BEST WEEKEND EVER.

I spent the weekend at our state's Mission of Mercy. Let me tell you that it was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. Not only did I get to complete my first ever road trip alone, but I met the best people, served my community, and experienced so many new things. Since I am still recovering from the weekend, I will bullet point my highlights:

• The D4 student who I met as we were both trying to find the concert that was free for all volunteers to attend. I am SO GRATEFUL to him for so many reasons. For being open and honest with his experiences, trying to introduce me to his classmates, professors, and anyone else he knew. I can't thank him enough for his efforts and his encouragements, which is why he comes first in this post. Thank you soon-to-be-Dr.G.S.!
• Drs. P.W. and P.S. for inviting me to dinner when I was basically went down to dinner with no one to eat with. For opening up to me and sharing their time with me. For opening their hearts to me and even saying hi whenever they say me throughout the second day of our activities.
• Thank you to the other D4 students, who I met through D4 G.S, for all being so kind and honest with their experiences. 
• To all the dentists that I worked with over the course of two days. Drs. S.H., R.P., and T.L. 

It was an EXCITING experience to be apart of. I was hesitant to go down by myself, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. Even with all the obstacles I went through to get down there. I'm already excited for next year!

SO HAPPY.

(I THINK*) I JUST GOT INVITED FOR MY FIRST EVER DENTAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW!

It's been a grueling year trying to improve my status as a dental school applicant. I have worked hard to do as much as I could and am more confident that I know this is what I want to do. I hope it is paying off. I have so many people to thank for this opportunity, so many people who have helped me through to this point.

I know this is only the beginning, but I cannot be any happier than I am right now.

*I read on Student Doctor Network recently that some schools missent their dental school invites and took back some invites, which is what makes me nervous. I will call on Monday morning, hoping for the best!

Two months into AADSAS...

It's already almost August and already two months have passed since the AADSAS opened! I've been paying schools application fees left and right, spending money like it was water. I'm also drowning trying to come up with new ways to write the exact same things and make them sound more interesting for my supplemental applications. I am so sick of writing the same thing over and over, and just once more over again. It's quite sickening and makes me want to barf. 

Hopefully it'll all be worth it...

In the mean time, I just got hired full-time at a dental office! Cheers to that!

Nervous.

I feel like I'm a better candidate this year, except now I don't feel as good.
The dentists I know and have networked with seem to think I would be a good candidate for dental school...The admissions committees might think otherwise. The orthodontist I shadowed said I'm definitely more personable than some of the other people who have shadowed him and the dental resident I just e-mailed told me that "I've definitely shown serious interest and that the schools will recognize that."

Why was I such an idiot in college? If only I would've wanted dentistry then as I do now. But growth is all apart of this, is it not?

And I wish my two other letter writers would submit! Or at least get back to me! #goinginsane #panicking

And a plug for this AWESOME, HILARIOUS DENTAL TUMBLR that my friend introduced me to a few days ago: http://whatshouldwecalldental.tumblr.com/ Don't pee in your pants!

AADSAS!

So the 2013 cycle begins...

Let's go, go, go!

Shadowing Dr.double-S, part deux

I got the opportunity to shadow Dr.double-S, who will be Dr. S for the rest of this entry. I was supposed to shadow Dr.K but her patients didn't show up and Dr. S came to the office and asked if I'd like to see an extraction, which was a coincidentally great opportunity for me. The patient was really eager to have be see his extraction and learn, pulling me closer with his hands and telling me to get a good look in his mouth and stuff. One of the best patients ever to shadow, even though he spoke very little English and had a translator there.

While I was watching, I saw a familiar little card in Dr. S's operating room, which I recognized a few seconds later was from me! It was nice to know that my thank you cards actually get to the dentists, I always wonder if they arrive and what happens to them when they do.

Oh, and I saw the handsome Dr. LM again. He was dressed up, not in the usual scrubs that everyone in the office wears. Dr. S said that I was missing out on the "handsome doctor AN" when I shadowed the first time because he was in Indiana doing some house searching, but I think otherwise after seeing Dr. AN today. And just before lunch, I saw Dr. LM and the attending dentist go somewhere, probably somewhere important.

Another super interesting thing I saw today was a woman that had an extra tooth, literally in the palette of her mouth behind her two front teeth. I asked Dr. S if it was just a tooth that had come in wrong or maybe a baby tooth, but no it was an extra tooth. CRAZY COOL, well not for the patient. And Dr. S definitely kept me on my feet quizzing me to see if I knew the routine of a new patient exam...Medical history, X-rays (if necessary), Hard tissue analysis, Perio analysis (gum tissue check and tooth mobility), and Prognosis/How to proceed from exam.

Note to self: Dr. S is going to endondontic school in St. Louis, Missouri after he completes his residency in late June.

Shadowing Dr.double-S

I completely forgot that I had this blog when I shadowed last Friday. This was a pretty awesome experience, shadowing dental residents who had all graduated within the last year. The group of five dentists was a pretty selective group and were undergoing some rigorous training in order to become the best dentists they could be. The group had come from all over the country, NYU, UOP, Creighton, and the U of M -- I was surprised by the variety.

Here, I saw a variety of cases yet again, but different from that of the community clinic. These cases were more specialized and specifically geared to face cases that were referred to by the hospital. The attending dentist told me that this was an initiative to have dentistry compliment physicians more and vice versa, since there had always been this lingering gap of care for patients. Upon the initiative of a few people, a program was started to have dental residents take on cases from the overseeing hospital and allowed them to have the credibility of having a vast variety of experience collected within a year of residency.

The dentist I shadowed, maybe because he understands what it's like to be a pre-dental student or that he's a recent grad who is extremely modest, but he and the other residents were extremely kind and generous of their time and sharing information. I was really grateful towards all of them. (Not to mention some were very handsome...*gushes*)

After shadowing on Friday, it is something I definitely would like to pursue, should I get into dental school over the next year.