Waxing in Dental School.

[AT89]

Hi,
I am a D1, and I've been in school for 1 month, no exaggeration. We have our first Waxing practical coming up. A full tooth peg of #20, like 100% a sculpture of the teeth. It was very difficult at first, because so many people in my lab are amazing, like extremely good, and I have 0 skills, so every time I'd take it to the professor. He would look at me funny, and it honestly made me feel so dumb for not seeing what he was seeing. It's been extremely stressful, and I have to complete in 2:30 min. I am extremely worry that once I get to operative I'll be extremely awful and fail. The days I have waxing lab, I get so nervous and freak out, I heard people saying waxing can be relaxing, but how? We need to get 80% to pass. I heard waxing is not a indicative of hand skills, is that true?

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[ysrebob]

Dental school is going to have its challenges for you and for everyone else in your class. For some people it will be waxing, for some it will be gross anatomy or some of the other memorization-heavy classes, for others it will be removable pros or endo... It can be discouraging to look around and see that something that's very hard for you comes naturally for someone else, but just know that they too will have their moments. 99% of you are all going to graduate together regardless. Just do your best and keep moving.

If it's any consolation, they make you do this because waxing is a useful way to start really studying the contours of teeth and building awareness of aesthetic details, but in actual dental practice I rarely need to wax up models... really the only situation where detail is required would be to mock up aesthetic dental work for somebody who is considering veneers or etc. If you can graduate with the ability to wax #6-11 you're going to be fine. And even that many (most?) dentists would send off to a lab vs sit down and do themselves.

 

[desertrat12]

I was pathetic at waxing and spent waaaay more time completing projects than most my classmates. But I do just fine with actual dental procedures. Just endure it, do your best, and enjoy that fact that you are involved in one of the many rights of passage that go along with dental school....also, don't drop it and brake it. A few of my classmates did this, they were very upset to say the least. Melting it back together only works so well...

 

[Rambunctious]

Hi,
I am a D1, and I've been in school for 1 month, no exaggeration. We have our first Waxing practical coming up. A full tooth peg of #20, like 100% a sculpture of the teeth. It was very difficult at first, because so many people in my lab are amazing, like extremely good, and I have 0 skills, so every time I'd take it to the professor. He would look at me funny, and it honestly made me feel so dumb for not seeing what he was seeing. It's been extremely stressful, and I have to complete in 2:30 min. I am extremely worry that once I get to operative I'll be extremely awful and fail. The days I have waxing lab, I get so nervous and freak out, I heard people saying waxing can be relaxing, but how? We need to get 80% to pass. I heard waxing is not a indicative of hand skills, is that true?

i was in the same boat as you. Just keep practicing and it will get better. Just because someone else waxes way better than you in your class doesn't mean they'll become a better dentist than you. Don't let it bring you down.

 

[weaselodeath]

Hi,
I am a D1, and I've been in school for 1 month, no exaggeration. We have our first Waxing practical coming up. A full tooth peg of #20, like 100% a sculpture of the teeth. It was very difficult at first, because so many people in my lab are amazing, like extremely good, and I have 0 skills, so every time I'd take it to the professor. He would look at me funny, and it honestly made me feel so dumb for not seeing what he was seeing. It's been extremely stressful, and I have to complete in 2:30 min. I am extremely worry that once I get to operative I'll be extremely awful and fail. The days I have waxing lab, I get so nervous and freak out, I heard people saying waxing can be relaxing, but how? We need to get 80% to pass. I heard waxing is not a indicative of hand skills, is that true?

Waxing is hard unless you have a solid foundation in manipulating a 3D medium already. You can’t compare yourself to others because you don’t know where they are coming from and they likely will not tell you. I know it’s a lot of pressure, but you need to focus on your own progress. If you are getting better and faster then that’s all you need to be doing. If you aren’t, you need to practice more.

 

[AT89]

Thanks!! I have my 1st practical tomorrow. I am able to complete it in the required time, fingers cross. I don't like the "I just want to pass" mentality, but with waxing, that's my moto.