As a dental student shy of graduation only 2 years from now, I do wonder from time to time if I had made the correct decision in making my career choice. It is undeniable that the dental profession remains highly under-appreciated, especially so since I live in a third world country where many of the citizens are toothless--and happy. However, it is to be noted that the apparent lack of dental education in the country is not limited only to the majority of the masses, as recent events in my life have shown that even my friend (already a graduate of her own college course) was surprised that dentists have these things called "regulated licensure examinations". Apparently, she assumed we get labelled as doctors of dental medicine by just going through six years of college.
Dentistry is an art and science that is deceptively simple. Your tooth hurts, and we make the pain go away. Its true scope however, the depth and expanse of expertise and techniques in Dentistry, can only be realized by the same people who have chosen to take such a career path.
I must admit, when I was younger, the only thing I knew about dentists were that I go in for a cleaning, I go home, and the dentist earns quite a sum of money in just about 15 minutes. So enamored was I of this simple "pay for a service" system that I had always kept being a dentist in my mind as the years passed. What can I say, this was the only time my good oral hygiene gave me a disadvantage because I could not realize back then that the dentist gave much more services than merely oral prophylaxis, restorations of cavities and chipped off teeth, and the extraction of impacted third molars (which are, by the by, the only things any of my family members experienced in a dental clinic haha). Boy, did I have a ball when I learned restoring cavities didn't mean just punching out holes in teeth with a drill and slabbing on some amalgam on it! And doubly exciting was the creation of complete and partial dentures, and full crowns! (Hint: sarcasm on last two sentences.)
Out of curiosity, I have asked quite a number of my fellow classmates in dental school whether they have felt regret or are regretting taking up Dentistry. Surprise, surprise! Everyone I asked said yes. It's quite funny, really.
I do think that any newcomer to the profession would be overwhelmed, myself included. Actual professional and licensed dentists, those who have been seasoned by age and experience, make being in the dental profession look so easy and effortless, something to look up to. One day, I hope to be like them. But for now, I still need to continue to learn the ropes as I've only done 1 semester's worth of clinics in my school--sans the Prosthodontics requirements, haha. (See you in summer school, Prostho!)
I must admit however, despite the hours spent on the dental chair, earning an ache in the shoulder by the end of a finished restoration or the cramp on the legs after I've successfully extracted a tooth with stand-up dental surgery... I cannot help but feel a sense of accomplishment every time I complete my work. It's that type of muscle pain that validates the worth of the work you've done (comparable to that of working out in the gym), and it keeps me going.
Inset: A friend and I unwind in the mountains as we try our hand at ziplining after Finals week. It was definitely worth the second one-hundred pesos to experience ziplining upside down.
