Books for Dental Student

[desperatefordental]

Hi Guys,
So I’m in my first year of Dental School and I’m struggling quite a bit. Mostly on the Dental Terminology since I have no prior knowledge on Dentistry. My professors never seem to teach us like we have never heard of these words before and they just jump straight into the subject. Like for example I don’t know what “glass isomer“ are. Don’t really know the steps of it is or how it’s different from composite. The professor just jump straight into the science and organic chemistry of glass isomer but I need to know what it is first. I feel like all of my classmates have background in dentistry to know the common sense term that I don’t know. English is my second language too, so I’m struggling a lot by just googling simple terms. The problem is that google never go in depth with it because “what are the chances that a dental student is googling dental terms when they can learn it in dental school?”. So my question is, do you guys have any books that you guys can recommend me? Something like, Dentistry for Dummy?
When i tell you that i know nothing, i literally just found out what amalgam is. Shadowing doesn’t really teaches you anything.

Any advices or books would help me greatly! Thank you!

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[Pablo Sanchez]

I recommend the following books for any dental student:

Millionaire Next Door
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Total Money Makeover
Everyday Millionaire
The Wealthy Barber
The Automatic Millionaire
Bogle on Mutual Funds
Setting the Table
I will Teach You to be Rich
Debt Free Degree
White Coat Investor

These books will allow you to enjoy dentistry.


As for learning about glass ionomer and amalgam, you'll learn a ton as you move into your clinical years. Youtube is great. Don't fret it.

 

[oralcare123]

Hi Guys,
So I’m in my first year of Dental School and I’m struggling quite a bit. Mostly on the Dental Terminology since I have no prior knowledge on Dentistry. My professors never seem to teach us like we have never heard of these words before and they just jump straight into the subject. Like for example I don’t know what “glass isomer“ are. Don’t really know the steps of it is or how it’s different from composite. The professor just jump straight into the science and organic chemistry of glass isomer but I need to know what it is first. I feel like all of my classmates have background in dentistry to know the common sense term that I don’t know. English is my second language too, so I’m struggling a lot by just googling simple terms. The problem is that google never go in depth with it because “what are the chances that a dental student is googling dental terms when they can learn it in dental school?”. So my question is, do you guys have any books that you guys can recommend me? Something like, Dentistry for Dummy?
When i tell you that i know nothing, i literally just found out what amalgam is. Shadowing doesn’t really teaches you anything.

Any advices or books would help me greatly! Thank you!

Start with Dental materials. Learn it very well. The Glass Isomer is actually Glass Ionomer Cement.
You are welcome to contact me with your questions

 

[PerioDont]

Start with Dental materials. Learn it very well. The Glass Isomer is actually Glass Ionomer Cement.
You are welcome to contact me with your questions

Might be referring to glass ionomer in a snowplow technique if OP is referring to composite vs a cement?

Either way, don't worry too much OP. Whether your classmates know everything or not is irrelevant (though I'm sure they don't). I had no idea what most terms in dentistry meant till starting school and had never worked in a dental office before.

Keep googling things and asking your professors for clarifications on things that are confusing. one of my professors told me the first few terms of dental school is learning the terms to speak 'dental-ese' so what you are going thorough is a normal part of growth of a dental student. Feeling uncertain is also definitely a normal part of dental school. Keep chugging along.

I recommend the following books for any dental student:

Millionaire Next Door
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Total Money Makeover
Everyday Millionaire
The Wealthy Barber
The Automatic Millionaire
Bogle on Mutual Funds
Setting the Table
I will Teach You to be Rich
Debt Free Degree
White Coat Investor

These books will allow you to enjoy dentistry.


As for learning about glass ionomer and amalgam, you'll learn a ton as you move into your clinical years. Youtube is great. Don't fret it.

And @Pablo Sanchez's book recommendations are on point. I've gone through most of em and I just realized my personal finance knowledge is miles ahead of my classmates when I was asked today "how much do I need to make each month?" by a classmate negotiating with a DSO for her first job. You need to learn the basics of dentistry in school but this stuff will teach you how to have a successful career in the long run.

 

[S_Diamond_DDS]

Watch the “operative videos” for “mental dental” for the “nbde part II” on youtube. I think he does a great overview for all parts of dentistry. Wish I would have known about this resource earlier in school when learning the basics of some subjects.

 

[yappy]

Read your assigned text books. You should be reading the chapter before the lecture. Look up every term you don’t understand. To understand how products are used go to your supply room or clinic, write down all the names of the products used, then look up the manufacturers instructions for use for each product on company websites.

A must read is Sturdevant's Art & Science of Operative Dentistry:
Ch8 Clinical Technique for Direct Composite Resin and Glass Ionomer Restorations

you really need to increase your study habits as a dental student. By now you should know how school works and how to find the answers.

 

[TanMan]

The professor just jump straight into the science and organic chemistry of glass isomer but I need to know what it is first

Dental school is a lot of mass memorization. Memorize what you need to pass first and sort it out later. Even if you don't know what glass ionomer is, you need to remember what your professor tells you if it's going to be on the test. You'll get that a lot in dental school. Just a bunch of information that doesn't always have relevance or context in your stage of learning. You may or may not use it eventually, but it stands that you cannot get hung up on needing to know what something is first. Just know that it exists, and this is what they want you to know about it.

I guess we were lucky at our school. Thankfully, even though we had to learn a bunch of irrelevant stuff, it was at least on powerpoints (for most professors). I hate professors that make you read the book just because they wrote it. I still remember how much they love I-bars and hate C-clasps. Two books I remember were Shillingburg and Sturdevant.

Here's a quick memory dump of basic direct restorative dental materials (that I can recall):
Amalgam, there's different phases, involves zinc somehow, affects strength. There's creep and some other variables in there too. I don't know, because I don't use amalgam. 3 types, admix, spherical, lathe-cut. Use spherical for boards because it condenses faster and you can carve faster. Less likely to have initial fractures due to higher intial strength. Trick: condense the hell out of it. Downsides are more aggressive preps, sharp line angles make teeth more prone to fracture, and mercury.
Glass Ionomer: Many types, some with resin mixed in (also known as resin modified glass ionomer). Usually used as a liner due to poor wear. Can be used in indirect pulp capping. Condition surface with polyacrylic acid instead of phosphoric acid. Traditional GI usually has two parts (acid and some kind of powder), can be handmix or triturated. Fluoride release in traditional GI, debatable for light cured RMGI.
Composite: It shrinks, traditionally placed in increments to reduce shrinkage. Bulk fill composite reduces need to place increments. Requires adhesive. Different types of adhesive. Some require etch, some don't. There's total etch, selective etch, and self-etch. Basic components are etch, primer and adhesive. Different systems mix or separate the components. Some require separate steps, some have primer and adhesive in one, and some have all in one. Three types: Dual cure, self cure, light cure. You got flowable and packable with different handling capabilities. Sonic-fill, warmed carpules, etc... that affect viscosity.

That information should be able to give you the basics for clinic. Good luck!

And @Pablo Sanchez's book recommendations are on point. I've gone through most of em and I just realized my personal finance knowledge is miles ahead of my classmates when I was asked today "how much do I need to make each month?" by a classmate negotiating with a DSO for her first job. You need to learn the basics of dentistry in school but this stuff will teach you how to have a successful career in the long run.

I'm curious what you told her the right answer was. I would think that the answer would be obvious: make as much as you can and determine the variables that will dictate maximum compensation (short-term/long-term) dependent on long term employment plans?

 

[PerioDont]

Dental school is a lot of mass memorization. Memorize what you need to pass first and sort it out later. Even if you don't know what glass ionomer is, you need to remember what your professor tells you if it's going to be on the test. You'll get that a lot in dental school. Just a bunch of information that doesn't always have relevance or context in your stage of learning. You may or may not use it eventually, but it stands that you cannot get hung up on needing to know what something is first. Just know that it exists, and this is what they want you to know about it.

I guess we were lucky at our school. Thankfully, even though we had to learn a bunch of irrelevant stuff, it was at least on powerpoints (for most professors). I hate professors that make you read the book just because they wrote it. I still remember how much they love I-bars and hate C-clasps. Two books I remember were Shillingburg and Sturdevant.

Here's a quick memory dump of basic direct restorative dental materials (that I can recall):
Amalgam, there's different phases, involves zinc somehow, affects strength. There's creep and some other variables in there too. I don't know, because I don't use amalgam. 3 types, admix, spherical, lathe-cut. Use spherical for boards because it condenses faster and you can carve faster. Less likely to have initial fractures due to higher intial strength. Trick: condense the hell out of it. Downsides are more aggressive preps, sharp line angles make teeth more prone to fracture, and mercury.
Glass Ionomer: Many types, some with resin mixed in (also known as resin modified glass ionomer). Usually used as a liner due to poor wear. Can be used in indirect pulp capping. Condition surface with polyacrylic acid instead of phosphoric acid. Traditional GI usually has two parts (acid and some kind of powder), can be handmix or triturated. Fluoride release in traditional GI, debatable for light cured RMGI.
Composite: It shrinks, traditionally placed in increments to reduce shrinkage. Bulk fill composite reduces need to place increments. Requires adhesive. Different types of adhesive. Some require etch, some don't. There's total etch, selective etch, and self-etch. Basic components are etch, primer and adhesive. Different systems mix or separate the components. Some require separate steps, some have primer and adhesive in one, and some have all in one. Three types: Dual cure, self cure, light cure. You got flowable and packable with different handling capabilities. Sonic-fill, warmed carpules, etc... that affect viscosity.

That information should be able to give you the basics for clinic. Good luck!



I'm curious what you told her the right answer was. I would think that the answer would be obvious: make as much as you can and determine the variables that will dictate maximum compensation (short-term/long-term) dependent on long term employment plans?

Agreed. Negotiate for the highest amount possible ofc.

She was under the premise that there is a certain number that you make each month that will allow her to pay all her loans in 10 years. Of course that number does exist, what she didn't realize it is not a static number but changes with how much loans she has, what her cost of living is, taxes, retirement contributions etc etc. I would guess she has never had a financial plan or budget in her entire life. Sadly she is in mid-30s and a full decade older than myself.