Mexico Dental Assisting

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Accordion

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I did some basic assisting in Mexico (suctioning, etc). Should I put that on my application or is it illegal/frowned upon?

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Don't even mention it imo. You don't even need to be licensed in some states in the USA to be a dental assistant, but the second an admissions committee member sees Mexico and assisting in the same sentence they probably will think the worst (that you provided illegal/unethical care).
 
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Don't even mention it. You don't even need to be licensed in some states in the USA to be a dental assistant, but the second an admissions committee member sees Mexico and assisting in the same sentence they will think the worst.
Ok, that's what I thought as well. Thanks.
 
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I don't understand the consensus with americans of the impropriety of dental or medical care in and from Mexico. There is better care around the world than there is in the states with better health system for their citizens. Mexico has excellent dentist and even better medical doctors, so if you would put that you assisted in the US why not put you assisted in Mexico? Dentistry in Mexico is not a barbaric third world practice like most people seem to think

I shadowed in Mexico, no suctioning, but if i did assist I would definitely mention that in my application
 
Don't even mention it imo. You don't even need to be licensed in some states in the USA to be a dental assistant, but the second an admissions committee member sees Mexico and assisting in the same sentence they probably will think the worst (that you provided illegal/unethical care).
Thats a bit ignorant
 
Mexican laws aren't the same as American laws. It has nothing to do with the quality of the doctors.
 
just mention you educated the residents of mexico with dental hygiene
 
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I don't understand the consensus with americans of the impropriety of dental or medical care in and from Mexico. There is better care around the world than there is in the states with better health system for their citizens. Mexico has excellent dentist and even better medical doctors, so if you would put that you assisted in the US why not put you assisted in Mexico? Dentistry in Mexico is not a barbaric third world practice like most people seem to think

I shadowed in Mexico, no suctioning, but if i did assist I would definitely mention that in my application

lol
 
Thats a bit ignorant

Are you a gunner and trying to get someone rejected? It has nothing to do with superiority, it's the same reason if you go to dental school in Mexico you have to take two extra years to be licensed in the US. It's the laws and policies that are different.
No one is saying the US is the best country in terms of dental care, if a dentist from the US moved to another country they still have to be licensed by the other country as well as vice versa and if they require extra years as well the US dentist will have to take the extra years.
OP is applying to a US dental school so he has to learn from people working in the US under their laws.
Go do your research before calling people ignorant.
 
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I don't understand the consensus with americans of the impropriety of dental or medical care in and from Mexico. There is better care around the world than there is in the states with better health system for their citizens. Mexico has excellent dentist and even better medical doctors, so if you would put that you assisted in the US why not put you assisted in Mexico? Dentistry in Mexico is not a barbaric third world practice like most people seem to think

I shadowed in Mexico, no suctioning, but if i did assist I would definitely mention that in my application
Why couldn't they do this work in the U.S.? Because providing any sort of clinical care in the U.S. without proper credentials or training is illegal/unethical.
Doing this abroad can be seen as a "workaround" and can be also viewed as taking advantage of a population that has limited access to care for the purposes of training.
What would happen if someone without proper training does work on a foreign patient during a mission trip, then leaves. Then said patient develops an infection due to improper care. What access does that person have to get the infection taken care of?
Many ADCOMS are highly against it, so I would not recommend mentioning it, or even doing it in the first place.
 
Why couldn't they do this work in the U.S.? Because providing any sort of clinical care in the U.S. without proper credentials or training is illegal/unethical.
Doing this abroad can be seen as a "workaround" and can be also viewed as taking advantage of a population that has limited access to care for the purposes of training.
What would happen if someone without proper training does work on a foreign patient during a mission trip, then leaves. Then said patient develops an infection due to improper care. What access does that person have to get the infection taken care of?
Many ADCOMS are highly against it, so I would not recommend mentioning it, or even doing it in the first place.
Dental assisting does not require licensing in some states, so no it is not illegal
 
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Are you a gunner and trying to get someone rejected? It has nothing to do with superiority, it's the same reason if you go to dental school in Mexico you have to take two extra years to be licensed in the US. It's the laws and policies that are different.
No one is saying the US is the best country in terms of dental care, if a dentist from the US moved to another country they still have to be licensed by the other country as well as vice versa and if they require extra years as well the US dentist will have to take the extra years.
OP is applying to a US dental school so he has to learn from people working in the US under their laws.
Go do your research before calling people ignorant.
That's exactly what I am, spot on buddy. I didn't say SDN, i said americans, and yes they have a very skewed view of mexico, from medicine to being sooooo dangerous and all from the media. I know the requirements mexico needs to work in the us and the requirements that the us needs to work in other countries, Im just talking about the tone people take when discussing and giving advice about mexico from medicine to how dangerous it supposedly is
 
I never once said it was "dangerous" and that dentists in Mexico have inferior training. What I said was that admissions committee members sometimes don't like to see foreign dental experience because they often associate it with unethical behavior. You can easily go abroad and get hands on training that you can't get in America with the same education because the LAWS differ. Your gross generalization isn't helping here.
 
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That's exactly what I am, spot on buddy. I didn't say SDN, i said americans, and yes they have a very skewed view of mexico, from medicine to being sooooo dangerous and all from the media. I know the requirements mexico needs to work in the us and the requirements that the us needs to work in other countries, Im just talking about the tone people take when discussing and giving advice about mexico from medicine to how dangerous it supposedly is

I don't recall any instances of dangerous doctors from Mexico as of lately. Quacks are quacks, we have them here and in Mexico. The real issue is the legality of providing services when you're not qualified in that country to do so.
 
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I don't recall any instances of dangerous doctors from Mexico as of lately. Quacks are quacks, we have them here and in Mexico. The real issue is the legality of providing services when you're not qualified in that country to do so.
No i understand and agree with all y'all, I just get butt hurt easily when the tone is negative i guess but it wasnt. but i meant from medicine to like the dangers of visiting mexico
 
That's exactly what I am, spot on buddy. I didn't say SDN, i said americans, and yes they have a very skewed view of mexico, from medicine to being sooooo dangerous and all from the media. I know the requirements mexico needs to work in the us and the requirements that the us needs to work in other countries, Im just talking about the tone people take when discussing and giving advice about mexico from medicine to how dangerous it supposedly is

Im an american and I certainly don't think that. Are there ignorant people in the US? Obviously, but thats an issue in every country. Mexico has some of the most beautiful campuses I've seen and I've met many well educated students from there. The problem of visiting other countries in relation to medicine spans more than just Mexico. Puerto Rico, dominican republic, China, etc etc. In poverty stricken areas, it is too easy to take advantage of the not well educated populace.
 
Dental assisting does not require licensing in some states, so no it is not illegal
Way to pick and choose my words, you really schooled me. I said "without proper credentials OR training is illegal/unethical"
Yes every STATE has different laws. But going to a different country to take advantage of a local, poor population to provide clinical care for the purpose of using them as practice, then leaving them is completely unethical.
And yes, going to Mexico IS dangerous. Sorry to burst your bubble buddy, but unless you're going to touristy areas like Cancun and Cozumel, it is in fact quite dangerous. And no, I'm not simply an uninformed person relying on the media for that information.
 
This thread got sort of derailed but is interesting. I work near the Mexican border and constantly deal with people going to Mexico for their dental care. Sometimes it is with the treatment plan we developed (frustrating) and sometimes they come to us to check/fix work that was done in Mexico. There are plenty of good dentists in Mexico and there are certainly quack dentists in the States. That said, I have seen some horrendous work come from Mexico. Crowns with 2 mm open margins, posts jammed into subgingival fractures, 5 unit bridges with a lateral incisor as an abutment. They will come to our office because it is too inconvenient to go back to Mexico to have it fixed. It wasn't too inconvenient to save a few hundred bucks initially. As a general rule, I won't fix anything that comes from Mexico unless we are going to completely redo the work. Once you touch something it becomes yours even if you didn't do the original work. Also, I have talked to dentists in Mexico that took a weekend course at UCLA and advertise "US trained dentist!" The difference with dealing with poor dentistry done in the states is there is a dental board for each state that the dentists are accountable to. In Mexico the patients have no recourse. Again, there are great dentists in MX and some poor practitioners in the US, but as a whole the work done in the US is far superior (my opinion only) to work done in MX and from other countries I have seen. Phillipines, China, and some work done in Eastern Europe are my only examples). Silver point root canals, pre-fab ssc's, implants with threads showing are a few examples. It is a lot cheaper. One couple in our practice were extremely non-compliant with our recommendations and eventually said they were going to fly to Thailand to have full mouth reconstructions. I looked online and it is definitely cheaper to have it done over there including multiple trips for the work. This has been happening in medicine for some time.
In regards to the original post, I have done a lot of volunteer work in Mexico with underserved populations and we have volunteers assist our procedures all the time. Mostly grab instruments and suction. To be honest they are not really that helpful but the intentions are good and it's fun to hang out with and talk to them for the day. Nothing compares to a well-trained assistant. I don't think any admissions committees would have a problem with you mentioning you helped on a mission trip with suctioning and taking xrays, etc. Don't make it sound like you got a ton of experience from it, because you most likely didn't, just sound grateful for the experience that you were able to take part in as a whole.
 
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Way to pick and choose my words, you really schooled me. I said "without proper credentials OR training is illegal/unethical"
Yes every STATE has different laws. But going to a different country to take advantage of a local, poor population to provide clinical care for the purpose of using them as practice, then leaving them is completely unethical.
And yes, going to Mexico IS dangerous. Sorry to burst your bubble buddy, but unless you're going to touristy areas like Cancun and Cozumel, it is in fact quite dangerous. And no, I'm not simply an uninformed person relying on the media for that information.
Ha yes you are very uniformed and ignorant. Unless you go to the border like tijuana then yes, that is dangerous, but Mexico City and the like is not. I go every winter and summer and walk around with my family or friends at midnight and nothing has ever happened. Of course you have to have common sense but please don't be ignorant, it's only proving my point pal
 
just mention you educated the residents of mexico with dental hygiene
This. I wouldn't risk blurring the lines of OK vs not OK working in someones mouth outside North America, but educating is a good thing to add
 
Mention it. Dental assisting is dental assisting, it's better to show some experience than none. If they ask about it during the interviews,talk about it.
 
Ha yes you are very uniformed and ignorant. Unless you go to the border like tijuana then yes, that is dangerous, but Mexico City and the like is not. I go every winter and summer and walk around with my family or friends at midnight and nothing has ever happened. Of course you have to have common sense but please don't be ignorant, it's only proving my point pal
Alright there chief. Enjoy your time there, and be sure to write in AADSAS about your excellent learning experiences while shadowing Mexican dentists. You should talk about it in your interviews too.
 
Alright there chief. Enjoy your time there, and be sure to write in AADSAS about your excellent learning experiences while shadowing Mexican dentists. You should talk about it in your interviews too.
I do along with millions of people every year. I'm sorry you're too ignorant to enjoy a country with such rich culture, architecture, and people, that also has beautiful history as well as a seventh wonder of the world. It's a shame people like you represent the United States, above all you were in the Navy which I'm sure you traveled a lot of the world and their residents had to interact with you.
And I absolutely will mention my experience and I hope to god they ask me about it during interviews. I know more of the world reality than your little bubble you live in. Good luck in life friend
 
I do along with millions of people every year. I'm sorry you're too ignorant to enjoy a country with such rich culture, architecture, and people, that also has beautiful history as well as a seventh wonder of the world. It's a shame people like you represent the United States, above all you were in the Navy which I'm sure you traveled a lot of the world and their residents had to interact with you.
And I absolutely will mention my experience and I hope to god they ask me about it during interviews. I know more of the world reality than your little bubble you live in. Good luck in life friend
Lol alright there. You're once again making up things I never said, trying to prove me wrong on those things I never said by justifying all of the wonderful aspects of the country (which I never disputed), then gradually insulting me more and more based on YOUR OWN statements and assumptions. Then you tried to shame me as an American, as well as bring discredit to my service. That's low.
I'm SURE you are a world traveler and quite cultured compared to me. Tell me, where in the world have I been? Because after my time in the Navy, and my multiple deployments, I can promise I've seen more of the world than you have; nice parts as well as not so nice parts.
Also you continue to call me ignorant, based off of what? Because I called Mexico dangerous?
As a government employee, there are multiple areas in the country that are prohibited for us based on the crime rate. The State Department has also issued a travel advisory to a number of parts of the country due to crime, namely as result of the ongoing problem of organized crime; specifically the Sinaloa and Zeta cartels.
And finally, you have no idea what it is I do in military. Your claim regarding my ignorance is unfounded. How do you know what my knowledge level is regarding the geopolitical situation in the country, and it's effects on the population and the crime rate?
You don't. I'll give you a hint though, I didn't need to go to Google.
So the next time you try to insult and shame someone based on things they never said, specifically their so-called "ignorance," maybe you should do a little research for yourself to become better informed and minimize your own embarassment.
 
Lol alright there. You're once again making up things I never said, trying to prove me wrong on those things I never said by justifying all of the wonderful aspects of the country (which I never disputed), then gradually insulting me more and more based on YOUR OWN statements and assumptions. Then you tried to shame me as an American, as well as bring discredit to my service. That's low.
I'm SURE you are a world traveler and quite cultured compared to me. Tell me, where in the world have I been? Because after my time in the Navy, and my multiple deployments, I can promise I've seen more of the world than you have; nice parts as well as not so nice parts.
Also you continue to call me ignorant, based off of what? Because I called Mexico dangerous?
As a government employee, there are multiple areas in the country that are prohibited for us based on the crime rate. The State Department has also issued a travel advisory to a number of parts of the country due to crime, namely as result of the ongoing problem of organized crime; specifically the Sinaloa and Zeta cartels.
And finally, you have no idea what it is I do in military. Your claim regarding my ignorance is unfounded. How do you know what my knowledge level is regarding the geopolitical situation in the country, and it's effects on the population and the crime rate?
You don't. I'll give you a hint though, I didn't need to go to Google.
So the next time you try to insult and shame someone based on things they never said, specifically their so-called "ignorance," maybe you should do a little research for yourself to become better informed and minimize your own embarassment.
No i know you've traveled way more than I have, and i never discredited your service so you're doing what i supposedly did to you by making up things. You've seen so much and yet you think Mexico, except Cozumel and Cancun, are dangerous and based of off the american government... i never said the american government wasn't ignorant either. You're telling me the this government is 100% correct, and yes it is ignorant of you believing that... I literally have all of my family living in Mexico and they absolutely know more about their country and its dangers than you do based off of "the government agencies with their advisory statements" or whatever. And I already said that yes some parts are very dangerous in Mexico (ex. he border) and to use common sense. I don't go around saying that USA is dangerous because my country advised me not to visit Detroit. That's called being ignorant.
 
No i know you've traveled way more than I have, and i never discredited your service so you're doing what i supposedly did to you by making up things. You've seen so much and yet you think Mexico, except Cozumel and Cancun, are dangerous and based of off the american government... i never said the american government wasn't ignorant either. You're telling me the this government is 100% correct, and yes it is ignorant of you believing that... I literally have all of my family living in Mexico and they absolutely know more about their country and its dangers than you do based off of "the government agencies with their advisory statements" or whatever. And I already said that yes some parts are very dangerous in Mexico (ex. he border) and to use common sense. I don't go around saying that USA is dangerous because my country advised me not to visit Detroit. That's called being ignorant.
OK fine, I'm ignorant. Listening to the government is ignorant. Listening to the media is ignorant. @JLT223 is ignorant. Americans are ignorant. Everyone is ignorant. However you are so well informed.
"It's a shame people like you represent the United States, above all you were in the Navy which I'm sure you traveled a lot of the world and their residents had to interact with you." That's not bringing shame or discredit to my service?
So tell me, did "your country" advise you that USA is dangerous, and not to visit Detroit? If not, then that's not being ignorant, that's lying.
And if they did put out that advisory, you spend half the year in "your country" with its rich heritage and wonderful qualities, and literally all your family lives there as well as your friends with all of its excellent dentists that you shadowed, and even better medical doctors, then why are you applying to dental schools in THIS country? You already said the American government is ignorant, as well as the general consensus of American people regarding "your country," which would imply that the American people are ignorant.
So why don't you do yourself a favor, avoid the frustrations of surrounding yourself with ignorant Americans and it's ignorant government. You have given no indication you want to be here in the first place, and done nothing but throw insults at MY country and it's people.
 
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OK fine, I'm ignorant. Listening to the government is ignorant. Listening to the media is ignorant. @JLT223 is ignorant. Americans are ignorant. Everyone is ignorant. However you are so well informed.
"It's a shame people like you represent the United States, above all you were in the Navy which I'm sure you traveled a lot of the world and their residents had to interact with you." That's not bringing shame or discredit to my service?
So tell me, did "your country" advise you that USA is dangerous, and not to visit Detroit? If not, then that's not being ignorant, that's lying.
And if they did put out that advisory, you spend half the year in "your country" with its rich heritage and wonderful qualities, and literally all your family lives there as well as your friends with all of its excellent dentists that you shadowed, and even better medical doctors, then why are you applying to dental schools in THIS country? You already said the American government is ignorant, as well as the general consensus of American people regarding "your country," which would imply that the American people are ignorant.
So why don't you do yourself a favor, avoid the frustrations of surrounding yourself with ignorant Americans and it's ignorant government. You have given no indication you want to be here in the first place, and done nothing but throw insults at MY country and it's people.
Thanks for the shoutout bro!
 
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I think we are getting off topic.

Again, OP, it is best not to mention it due to other people who have gone abroad and done unethical things IMO
 
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Thanks for the shoutout bro!

No problem! Anything for a fellow ignoramus :)

I think we are getting off topic.

Again, OP, it is best not to mention it due to other people who have gone abroad and done unethical things IMO

Party pooper ;)

In all seriousness, I do agree wholeheartedly with this advice for OP.
 
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Party pooper ;)

In all seriousness, I do agree wholeheartedly with this advice for OP.
It's the "I only have 5 more days of teaching so lets all get along and not cause any problems" teacher in me ;)

I did a trip like that to Nicaragua in undergrad. The dental students that I shadowed were really surprised when I declined the offer to extract someone's tooth. I got to help in other ways, like holding little teaching sessions with the younger kids on how to brush their teeth. Even still, I chose not to mention it on my application or in any of my interviews. It was a fun experience where I got to travel, get course credit for traveling, and experience the culture of another county.
 
It's the "I only have 5 more days of teaching so lets all get along and not cause any problems" teacher in me ;)

I did a trip like that to Nicaragua in undergrad. The dental students that I shadowed were really surprised when I declined the offer to extract someone's tooth. I got to help in other ways, like holding little teaching sessions with the younger kids on how to brush their teeth. Even still, I chose not to mention it on my application or in any of my interviews. It was a fun experience where I got to travel, get course credit for traveling, and experience the culture of another county.
Good move on your part. Extracting that tooth would've been unethical. It's good to see folks entering our future profession with solid values.
 
It's the "I only have 5 more days of teaching so lets all get along and not cause any problems" teacher in me ;)
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Listening to the government is ignorant. Listening to the media is ignorant.

Have you not been paying attention to this election cycle and the corruptness of the DNC? You can't honestly believe that listening to the government, and the media (OWNED BY THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE GOVERNMENT) is not ignorant, and if you can you don't live in reality honestly.

I live and will continue to live in this country because it has amazing opportunities that my country lacks, and has amazing people as well, but hey Trump may be president and deport me soon enough so your wishes will come true at the hand of the american government and by an american figurehead, because EVERYTHING they do is correct and legal.
 
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Just let it go...
 
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