By Courtnie Yun University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry | DDS Candidate 2020
Too many cups of coffee , anxietyinduced palpitations , and numbness to failure : this is second year of dental school in a nutshell . Clinically inexperienced but eager to learn , we are ready to finally say goodbye to our beloved simulation dummies who have wholeheartedly entrusted our hands , knowledge , and care without question for two years .
Simon has been there for my highs and lows : watching me grow emotionally , mentally , and physically . He has endured 90-degree neck strains from freshman-year me trying to put on a rubber dam for the first time . He has spent countless late nights trapped in my arms as I practiced the same class IV composites over and over again before the timed practical exam ( TPX ). He has gargled pools of liquid and essentially drowned when I first tried to use water while prepping . Simon has also let me lean on him in despair when one faculty would praise me for my wax-up that took six hours , while five minutes later another would advise that it needed to be re-done . He has stayed calm and collected when the provisional I was trimming for him would go flying to the part of the floor where lost provisionals go . Particularly this year , I have been spending fourteen hour days with him but he has never tired of me nor complained .
Through it all , he has been there to see my first-year rough handling evolve to gentler movements that eventually come with experience . He has witnessed my hand skills become more finetuned and adapt to the intricacies required of dentistry as an art form . He has seen me cry as a first-year over a poor grade but now watches me as a second-year gear up to practice harder and understand my mistakes when I do face failure , as I know I will continue to throughout life .
Now , as the final pre-clinical trimester is coming to a close , he is noticing a new chapter and set of challenges that we are facing . Many of us already sit on $ 209,000 of debt from the past two years , if not more , and are slowly swallowing the fact that it will be doubled by the time we graduate . We are beginning to quietly wonder where our tuition is going . “ Are you going to specialize ?” has come up much too often for comfort . Several of us , including myself , are our family ’ s first generation of dentists – unsure of where to start looking for an associate position because the idea of opening up our own practice once we graduate is completely unfathomable considering we will be carrying more than $ 500,000 in loans . We are all learning about CAD-CAM , digital printing , and up-to-date dental technology that is very important to know and the way of the future , but that most of us will not be able to afford or truly practice until years down the line . These are the qualms of a second year dental student . But , for now , I try to focus on the thoughts that I hope will carry me through my journey – have a good heart , be mindful , and learn as much as I can . �
Los Angeles Dental Society Explorer