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feeling slow
- Thread starter dizzle23x
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I guess that depends on how unconfident you're feeling...I just finished, and although I know that I'm going to learn more in my first year of practice than I learned in all of dental school, I still felt like I was competent enough not to harm anyone or screw up big-time. I know when to ask for help, and my diagnostic skills are good enough to recognize when something is beyond me and I need to refer.
As for my technical skills, I'm better in some areas than others only because of the patients I landed in school and the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum I graduated from. I'm awesome at perio and at making dentures (neither of which I particularly enjoy), and do pretty well at restorative although I book half an hour or 45 minutes for something my principal dentist might do in 15. I can't make a temporary crown to save my life, because I only ended up with 3 crown cases in school...Which was lucky because some of my classmates only got to do one!
My advice would be to find an associateship in a practice where someone will be willing to mentor you, rather than a bigger commercial practice where all they care about is how much you're producing and might get upset if you aren't totally independent yet. When you're dealing with the patients, make sure to come across as confident, caring and having good communication, because if they like you it will be easier if things don't go as planned. Spend lots of time going through a detailed informed consent process, especially with things like endos and exos in case you run into problems.
As for my technical skills, I'm better in some areas than others only because of the patients I landed in school and the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum I graduated from. I'm awesome at perio and at making dentures (neither of which I particularly enjoy), and do pretty well at restorative although I book half an hour or 45 minutes for something my principal dentist might do in 15. I can't make a temporary crown to save my life, because I only ended up with 3 crown cases in school...Which was lucky because some of my classmates only got to do one!
My advice would be to find an associateship in a practice where someone will be willing to mentor you, rather than a bigger commercial practice where all they care about is how much you're producing and might get upset if you aren't totally independent yet. When you're dealing with the patients, make sure to come across as confident, caring and having good communication, because if they like you it will be easier if things don't go as planned. Spend lots of time going through a detailed informed consent process, especially with things like endos and exos in case you run into problems.
Just curious about differences between schools. Do all your crowns go to post-grads or something? I have crowns coming out my ears. By the end of this semester, I'll probably do 8-10. Right now I have about 80 treatment planned across my patient family. I think our requirements are to do 7 units our junior year and 14 our senior year (full crowns and retainers count as 1 unit and pontics count as .5 units). I go to a school without any residencies so maybe that is the difference.
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This might sound strange, but thinking as an employer, I would consider it a mark in your favor if you were willing to admit to feeling that way about yourself. It suggests to me that you're able to look yourself in the mirror professional and see the flaws as well as the strengths.
As a simple question of fact, right now you are slow, you are inconsistent in your diagnosis and treatment planning, and you are inefficient at both the technical and administrative aspects of being a practicing dentist. The good news, though, is that's OK. You're just barely getting started in your career! If you were already at the top of the curve there wouldn't be much for you to look forward to over the next thirty years, right?
I remember the feeling you have, though, because I felt the same way. You'll get better as you practice longer, and that feeling of not-quite-there-yet never totally subsides, at least not in the best dentists I've met. I graduated three years ago, and I expect I can spot treatment planning problems you'd miss and cut a serviceable crown prep in less time; but put me next to someone like DrJeff or Daurang who've had lots of time to refine their skills, take good CE, and streamline their habits, and I go back to looking like the kid in D1 who kept mounting his typodont upside down in lab*. Try not to worry. You'll get there.
* It's a metaphor, people. That never *really* happened to me.
As a simple question of fact, right now you are slow, you are inconsistent in your diagnosis and treatment planning, and you are inefficient at both the technical and administrative aspects of being a practicing dentist. The good news, though, is that's OK. You're just barely getting started in your career! If you were already at the top of the curve there wouldn't be much for you to look forward to over the next thirty years, right?
I remember the feeling you have, though, because I felt the same way. You'll get better as you practice longer, and that feeling of not-quite-there-yet never totally subsides, at least not in the best dentists I've met. I graduated three years ago, and I expect I can spot treatment planning problems you'd miss and cut a serviceable crown prep in less time; but put me next to someone like DrJeff or Daurang who've had lots of time to refine their skills, take good CE, and streamline their habits, and I go back to looking like the kid in D1 who kept mounting his typodont upside down in lab*. Try not to worry. You'll get there.
* It's a metaphor, people. That never *really* happened to me.
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The problem at my school was mainly a lack of patients needing certain things. A lot of teeth I could have put crowns on weren't approved by the perio department. A lot of my patients didn't want to spend the money, and preferred either to leave the tooth as it was, fill it, or extract it even though it was explained to them that the tooth would likely crack in the future but could be saved.
There were also only 5 or so instructors who were willing to cover fixed prosth (1-2 on the floor each session), so there were always lots of students competing for cubicles every prosth session. By the time you waited in line for 20 minutes every time you had to get a step checked off, you'd be lucky if you finished one prep and a temporary in 3 hours, and usually had to bring the patient back the following week for the final impression.
We were responsible for comprehensive care for our patients, and each student typically gets about 30 patients over the two years of clinic. We also had to do ALL of our own lab work, short of casting the crowns...So with impressions and pindexing and waxups I can't imagine doing 80!!!
There are no grad programs or residencies in prosth at my school. I'd be interested to hear how your patient assignment works, and how your clinical sessions are scheduled if you have the chance to pm me! It sounds a lot better than my school was and I'd be interested in hearing the pros and cons of your system.
There is no way that I will actually do 80 crowns before I graduate, but it wouldn't surprise my if I did 40 or so. There are some people who are super motivated and put up huge numbers, but I don't see myself getting there. My patient family has about 50 people which is on the high side for my school (most have around 30-40 people). Families are passed down from an assigned senior, so the quality of your family is based on how motivated your senior was. It really isn't a fair system, but it seems to have worked out well for me. We are also responsible for comp. care and perio can put the red light on things, but it really isn't a big issue.
Our fixed department has 5 dedicated instructors. Generally there are about 10-12 fixed chairs for any given clinic session, with 2-3 instructors working those chairs. It really isn't a problem getting a chair in fixed (or anywhere for that matter except perio, which is usually booked about a month out). As for lab, the only waxing we do is for gold inlays and onlays....thank goodness for that, I hate waxing.
N
NAVY DDS 2010
jfitzpat,
it really depends on your location and the patient population that the school attracts. Here in Houston, a lot of people have a difficult time getting a lot of fixed prosth. It isn't because these cases are going to the prosth residency either.
I think it also has to do with the school's philosophy and requirements for doing crowns. I know what one dentist may say needs a crown another may say placing crown is pointless because the longterm prognosis is hopeless. Therefore, one school may allow a crown while another school wouldn't allow it on the same patient.
