Dreams and shadowing Dr.C.R

I woke up from this amazing dream this morning where I got a call from the director of a program that I'm waiting to hear back from and that I was accepted. Unfortunately, it was only a dream and now it's been almost three weeks since I've heard back about the program since I first heard the results would be provided. It stinks to know that I lack the ability to make surefire plans when it comes to things related to my future or career.

Anyways, I shadowed at the Native American Community Clinic today for a third time. As always, the cases seen there were very interesting and it was great to be able to meet more D4 students. This time there was a different group rotating, one of the students even happened to be a Kaplan course instructor. He called my Kaplan instructor his protege and when I told my instructor about it after he responded to me about my personal statement, he said that the D4 student was actually his DAT instructor. Small world.

I came across my first experience where the patient did not want to be observing while he was undergoing a crown prep procedure today. Though during the pre-day huddle I had heard that he was a sensitive patient, I had no idea that he would object to observations. And when I saw him leave, the D4 student stuck out his hand and said, "Thanks." The patient threw his hands back and said, "I don't shake hands."

But due to the previous patient, I met this wonderful gentleman today, he had been diagnosed with a myriad of health problems yet his outlook on life was simply one of the most positive ones I'd ever seen in my life. When I was just about to step out while the D4 student went to go grab Dr.C.R. he asked me where I was from. I told him and he said, "I thought you might be, see, I like to meet as many people as I can from all over the world." I told him that it was nice and that usually people don't guess right. He said, "The world has too many wars and too much hate. Little actions of help -- just holding the door open, a smile, or helping a stranger -- would make the world a better place. Turning the hate into love, but I guess that's just me. I told him it was a great philosophy to have and I was just struck by his optimism even amongst all the ways he could hate the world due to his condition. It was apparent that he was far more healthy, mentally, than any of us.

Shadowing oral surgeon Dr.B.D.C.

This was quite a different experience. The more I shadow dental specialties, the more I like them. However, I am fully aware that in order to be in these specialties you have to be near the top of your class and study for a couple of extra years.

I was able to shadow this oral surgeon because one of the dental assistants at the dental office where I work part-time used to work for this oral surgeon. This situation was unique in that I was required to wear scrubs (and I couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to not have to worry about what to wear all the time). It was a completely different approach to extracting teeth and I really enjoyed the atmosphere of oral surgery just as I did orthodontics. It was interesting to see "the other side" of anesthesia -- because now I finally knew what went on when the patient was passed out and the oral surgeon and his dental assistants got work done.

I'm sure I can't say much more, so I'll just leave with this note. Please, remember to brush your tongue folks.

Cavities from the perspective of a young girl

Yesterday, a young girl who couldn't be older than eight checked out at the front desk because she had a cavity. The mother, without asking for an estimate for the composite and amalgam options, chose to have her daughter have a composite, or white, filling. Hearing this, the daughter immediately whines, "I want a silver filling! I don't want a white one." Several dental assistants are at the front desk waiting for their next patients and tell the girl that the white ones are better (more expensive and more appealing, aesthetically). However, the older brother shows his younger sister his silver filling and asks if it's cool. The little girl, this time almost in tears, says that she wants a silver filling. In the end, the scheduling manager scheduled a "silver" filling...