Shadowing experience

[ULTRON]

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Hello,

I'm seeking a shadowing experience. The problem is that I don't know how to approach a dentist and what to look for.

It may seem funny but if I just march into a dentist's office requesting that I'll observe him every day for 6 months, wouldn't I be disturbing him/her on job?
I mean, this dude is working on patients and I'm tailgating him around the office...wouldn't it be annoying for the dentist?

So, I have these silly questions,

How should I go about asking for a shadowing experience?
How many hours should I spend everyday in the office?
How should I actually DO the shadowing..I mean, just sit in a place? Or walk around asking questions?
Where should I spend most of the time - in the main clinic room where the dentist actually works on patients?

I'm asking these questions because you must have done shadowing - could you share your experiences? Your help will be highly appreciated. Thanks guys.

ULTRON
Hoping to begin in 2004.

 

[swiminh2o]

I shadowed with a about three different dentists and each was a little different. One of the dentists was my family dentist so the comfort level was already reasonable. He let me stand, sit, wherever I wanted. For the other two experiences I just went in and introduced myself and asked if the dentist was willing to have a "shadow". He came and brought me back to his office and we chatted for a bit. When he said he would be happy to have me come in I simply asked him what he expected from me and where he would like me to put myself during his procedures. If your not sure what to do just ask the dentist what he/she thinks would be the best thing to do. I kept most of my questions about procedures until after the patient left as to avoid an increase in anxiety from the patient. Can you imagine: " Uh... Dr. X, why did you just dothat?" Also, you don't want to put him/her on the spot right in front of the patient. One of the dentists was really cool and would have me get real close and explain why he was doing such and such without me even asking. The dental assistants are a good resource for questions as well. This was a bit of a ramble but hope it helped.

 

[ULTRON]

Hey thanks....I guess I should let the dentist guide me.

ULTRON

 

[Rob2005]

I don't think the dentist would have enough time to answer questions at the end of the procedure, and you might get lost as to what's going on in the procedure if you don't find out early enough (like endo). When and if questions come up, I would recommend asking them while the dentist is doing the procedure, but needless to say, don't go overboard. He/she knows you're there to learn, and many love to share their knowledge, so I say go for it.

Rob