a NEW year & the LAST term of dental school

happy new year!

 I've had an exhausting 2019 already. We made it back from our trip through Europe & Africa just in time to ring in 2019. 

drowning in dentures

Be careful what you wish for. For months, I was feeling upset that I hadn't yet had the opportunity to fabricate any dentures for patients. I was really starting to get worried about it because at my dental school, dentures are one of those procedures that slows people down with being able to graduate. 

PASSED!

I’ve been waiting and hoping to share this post for months. 

medical dental mission trip

Nothing fuels the heart or feeds the soul quite like helping others, which is why I couldn't be more excited to announce that I'm headed off on a medical dental mission trip to the Dominican Republic! 

a day in the life of a dental student: boards study

The hardest part about prepping for boards wasn't the content, it was time management. My dental school runs on a very unique schedule where we get more clinical hours than anyone else in the country. But an unfortunate side effect of that is that we also get significantly less time off. 

So while most dental schools give their students anywhere from a few weeks to a month of uninterrupted study time-I got 3 days. As you might imagine, that doesn't even begin to make a dent in preparing for a 12 hour exam. So the name of the game became squeezing as much time as possible out of each day to make time for studying. Here's a glimpse of what my average day has looked like these past couple of months. 

the pharmacy museum

I love museums because I'll never turn down a chance to learn something new. While we were in New Orleans, I realized that it was home to The Pharmacy Museum and I knew that we had to go. 

Having spent so many hours of my life agonizing over learning and understanding the many pharmaceutical agents we use today, it was nice to see this side of medicine from a fun historical side. I assumed that this little one room museum would be a quick visit, but we ended up spending almost 4 hours here. We loved the tour-it's a must. And it was so interesting to learn about all the medications and techniques that have been used over the years. If you have a chance to visit this museum, DO. It's filled with medical history that ranges from the mundane to the truly bizarre. But the best part is that everyone can appreciate this museum, whether you're in the medical field or not. 

this week of dental school

Orange 🍊you glad that it's finally the weekend? And a 3 day weekend at that. Honestly, I don't know what I'm soooo excited about, seeing as my plans for this weekend involve catching up on lab-work at the dental school. Ha! 

After this crazy busy week of dental school, I'm just happy to have a little more dominion over my schedule. Here's a peak at this crazy week I've had. 

a day in the life of a dental student: pulling teeth

Sharing another day in the life as a dental student. This one is all about pulling teeth! It's exhausting and hard work, but incredibly rewarding and I love it.  

As a dental student, I have my own set of patients that I'm responsible for, but every 2-3 weeks I do a week-long rotation within one of the specialty dental clinics at the school...emergency, pediatrics, orthodontics, etc. Today's rotation is in the Oral and Maxillofacial Clinic (OMS), extracting teeth. Let's take a glimpse at my day, shall we? Don't worry though-no graphic photos. 

dental school lately: vol. 5

One of the (many) reasons that I chose dentistry as a career is the flexibility. What other medical career offers such great hours? Even as a student, I've managed to make time to travel and see the world and really enjoy life on my schedule. 

the last year of dental school

All smiles because today was my last first day of dental school with kicking off my senior year. It's finally here! 

I remember thinking that this past week before becoming a senior was such a hectic one because last week, I extracted 10 teeth with an alveoplasty and continuous locking sutures, delivered my first completed denture and started 3 more, did a pulpectomy (type of root canal) on a pediatric patient, and saw emergency patients too--all while studying as much as possible for my national board dental exam. Yet, all of that was a drop in the bucket compared to how crazy things are about to be. I'm terrified and excited all in one for this final year of dental school. There have been so many moments during the process where I doubted if I could make it through. But getting to this point is proof that I am worthy and I am capable of becoming a dentist. Now, there are only 366 more days left and I better get to it because there is a lot to do. 

extractions

Sorry. I know this pic is a bit graphic. GROSS were Husband's exact words. Ha! But it's what I do and I'm extremely proud of it. I was up early this Saturday volunteering at a free dental clinic extracting teeth.  

All the volunteers put in an 8 hour day and even though I was exhausted, it was literally the best possible way to spend my weekend. It's indescribable how amazing it feels to provide medical care to so many people who really need it and couldn't afford it otherwise. Nothing that I could have possibly done with my Saturday was as important as volunteering today with relieving so much pain and getting rid of disease. I truly feel so lucky to be a dental student and to be honing skills that are valued. I cannot wait for my next opportunity to volunteer this summer when I'll be headed on a medical mission trip! 

happy weekending. 

dental school lately: vol. 4

This update of dental school lately is long overdue. I've been so busy and overwhelmed and it's only going to get crazier over the next couple of months. 

My last and final year of dental school kicks off at the end of April, which is hard to believe, but so exciting too. So while things are a bit more manageable right now, it's good timing for a dental school update. 

studying on-the-go

I'm currently entrenched in studying---even more so than usual as I prepare for the second part of my national board exam-a massive standardized test that I have to pass in order to become a dentist. It's a big deal! That being said, I haven't stopped living my life. I haven't stopped making time for family and friends and travel and all the parts of life that I love most.  

Studying in Palm Springs 

Mütter Medical Museum

This is what happens when your Valentine wants to take you somewhere special, but you're kind of into some weird stuff so you end up at a museum of medical oddities. Learning about conjoined twins and shrunken heads may not fit everyone's date list, but I thought that it was the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day. 

rotations rotations

Dental school has never felt as real for me as it has these past few days. I checked off a big hurtle with passing a practical I'd been struggling with. I nailed down my exam date for the second part of the national board dental exam. And I've been challenging my clinical graduation requirements AKA taking exams with live patients. But what's felt most tangible is the fact that my dental school has started to release our rotation schedule. 

in STITCHES

Wanted to check in after being MIA during this past week. I had a pretty rough start to the week and it only got harder from there. But I licked my wounds or stitched them up as it were and powered through it. 

back to the reality of being frustrated

I officially kicked off a new term of dental school this week. I was already worried about getting back to the reality of starting this trimester because I have to deal with this not so little issue . Also, I get to begin studying for the second part of the national board exam. Class just began on Tuesday and there is already so much stress and drama, ha! So please don't mind my little rant below. I just have to get this out so I don't scream because contrary to this smile, I am beyond frustrated with dental school right now. Here's why....

dental school lately: vol. 3

It's the last official day (finally!) before break and with it being the last term of 2017, it seemed fitting to share a an update of dental school life lately. 

I've been getting my butt kicked since the school moved our oral pathology final up by a week, added in an extra exam, and then cancelled said exam at the last minute after getting us all stressed out about it. So, it's been a rough few last weeks. But over except for one last assignment, so I'm here to share. 

a day in the life of a dental student: sleigh decay

So close to finishing up yet another semester of dental school (just a few more days!), but before I do, thought I'd share another day in the life of a dental student to reflect my current schedule before things get even busier next semester.

the greatest gift is...a smile

I had to share this cutest early christmas gift that I received from one of my patients. It’s the last time I will see her before the holidays so at the end of our appointment, she presented me with these chattering teeth and said that she wanted to give me a smile since I had restored hers. Too sweet, I almost cried. Ok, I did cry. And it got me thinking that I'm entering the best profession in the world because I get to spend my day giving people their best smiles.