Monday, December 31, 2012
No Fiscal Cliff in this student government!
Erin has been active in leadership roles since her days at Wooster High School. She is currently the President of the UNLV School of Dentistry ASDA (American Student Dental Association) chapter. Read more here http://unlvasda.com/?page_id=15 and here http://prezi.com/x4rdipkm1bdb/why-you-should-join-asda/
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Formative years
Why would anyone want to be a dentist ? This is a great question, and of course with all great questions there are usually many great and different answers. My path began in those great formative years of early teens. I was 13 when I started with braces. I was at an age that Mom could leave me alone at the orthodontist office, so she could chase after other siblings and chores.
I spent a bit of time at the orthodontist and began to think this might be a fun and rewarding job. To be honest at the ripe old age of 13, what I really liked about the idea of dentistry were the hours and the chance to work with cute girls that seemed fun to be around.
In high school, I took a few classes to prepare me for what lied ahead in the dental world, such as chemistry and biology. However, I wasn't completely yet sure this was the right path for me. I joined the Navy at the age of 18 as a dental technician to explore this career path before committing eight years to college and dental school. In the Navy, I learned that I did have the skill set to do the dentistry and also the passion to help others improve their oral health.
To use a nautical term, I set sail on the journey of becoming a dentist. I can say that I am truly happy that I choose to become a dentist.
I spent a bit of time at the orthodontist and began to think this might be a fun and rewarding job. To be honest at the ripe old age of 13, what I really liked about the idea of dentistry were the hours and the chance to work with cute girls that seemed fun to be around.
In high school, I took a few classes to prepare me for what lied ahead in the dental world, such as chemistry and biology. However, I wasn't completely yet sure this was the right path for me. I joined the Navy at the age of 18 as a dental technician to explore this career path before committing eight years to college and dental school. In the Navy, I learned that I did have the skill set to do the dentistry and also the passion to help others improve their oral health.
To use a nautical term, I set sail on the journey of becoming a dentist. I can say that I am truly happy that I choose to become a dentist.
Monday, November 26, 2012
A bit of Bon Jovi?
Wasn't there a Bon Jovi song about "the more things change, the more they stay the same?" Am I dating myself? Actually, my dental school years were before the big hair of Bon Jovi, and more Loggins and Messina, James Taylor, and Eric Clapton.
We didn't have fancy mannequins with water and suction on which to do our practice drilling. In the days before OSHA regulations about infection control, we used actual extracted teeth mounted on to plaster. We had to beg for these teeth from our own dentists and oral surgeons. If we were asked to perform a certain type of filling, on a certain type of tooth, we'd have to dig into our saved jars of teeth. We'd search like miners panning for gold, looking for the perfect bicuspid or molar, then carefully place that tooth into a bed of wet plaster, wait for it to dry, and then drill away.
Are there similarities between 1980 and 2010 dental school learning? Absolutely. Students at UNLV might have the luxury of premounted teeth, water and suction. However, the meticulous exactness required to excavate a very tiny space hasn't changed. Students today must learn how to use indirect vision, working with a small mirror, just as their elder counterparts did thirty years ago. Treating one's first "live" patient, no matter how small the cavity in their tooth, is still exciting.
We didn't have fancy mannequins with water and suction on which to do our practice drilling. In the days before OSHA regulations about infection control, we used actual extracted teeth mounted on to plaster. We had to beg for these teeth from our own dentists and oral surgeons. If we were asked to perform a certain type of filling, on a certain type of tooth, we'd have to dig into our saved jars of teeth. We'd search like miners panning for gold, looking for the perfect bicuspid or molar, then carefully place that tooth into a bed of wet plaster, wait for it to dry, and then drill away.
Are there similarities between 1980 and 2010 dental school learning? Absolutely. Students at UNLV might have the luxury of premounted teeth, water and suction. However, the meticulous exactness required to excavate a very tiny space hasn't changed. Students today must learn how to use indirect vision, working with a small mirror, just as their elder counterparts did thirty years ago. Treating one's first "live" patient, no matter how small the cavity in their tooth, is still exciting.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Dental School In the Middle
Being in dental school has quickly become an exhilarating, yet exhausting ride. I'm in my third year out of four at UNLV and this semester has been amazing. The first two years were spent in the classroom and now we're seeing patients every day. Dental school has changed since 1987, but a lot has stayed the same. In a class of 75 there are only 20 female students, we still rely on patients in order to pass our clinic sessions, and dentistry is still an exciting profession..Technology has transformed the profession and the student experience. All of our textbooks are on our computers and assignments can be submitted electronically. We have simulated mannequins that we use the first two years to practice drilling on plastic teeth. Yes, plastic teeth and mannequins connected with suction that allow us to create a semi real life experience.
Fortunately, I am out of the sim lab and in the clinic 9-5 most days. I find myself mimicking both of my parents while talking to patients and how I approach dental procedures. They have been extraordinary mentors throughout my life and I look forward to joining their profession.
Fortunately, I am out of the sim lab and in the clinic 9-5 most days. I find myself mimicking both of my parents while talking to patients and how I approach dental procedures. They have been extraordinary mentors throughout my life and I look forward to joining their profession.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Dental school beginnings
I began my dental training in September of 1979 at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. I had never even visited the Pacific Northwest, and was a bit nervous about spending the next four years in the never ending rainfall I envisioned. Did people wear rainboots? Did I need an umbrella everyday? I was worried about the weather, but don't think I ever questioned whether my career choice was suitable for a woman.
I joined my class of eighty students with high expectations of camaraderie, fun and learning. I was one of only ten women in my class, and at age 20, the youngest student, male or female in the matriculating class of 1983. A high achiever, I had always been at the top of my class, and had encountered little, if any, negative bias as a woman. When male students queried "if I liked the dental hygiene program," or the occassional professor asked "are you serious about a dental career in place of motherhood," I surprisingly learned a gender bias did in fact, exist.
I'm more than thirty years forward from those early fall days in 1979. There were definitely some prejudices from some classmates, although most of my fellow dental students were kind and compassionate. Some professors displayed an arrogant disdain of females in the class, although in retrospect, their hautiness was probably exhibited to the men as well. I'm glad I stuck it through. Dentistry has been a great career for me, and has allowed me to also have a wonderful career as a wife and mother as well.
I joined my class of eighty students with high expectations of camaraderie, fun and learning. I was one of only ten women in my class, and at age 20, the youngest student, male or female in the matriculating class of 1983. A high achiever, I had always been at the top of my class, and had encountered little, if any, negative bias as a woman. When male students queried "if I liked the dental hygiene program," or the occassional professor asked "are you serious about a dental career in place of motherhood," I surprisingly learned a gender bias did in fact, exist.
I'm more than thirty years forward from those early fall days in 1979. There were definitely some prejudices from some classmates, although most of my fellow dental students were kind and compassionate. Some professors displayed an arrogant disdain of females in the class, although in retrospect, their hautiness was probably exhibited to the men as well. I'm glad I stuck it through. Dentistry has been a great career for me, and has allowed me to also have a wonderful career as a wife and mother as well.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Brosy Dentistry from the start
Dr. Paul and I have been practicing dentistry for almost thirty years. This is almost as incredible to us as realizing we've been in Reno since before the McCarran Loop was finished, or acknowledging our daughters, Mara and Erin, are now accomplished young, married women. Shouldn't they still be at Pine Middle School?
There are plenty of dental websites with blogs about how to correctly floss your teeth, the science of cavities and bacteria, or goofy dental videos. We're going to chat about our daily life at the dental office at 175 Cadillac Place in Reno, juxtaposed to our dental student daughter, Erin, talking about her experiences as a dental student at UNLV School of Dentistry.
Please join in on our conversations with any questions, advice or comments you may have. Drop me an email at Drlynn@renotoothdrs.com .
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