Going into denture instead of shadowing...

[digitalfortress]

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I've been firing phone calls and emails to find any decent dentists (or at least according to google map anyway) near where I live, and I'm going to test my water in two places. It got a little interesting when my career adviser was talking about the possibility of being exposed to denture field. She apparently had a adult student who used to work in a jewelry, and aced the dexterity component of the DAT exam while he was getting paid. Not sure if I have the time to do that despite my fascination with precious metals, so I called in a denture lab near my school and see if I could maybe get some experience making and handling (probably to a limited degree) dentures. It's a hands-on experience that is unthinkable in dental practice, since I am not a qualified dentist.

Some are saying shadowing is still better as you're exposed to professional setting whereas denture is a labor-based environment in a factory lab setting. I think it might be more useful as you get a chance to experience manual aspect of dental work that'd help me with DAT prep, something that might strengthen my case in the interview and ease my workload in the future if I manage to get myself enrolled. A plan so bizarre it might work, or I'm getting off the track again? What do you think?

 

[cmF]

I've been firing phone calls and emails to find any decent dentists (or at least according to google map anyway) near where I live, and I'm going to test my water in two places. It got a little interesting when my career adviser was talking about the possibility of being exposed to denture field. She apparently had a adult student who used to work in a jewelry, and aced the dexterity component of the DAT exam while he was getting paid. Not sure if I have the time to do that despite my fascination with precious metals, so I called in a denture lab near my school and see if I could maybe get some experience making and handling (probably to a limited degree) dentures. It's a hands-on experience that is unthinkable in dental practice, since I am not a qualified dentist.

Some are saying shadowing is still better as you're exposed to professional setting whereas denture is a labor-based environment in a factory lab setting. I think it might be more useful as you get a chance to experience manual aspect of dental work that'd help me with DAT prep, something that might strengthen my case in the interview and ease my workload in the future if I manage to get myself enrolled. A plan so bizarre it might work, or I'm getting off the track again? What do you think?

I would jump on the denture lab opportunity if I were you, especially if you're getting paid. Looking back, I wish I would have done something similar because quite honestly, you reach a point of diminishing returns when it comes to shadowing. The first few dozen hours give you varying degrees of exposure to the field but doing 250+ hours of job shadowing is kind of ridiculous in my opinion. There's a lot of other more productive ways to spend your time and like you said, working in a denture lab will increase manual dexterity, give you an opportunity to see the "backend" side of dentistry, and it will make your application really stand out.

 

[blankman321]

I have talked to about 12 dental schools and they just want any kind of dental shadowing/experience. Some actually like that you diversify (go to cosmetic, emergency, OMFS, etc.) your shadowing experience. I would also try the denture lab, its pretty hands on and it also pays (shadowing right now is actually hurting my funding to get money for apps and fees for the DAT exam).

slightly off topic: is it preferred you need some work experience to get a job in the denture lab field? Do some companies hire part time at least.

 

[digitalfortress]

I have talked to about 12 dental schools and they just want any kind of dental shadowing/experience. Some actually like that you diversify (go to cosmetic, emergency, OMFS, etc.) your shadowing experience. I would also try the denture lab, its pretty hands on and it also pays (shadowing right now is actually hurting my funding to get money for apps and fees for the DAT exam).

slightly off topic: is it preferred you need some work experience to get a job in the denture lab field? Do some companies hire part time at least.

These are the right questions to ask. I am not an expert (another hopeless undergrad student), but I don't think admission will care whether you volunteered or worked. They are not enrolling students so that they can deliver like in the industry; they want students that are well-rounded and have enough interest in dentistry so that they don't fail or bail out of the program that the government pays a lot of investment for (at least in socialist Canada, anyway). I have my own reasons to believe that people working competently to deliver goods and learn new skills would be better for me and the world compared to volunteering, plus it pays. It's always a good idea to have some steady source of income, even if they want to start with minimum wage. Maybe it's just me, but I feel a lot more comfortable in work setting cause we both have some expectations and standards to uphold. I'm sure it applies to volunteering as well, but not as much... at least that's my biased view anyway.

I'm going to the owner of denture lab and see what I would actually be doing, and whether it's going to be strictly volunteering or if there is a possibility of employment in the future if I can keep up with their pace. My priority first and foremost is skills and experience. Money is a nice extra.

 

[funkyCHICKEN]

most schools actually prefer denture over dental clinics cuz dental clinics are kinda advanced for our undergrad minds

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=14005999#post14005999
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=995828

 

[TomSnelling]

Personally, I think it would behoove you to get a good mix of experiences. Dental schools love "well-rounded" students, aka ones with diverse experiences. For example, I would recommend, in this order:

1) Have some working knowledge of the dental field and basic dental procedures. A great resource for this is The Complete Pre-Dental Guide to Modern Dentistry.

2) Have some observational experience with several dentists. That way you have different perspectives on the field.

3) Have some hands-on experience in the lab, processing dentures, etc. You'll get to see the "behind-the-scenes" work of dentistry and interacting with lab techs, who play an incredibly important role in the dental team.

-my two cents 🙂🙂

 

[digitalfortress]

Personally, I think it would behoove you to get a good mix of experiences. Dental schools love "well-rounded" students, aka ones with diverse experiences. For example, I would recommend, in this order:

1) Have some working knowledge of the dental field and basic dental procedures. A great resource for this is The Complete Pre-Dental Guide to Modern Dentistry.

2) Have some observational experience with several dentists. That way you have different perspectives on the field.

3) Have some hands-on experience in the lab, processing dentures, etc. You'll get to see the "behind-the-scenes" work of dentistry and interacting with lab techs, who play an incredibly important role in the dental team.

-my two cents 🙂🙂

Interesting choice for the book. I'll do just that. I'm going to see if volunteering hours I get from denture could be used for shadowing hours for colleges that want those.