- Joined
- Jan 3, 2012
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I know there are a ton of threads on SDN about shadowing (since I've read lots of them 👍 ) but I wanted to add my own experiences. FWIW, I am not currently enrolled in any pre-dental classes but am actively considering dentistry as a career change, from classical music.
Finding a dental office to shadow was relatively easy for me. There are a few ways to get a lengthy list of general dentists like the phone book, Google, and Yahoo! local, and I used all three of them to compile a solid list. My first 10 or so calls either flatly denied me or took my information and said they would be in touch. Eventually I hit some luck. I called this place, I'll call it SmileyTown, and they were unsure if they did shadowing. This was a common reply as well. The front office lady put me on hold so she could ask the dentist, and then I hear a man on the line "Yes?". I can be a bit awkward socially so at this point my heart was pounding pretty fast. I ask the doctor if they do shadowing and he said they did, seeming very enthused. We start cross-checking our schedules and it turns out the next morning is the best time that he can have me in, so that's the plan! Let freakout mode begin. I spend the night on SDN and dental town, reading every shadowing thread I can, writing out questions, researching etiquette and generally trying to be as prepared as possible.
I get there in the morning about 15 mins early and eventually the doctor calls me in like a patient. What proceeds is just about the coolest 4 hours of my life. First of all he sits me down and asks me about myself and my situation. We have a nice chat and he seems like a genuinely nice guy looking to help. I see some fillings and crown moldings and then we chat a bit more. This is the format of the morning. He gets up to do something, I follow, then we go back to his office to talk more. I was afraid of seeming like his lapdog but ANYTIME I made it seem like I wouldn't follow him to a procedure or might check out somewhere else he'd do a "you'll want to see this!" and make me feel welcome. It was amazing. There was an emergency extraction that was quite bloody but I was more than happy to watch and see some laser technology. I believe he used a laser to clot the opening after the extraction, then took some of the patients blood and mixed it with bone graft material and clotted it again with the laser, then inserted it into the opening. It was pretty exciting and I wasn't grossed out at all, to the surprise of the hygienist. We talked for at least an hour and I learned quite a bit about the profession (tip of the iceberg, I'm sure.) He made me feel like my musical training would be an asset, which was great to hear. He gave me business cards of his preferred Endo/Pedo/Orthos and said I should definitely give them a ring.
All in all, I doubt the experience could have gone better after reading so many horror stories the night before. I think most dentists are probably happy to help predents or those considering the field. I think it's the folks who struggle or have poor experiences who are more likely to post about it, so I wanted to share something positive!
Finding a dental office to shadow was relatively easy for me. There are a few ways to get a lengthy list of general dentists like the phone book, Google, and Yahoo! local, and I used all three of them to compile a solid list. My first 10 or so calls either flatly denied me or took my information and said they would be in touch. Eventually I hit some luck. I called this place, I'll call it SmileyTown, and they were unsure if they did shadowing. This was a common reply as well. The front office lady put me on hold so she could ask the dentist, and then I hear a man on the line "Yes?". I can be a bit awkward socially so at this point my heart was pounding pretty fast. I ask the doctor if they do shadowing and he said they did, seeming very enthused. We start cross-checking our schedules and it turns out the next morning is the best time that he can have me in, so that's the plan! Let freakout mode begin. I spend the night on SDN and dental town, reading every shadowing thread I can, writing out questions, researching etiquette and generally trying to be as prepared as possible.
I get there in the morning about 15 mins early and eventually the doctor calls me in like a patient. What proceeds is just about the coolest 4 hours of my life. First of all he sits me down and asks me about myself and my situation. We have a nice chat and he seems like a genuinely nice guy looking to help. I see some fillings and crown moldings and then we chat a bit more. This is the format of the morning. He gets up to do something, I follow, then we go back to his office to talk more. I was afraid of seeming like his lapdog but ANYTIME I made it seem like I wouldn't follow him to a procedure or might check out somewhere else he'd do a "you'll want to see this!" and make me feel welcome. It was amazing. There was an emergency extraction that was quite bloody but I was more than happy to watch and see some laser technology. I believe he used a laser to clot the opening after the extraction, then took some of the patients blood and mixed it with bone graft material and clotted it again with the laser, then inserted it into the opening. It was pretty exciting and I wasn't grossed out at all, to the surprise of the hygienist. We talked for at least an hour and I learned quite a bit about the profession (tip of the iceberg, I'm sure.) He made me feel like my musical training would be an asset, which was great to hear. He gave me business cards of his preferred Endo/Pedo/Orthos and said I should definitely give them a ring.
All in all, I doubt the experience could have gone better after reading so many horror stories the night before. I think most dentists are probably happy to help predents or those considering the field. I think it's the folks who struggle or have poor experiences who are more likely to post about it, so I wanted to share something positive!
