What do you know about Dentistry?

[messenger]

how do you answer this interview question?

how much do they expect us to know?

any thoughts?

any other questions similar to this anyone experience?

 

[dddsmack]

You aren't supposed to know that much. Just whatever you have learned from shadowing and talking w/ others.

That's all I know.

 

[djeffreyt]

I think that it depends on what you have in your background experience. There are plenty of people who have only shadowed for 20 hours, and I doubt an interviewer would ask something like...what is the difference in technique of seating an upper vs. a lower impression tray. But if you been working as an RDA for 6 years, you probably better know a little more.

In the course of conversation, you may get questions about dentistry that you don't know, but just tell them you haven't learned that stuff yet. But if you write down that you volunteered as a sterilization tech for 12 months at a dental office and the person says "ultrasonic" and you go..."what's an ultrasonic?" then you might have problems.

 

[lemoncurry]

i think those little white things are called teeth and you're supposed to scrape them with a twig every week or so.

 

[messenger]

I think that it depends on what you have in your background experience. There are plenty of people who have only shadowed for 20 hours, and I doubt an interviewer would ask something like...what is the difference in technique of seating an upper vs. a lower impression tray. But if you been working as an RDA for 6 years, you probably better know a little more.

In the course of conversation, you may get questions about dentistry that you don't know, but just tell them you haven't learned that stuff yet. But if you write down that you volunteered as a sterilization tech for 12 months at a dental office and the person says "ultrasonic" and you go..."what's an ultrasonic?" then you might have problems.

very nice. all i am saying is that all i really know is that i have been a volunteer for about a year or so....not really doing much, you know? like cleaning rooms, setting up instruments, chart filing and shadowing. BUT, what do i reallyknow about this profession? that its stable and predictable. that you need a cleaning at least twice a year. anything else?

 

[dddsmack]

By volunterring for a year, you have gathered more knowledge than anyone I know that is applying. Including me. I know that each person has one mouth and a jit load of teeth, and they pay lots of money to fix em. That's about it.

 

[djeffreyt]

very nice. all i am saying is that all i really know is that i have been a volunteer for about a year or so....not really doing much, you know? like cleaning rooms, setting up instruments, chart filing and shadowing. BUT, what do i reallyknow about this profession? that its stable and predictable. that you need a cleaning at least twice a year. anything else?

I don't know what else to tell you really. You probably know that dentists refer out certain types of work. That having an efficient filing system is a great thing when you suddenly find two files missing and the patients are coming in that day. You might have noticed how important it can be to hire a good receptionist who knows how to talk to people and figure out how to fill emergency gaps in your schedule. Maybe you have picked up a couple pieces of OSHA info along the way. Whatever you know is what you know, and if you don't claim to have done anything outrageous that would have required more knowledge than you have, you'll be fine.