Crafting a Smile: I Want to Be a Dentist

716 Words2 Pages

I vividly recall my interest in artwork as a child, playing with modelling clay in hopes of crafting something beautiful. I used to create small pieces of art by carving a bar of soap, such as a fish. Executing such patterns while concurrently employing my mind and hands both thrilled me and complimented my detail attentive persona. With a dream of carving a beautiful smile and to make a difference in someone’s life, I joined Sri Ramachandra University, a premier medical school in south India renowned for its dental program.
The initial year of my program exposed me to various facets of general medicine and its connection to dentistry. Classroom lectures opened my mind on the natural synchronicity of human body and taught me how oral tissues are influenced by systemic conditions. The extensive preclinical lab exercises stimulated and nurtured both my creative and artistic skills.
Following the footsteps of my grandmother, I started to read and scribe at a local school for the visually impaired. Volunteering at this school gave me an immense sense of gratification and a greater appetite to do more good to humanity. Ironically, the third year of my college had a broader focus towards community health. I participated in numerous health camps organized by my college, which were primarily targeted towards people of low socio-economic order. Though I was able to provide basic oral prophylaxis and treatment to most patients, there were those with special needs and complex medical histories who required special hospice. Conversing with such individuals helped build my character by listening to their problems and revealing the traits necessary to earn their trust. It was during this time my desire for a career in general dental health got...

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...earch Fellowship Grant for the year 2012. I was able to analyze and evaluate the self-perception of malocclusion among school children and the demand for orthodontic treatment within my city. Balancing my academics in parallel with this research work helped me improve my time management skills.

Dentistry requires discipline, dedication and hard work and I earnestly believe to have earned these qualities through by academics and training. I credit my professors for being my inspiration in maintaining a high academic standing. My love for science has taught me to be logical in my thinking and precise in my actions, culminating in my decision to apply for AEGD. It would offer me the desired global orientation needed to confront the major oral health issues and also help me provide comprehensive dental care to patients with special needs and developmental disabilities.

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