USC Teeth Collection

[stryder]

Those of you attending USCSD... how serious is the teeth collecting policy. I got a sheet that says I'm supposed to have 300 collected. All the offices I have called won't give me teeth because they are "biowaste". I imagine other people have run in to this problem. What would happen if say you showed up with no teeth collected?

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[dexadental]

You are at a dental school, I doubt finding teeth will be a problem. Secondly, just tell them what you told us and see what they say, they'd probably have a better answer than anyone here.
The same happened to me a couple times upon walking into an office and trying to collect my teeth...why they couldn't tell me it was a hazard to collect them in the first place I don't understand.

 

[NVDental]

Those of you attending USCSD... how serious is the teeth collecting policy. I got a sheet that says I'm supposed to have 300 collected. All the offices I have called won't give me teeth because they are "biowaste". I imagine other people have run in to this problem. What would happen if say you showed up with no teeth collected?

Don't get discouraged if one or two offices refuse to give you teeth. Just go and ask another office! I had my share of refusals from offices, but I ended up with about 5 offices agreeing to collect teeth for me, including oral surgeons. Oral surgeons provided me with many more teeth than the GP offices.

That being said, so far at USC ( I have just about completed my 2nd year) I have probably used about only 30-40 teeth. The reason why they ask you to collect so many is because many of the teeth that you get will be so badly bombed out with caries, that they will not be of much use. Also, teeth with straight, fully formed roots, which are needed for the endodontics lab can be hard to come by, so you often have to look through you're whole jar , just to find the right tooth.

There will be people who didn't collect their own teeth, who are forced to mooch off of the people that did collect their teeth. It is much better to have your own stockpile, instead of having to beg for teeth all of the time.

 

[SusyGrnbrg]

???
Did I not get that paperwork?
I have gone through my file- and I can't find anything on collecting teeth.
When did you receive that request?

 

[stryder]

I'm pretty sure the request came in the matriculation packet.

 

[amu12]

Reviving this thread....is there any requirement of 'type' of teeth to be collected or any 'molar/anterior' teeth shall be okay?

Thx.

 

[hopefulDMD]

I was just going to post a thread like this.

On my paperwork it says that cavity-free bicuspids, 1st molars and anterior teeth are hardest to come by. I thought of asking oral surgeons but they don't do too many anterior, bicuspids or anything other than 3rd molar extractions...

so my last guess would be to guess general dentists but they don't do extractions unless the teeth are destroyed...where would you suggest I go to find these?? without having to extract them from a healthy family member? lol....

 

[bigstix808]

I was just going to post a thread like this.

On my paperwork it says that cavity-free bicuspids, 1st molars and anterior teeth are hardest to come by. I thought of asking oral surgeons but they don't do too many anterior, bicuspids or anything other than 3rd molar extractions...

so my last guess would be to guess general dentists but they don't do extractions unless the teeth are destroyed...where would you suggest I go to find these?? without having to extract them from a healthy family member? lol....

find a prosthodontist or affordable dentures or the alike. i got 2 mason jars filled in 2 months from one office before i started.

 

[Khompressor]

I've been having trouble too!

 

[hopefulDMD]

find a prosthodontist or affordable dentures or the alike. i got 2 mason jars filled in 2 months from one office before i started.

that's a great idea! are there many prosthodontists??

I've been having trouble too!

i'm glad i"M not that only one having trouble