." Not sure if he/she is on here and will see this, but I thought I'd recreate his/her advice in case it somehow gets deleted on there.
Good luck to all the fresh D1's! I'm starting up in about a month and enjoyed reading this...
- There's no such thing as talent, don't let anybody tell you anything different, whether it's faculty or other students. Good work results from a lot of dedication and hard work - yea, some people need to put in more time than others, but nobody completely gets it their first try. Don't be afraid to go in to sim-lab alone, you don't need an entourage to go with you every time.
- You learn a lot by playing around with different burs, materials, changing your position, and the position of the patient's head. Don't be afraid to make mistakes when you're practicing on the plastic/ivorine teeth. If you only strive to do everything perfectly in sim-lab, you won't be able to fix or repair any problems in clinic. Nothing will ever be as ideal as in sim-lab so you can't make excuses.
- About a quarter of the class will have a big dick measuring contest in your first year. Wasting class time by asking stupid questions, adding comments with no substance, bragging about their undergrad GPA or DAT scores, etc. It's hard not to participate but please try to refrain from doing so.
- Have a healthy sense of humility. A lot of people like to argue with the instructors about everything - well, the instructors have years of clinical experience that you can't compete with, at least not yet. Take their criticism and add to it. If they tell you your prep is too flared, don't just leave it at that, actively ask how to fix it or prevent it, or what instruments to use. Even if you've been told that bit of information before, still listen. Maybe you'll have an epiphany the 100th time you hear the same sentence.
- Learn the didactic to apply to lab and clinic and not just for exams. Yes, grades are important, but when you don't know the difference between a mandibular and maxillary premolar by your third year, you're a terrible student regardless of what your grades might say. Trust me, there are quite a few of those. They're also the students who always make excuses because 'nothing is ever [their] fault! [They] dideverything the way it was written in the notes!' Surely, someone else must be to blame! If you can't tell, those people annoy me the most. Anyways, enough ranting...
- Exercise is incredibly important - at the very least, work your core with a few sit-ups every other day. It's fundamental to my next point:
- Keep your posture and arm positioning in mind; actively think and recorrect yourself every 2 minutes - eventually, it will be habit. Your back should be straight not slouched or strained to look in your patient's mouth. Use your loupes (not 'loops') to improve your vision - if you're having trouble using them at first, you can practice using them by doing your nails with them, building a model, etc. Your arm should never be in a position where your elbow is raised up - your shoulders will feel it in the short term, and your career will feel it in the long term. There are people who sacrifice their backs to get results: if you practice bad habits early on, you keep bad habits forever, so start off doing the right thing and you won't have to correct and relearn skills later in your career.
- Don't expect to know everything. There will be new trends and disappearing trends in dentistry and nobody can predict them with 100% accuracy. Lots of people thought amalgam was going to disappear decades ago with the advent of composite, yet it's still here. Digital impressions and digital radiographs are expected to take the lead soon, but who knows. Keep and open mind and learn as much as you can.
- Unless you're going to specialize (at this point, it's too early to tell, no matter what you think), this will be the last time you get to be a student so enjoy this time. Even if things look crappy, you'll look back after you graduate and realize how much you actually enjoyed school.
- Have a life-line in case things get dire, be it a family member, best friend, or even new friend. It's not unheard of for people to become depressed and, heaven forbid, suicidal. There are a lot of high expectations so don't be sad or depressed if you can't reach all of them. If you feel overwhelmed, take a step back and realize how much you've learned and grown. I know I saved my first prepped tooth to look back on. Ugh. Terrible.
- Some people who rub you the wrong way at first may end up being some really great friends. Keep an open mind and be nice and friendly to everyone - even if you don't think they deserve it. Don't be quick to burn bridges.
- Textbooks help for some classes. Some classes, you can get by just on powerpoint due to sheer volume of material. Don't expect your school to teach you everything, spend some free time looking it up online or, if you have the luxury, consult with practicing dentists. Learning is an active process, don't expect results to come to you - you have to go out and get them.
- Money is an issue but don't let it stop you from going out and enjoying your four years. If you graduate when you're 30 years old, dental school will make up 13% of your life, or 33% of your adult life. On that note, don't spend it frivolously, going out every weekend for the first month or so is a great way to bond with your class, but don't make that a year-round habit. Go out every now and then, buy your friends drinks (read: don't buy everybody drinks), and spend your other entertainment budget on books, hobbies, athletic wear (remember, exercise!), and going to nice restaurants.
- Dating your classmates can be fine - I know a lot of people who have gotten married to their dental school sweetheart, but also know that it comes with risks of drama.
- Dentistry is like insert sport. Everybody has their individual style or preferred techniques. It can get frustrating when you're told one thing by Dr. A but then something else from Dr. Z, and a different thing from Dr. Q. Get a wide range of opinions and make your choice based on your own judgement and experience - don't just keep going back to the same person who likes your work no matter what you do.
