Shadowing Dr. M.D.S.

Tonight, I shadowed Dr. M.D.S., whom I thought was totally intimidating until today. His personality requires some getting used to and also getting to know. My first impression of him was that he was a cocky doctor, the way he came in and sat slouched back when I was interviewing for a weekend receptionist position at this office. He told me he had two questions but would only ask me one, "Was I reliable". Of course I answered yes and was luckily given the position on the spot.

But he taught me quite a few things that I had not known about dentistry and also words of wisdom of dentistry, words that could only come from someone who's experienced it first hand. I saw him in a new light, one that was entirely deserving of his title and entitled to his position as a caregiver. I was impressed and discovered a new found respect for Dr.S.

"Doing good work is important....But a lot of dentistry is getting people's expectations in line"

People come to the dentist with certain expectations, things like expecting a treatment to last a lifetime or that a treatment will not result in any post-operative pain. Dr.S warned that it's important to let the patient be aware of the potential outcomes of a treatment and possibilities down the road. Otherwise, it will come right back to you because you are the doctor and you suggested this treatment. Thus, he emphasized a point that I had never considered. Dentistry is always about thinking ahead, whether it be preventative or post-operative.

"Every treatment is definitive -- the end of the road for a tooth."

When providing a patient with a treatment, you have to think of this treatment as a the final and last treatment for the tooth. You don't want the patient to have to go through more than they should, nor should they have to pay more for treatment. It saves both you and the patient, in the end. If you're given options, you want to choose one that will last the longest, the one that will keep the integrity of the tooth.

"When you think about life in the big scheme of things, a crown is a small hurdle...If people are educated and motivated enough, they'll find a way."

Commenting on the option of crowns and treatment options, he mentioned that if people really want the treatment, they'll find a way to pay for it. For one thing, they need it to survive and will wager the cause and effect of having treatment or holding off on it. For instance, one patient came in and wanted to hold off on having a crown put in place until next year, when she could afford it. In the meantime, Dr.S. put in a temporary crown, which would hopefully last until she was ready to afford and have the treatment.

Overall, I felt like this was a very successful shadowing experience where I learned a lot, a lot more than I had expected to.