“Smile, sunshine is good for your teeth,” my great grandfather said as I dragged myself into the wood paneled waiting room filled with outdated issues of Golf Digest and People Magazine. As I was steered down the hallway, my gums bled from brushing with the belief that I could rid potential cavities the day of my appointment. As I hopped into the familiar aqua blue dental chair, a sense of comfort was brought about me knowing I was at the hands of my grandfather. Throughout my childhood, I was a frequent guest to the same dental chair. I cried in the chair when I lost my front tooth, due to an opponent’s elbow playing basketball. I cursed the chair when I was told I needed braces. I think about the chair and my great grandfather, Dr. James …show more content…
Eastburn every time I drive by the building on Main Street where he practiced dentistry for 52 years. He learned his craft through my grandfather's adolescent years, perfected his craft during my father's childhood, and seemingly mastered his craft by the time I attended his clinic. When I was 16 years old, my grandfather passed away from primary cerebral lymphoma. During his two-year fight, he never let the sickness get in the way of life and continued to see a couple of his loyal patients for checkups up until the month of his death. He was stubborn, loving, and one of a kind. My great grandfather’s determination and caring nature towards his patients sparked my interest in dentistry. The inspiration that my frequent childhood dental visits left me was enhanced during my time volunteering at the River Valley Christian Clinic (RVCC).
It is a non-profit facility that provides dental care to the uninsured in the Arkansas River Valley. My most valued and diverse dental experiences have come from the clinic, which allows pre-dental students to assist with taking patient vitals, prepping the room, and autoclaving instruments. The RVCC revealed a new side of dentistry I had never experienced, I once believed good oral hygiene always resulted in a healthy mouth. The clinic quickly amended my beliefs and made me realize it was not so black and white. At RVCC, I experienced a pregnant woman in tears because her teeth had begun to fall out due to a calcium deficiency. Weeks later, a man broke down because he was experiencing pain and tooth decay as a side effect to chemotherapy. Each of the cases brought a sense of wonder on how the dentist would cure and restore the patients. At a point where I was lost at words, the dentist found solutions that resulted in both patients leaving emotionally uplifted by producing confident smiles. These once unknown grey areas I discovered at the clinic made it evident that I too wanted to enter the diverse field of
dentistry. Throughout college, I was taught valuable lessons outside the classroom playing football for the Arkansas Tech Wonderboys. Being a student athlete has allowed me to experience every role within a team. I began as a practice dummy, and was held back from play my first year to “progress” as an athlete. My second season, through strenuous workouts and dietary changes, I earned a starting position. After thinking I had the whole football thing figured out, I became plagued with injuries during my third season. Through this time, I quickly learned how to become a vocal leader rather than just a guy that set the example. This past season, the relationships I forged with my teammates and respect I adhered on the field led me to being voted a team captain. Experiencing the power of a team has further enhanced my desire to become a dentist and manage my own business. I hope to one-day mimic the leadership skills and lessons acquired through my playing days with the employees and patients that make up my practice. There is no single defining moment that has pointed me towards dentistry, but rather a multitude of experiences that have guided me to a point in realizing that becoming a dentist is what I have been aspired to pursue. My leadership experiences have left me with a desire to enter a profession that is team oriented and allows me to manage my own business. The RVCC has inspired me to seek an ever-changing medical profession that is capable of affecting the patients’ physical and mental health, and I have observed and personally experienced this through dentistry. I strive for the opportunity to become a dentist, so I too can put a confident smile on my patients’ face. After all, “sunshine is good for your teeth.”
Angela Garcia’s The Pastoral Clinic is a riveting collection of illness narratives depicting the lives of heroin addicts, specifically in the underserved area of Espanola Valley, New Mexico. She genuinely provides her audience the reality behind a marginalized population that suffers from an addiction crisis as well as the presence of institutional structures that criminalize addicts for their illness. This paper will focus on care and chronicity as two central ideas of Garcia’s work from two lenses of understanding. The first lens is the Foucauldian approach to bio-power and bio-bureaucracies, a mode of analysis that the author utilizes quite sufficiently to support her argument of “restoring the embodied, economic and moral dynamics of addiction” (Garcia 2010, 10 ). This approach illustrates care as a product of chronicity and vice versa. The second lens is Gramsci’s theory of hegemony and resistance, a mode of analysis
Milder had terminal cancer. I was immediately distraught, wondering how Dr. Milder could operate his practice despite knowing his diagnosis. I gradually realized that it was Dr. Milder's commitment to the practice of dentistry that empowered him to serve others in the face of overwhelming personal adversity. Inspired by Dr. Milder’s optimism and persistence, I started participating in the San Diego County Dental Society initiatives he introduced me to, where I discovered how dentists came together to treat homeless veterans, raise funds for educational programs, and deliver oral hygiene supplies to underserved neighborhoods. I now aspire to follow in these proactive dentists’ footsteps and extend my reach beyond private practice by caring for individuals without adequate resources, promoting public knowledge of oral health, and mentoring future dentists. Although Dr. Milder will not watch my career develop, furthering his chain of compassion as a leader in the dental community will honor his legacy and produce a lifetime of fulfillment and
In the Dental Hygiene field, many challenges come about every day and during different situations. Every day there are new challenges and unusual situations that occur in the dental field, but one challenge that continues to come about and has been a big dispute over the years is the ability to provide beneficial information about oral health care for the underprivileged. For the individuals that are not fortunate enough to pay to have services done in the dental office, lack the knowledge of how important good oral health care is. They do not receive the one on one conversations explaining the significance of taking care of your teeth and gums that the patients who can afford to make appointments and receive essential services do. That
A traumatic swimming incident during my childhood left me visiting many dental chairs where I suffered from an irrational fear of dentists. Every visit started with my fears but ended with my gratitude to these dentists, who had performed complex operations seamlessly. These experiences stemmed an interest in dental biology exploring topics such as root canal treatments; here I realised that a dental career would allow me to both explore human biology further but also actively improve our society’s welfare.
After the treatment and procedure is complete, patients leave with healthier, more beautiful teeth, giving them the confidence to ask someone out on a date or the confidence to smile on an important job interview. Dentistry is and has been for centuries, an important aspect of people’s ...
I can remember being a little boy sitting at the piano in church, listening to the preacher talk of how Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, which symbolizes the idea that we are here to serve. That message profoundly resonated with me throughout life. It was not until I began accompanying my grandmother to her multiple dental visits that I was able to see how I could put this calling of service into action. I saw firsthand the significant positive impact my grandmother’s dentist was able to make in her life, which encouraged me to want to learn about the field of dentistry. I then started researching dental health and learning of the importance of oral healthcare and how it affects the entire body. I then began to learn of how patient access to proper dental care was limited because of several factors such as, financial barriers, transportation, and dental fear, especially in the underserved minority communities. Given the shortage of black dentists, I realized I could make a positive difference by being an inspiration to those in the community, as well as serve in a professional career that would provide needed healthcare to the community. This is when I began to develop such a strong passion for
Imagine having to spend half your fortune on correcting your teeth. ”Tooth decay was a perennial national problem that meant a mouthful of silver for patients, and for dentists a pocketful of gold.” (Wallis, 17) If patients don’t take care of their teeth, many issues can start to appear later in their life. Some patients are not knowledgeable of the correct procedures for keeping a healthy smile. In order to maintain a healthy smile, patients must be better informed about the knowledge needed to achieve that success and also maintain it.
As I started my new journey of becoming a dental hygienist, I came into the program with no background of dental. I came into this program with an open mind and willing to embrace new concepts as well as develop new skills. During my time at the Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene (CADH), I learned that as a dental hygienist that I am committed to promoting and helping each individual achieve their optimal oral health goals. In support of my client’s goals, I may assume any or all of the roles included in the dental hygiene scope of practice. My goal throughout this program was to help my clients achieve their optimal oral health goals through education, health promotion and providing preventive and clinical therapy.
I decided to do my research report on dentistry because it is a perfect blend of science and art. It is a science in that you must fully comprehend on the different types of diagnostic and procedures you are doing. It is an art in that you are constantly working with your hands to create a beautiful smile. The impact you make on helping a person achieve an impeccable smile is not one to compare with materialistic things like money or cars. People often mistake dentist as only doing practices when in fact they could do more, like research. I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to interview Dr. Sarah Pham, DDS, a close family friend who practices dentistry in her own private office in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Pham was
As an African American woman, I have lived and worked in underserved communities and have experienced personally, the social and economic injustices grieved by underserved communities and the working poor. All of which, has increased my desires to work with such populations. A reserved person by nature, I have exposed an inner voice that I was oblivious to. I have expressed my inner voice to those living in underserved communities, who are seeking social and economic stability. I have come to classify and value the strength I have developed by the need, to survive in an underserved community. I use these as my continuous struggle against the social and economic injustices that I have experienced, as a product of an underserved community and as an African American woman. I have continued my struggle to overcome the barriers from my upbringing in an underserved community.
Pursuing a career in the dental public health field was a decision influenced by many factors starting by my passion for research. One of the main reasons for applying for my dental public health residency at Columbia University is the fact that it has a great research program, which is ranked among the top research facilities in the world. Columbia university’s dental public health residency department possess ample opportunities for research for those motivated to take advantage enough to r...
Maintaining oral health is extremely important not only for your mouth, but for your overall health (Wallace, Taylor, Wallace & Cockrell, 2010). Poor oral health impacts a person’s quality of life and general health, It causes pain which could result in poor nutrition (Griffin, Jones, Brunson, Griffin & Bailey, 2012). The residents at Menarock aged care have a private dentist from Alpha dental that visits the facility when prompted, although some resident’s families take them to their own family dental professional.
Three virtues that my Saint have are Humility, Kindness, and Patience. I specifically chose these because, after all, Our Lady of Perpetual Help is our Blessed Mother. Virgin Mary, during her life, is known for these traits. One way my Saint showed love for others was by allowing individuals to pray to her no matter their situation. She is happy to help anyone who is willing to ask for it.
Growing up in a Christian based church community, one would expect to be embraced by love, understanding, and open arms. However, that was not the case in 9th and 10th grade. Late in the 9th grade, I made a mistake that strongly affected my image and well-being. Rather than continuing to exhibit Christian qualities, I was outcaste for 2 months. It was a very trying period of time, because the people I grew up with my whole life, the people who knew my family, the people who were supposed to be my friends, and more importantly the church that is supposed to welcome those who make mistakes, turned their backs on my family and I.
Growing up I heard many stories from my peers of their experiences at the dentist’s office. It is upsetting to say that most of my visits were vividly terrifying. As a child, the grinding, scratching, and high-pitched twangs of the instruments digging around in my mouth would leave my ears ringing and teeth vibrating every single time. The smell of fluoride and disinfectants permanently infected the air, sending chills through my body the minute I walked in. I quickly learned that latex posses an extremely unappetizing aftertaste. Needless to say, I was not always enthusiastic about going to the dentist’s office and getting braces did not make anything better for me.