How to ask to shadow a dentist

[mascue]

Hi, merry christmas yall I finished up my fall semester and with some time off of work, I think I am ready to do predental things again! I am a sophomore and this winter I am looking to get some of that major shadowing hours out of the way so this upcoming summer I can focus on writing the DAT. How should I ask a dentist to shadow them, especially during COVID? I know that going in-person to talk to them would be a better idea but I'm not sure how that'll work out this time....

Also, is it true that shadowing a general dentist is PREFERRED over shadowing a specialist? I know an orthodontist that I've gotten braces from (although I don't plan on being an orthodontist), and I think having previous connections might help me.

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[2thDoc11]

Just walk in and ask.. and make sure most of your hours are at a general office but it’s good to shadow at a variety of practices

 

[DDS&VVS]

it’s as easy as giving them a phone call and asking if you can shadow! just say that you’re interested in pursuing dentistry and that you would like to observe the dentist do various procedures, and I’m sure some of them will give you a response!

as far as who you shadow, i think shadowing a general dentist is best. I don’t think you’d get brownie points for shadowing an ortho/pedo/OMFS lol, but it’s good to get a variety of each specialty. I stuck with 1 general dentist and It was fine )))

 

[mrdeez]

You must perform the ritual. Place a bloody elk horn at the doorstep of their practice. Then, look to the heavens and summon Cthulhu for guidance. Smear the ash of a sage bush across your forehead. Breathe deeply into the diaphragm and in one, gurgling bellow, exclaim:
GEEYOOOOOOORP
After that you should be good to go.


Or you could just walk in and introduce yourself either way.

 

[PerioDont]

I would not do a phone call. There is so much going on in dental offices that very rarely do dentists want yet another phone call from some random stranger. just walk in and be like can I hang out here? thats about it.

 

[0Mik3cho]

Get in touch with your personal dentist, past or present. Ask friends if they know any dentists that take on shadowees. Some part time assisting work won’t hurt but certainly isn’t mandatory. All this has worked out well for me this cycle.

 

[deleted1073010]

as far as who you shadow, i think shadowing a general dentist is best. I don’t think you’d get brownie points for shadowing an ortho/pedo/OMFS lol, but it’s good to get a variety of each specialty. I stuck with 1 general dentist and It was fine )))

I think schools are a lot less nit picky than you might think as far as shadowing specialists goes. I worked for an oral surgeon and had way more hours with him than with a general dentist. He wrote my dental letter of rec and it worked out great. Some schools have specific requirements though so it's always good to double check