From the Editor's Desk

Even More

SCHOOL

By Peter Yanni, DDS

Associate Editor

The most memorable and enjoyable part of dental school for most students is the bond they form with fellow classmates and friendships forged through countless obstacles and rewarding triumphs. You get to learn about people's stories, motivations, and ambitions. It was not uncommon for many students in dental school to have at least given thought to other health care fields, especially medicine at some point in their life. One factor that I often heard as to why people chose dentistry is the amazing flexibility. Becoming a dentist allows great working hours, a wide scope of practice, and, most importantly, the ability to become fully licensed after four years of school. According to the ADA's workforce statistics, only 21.1% of dentists in the United States practice or research in an ADA-recognized specialty. This is in stark contrast to the numbers to the AAMC that reports a staggering 66% of physicians in the United States practicing in specialty care. When I first began dental school, my full intentions were to become a general dentist. Ironically enough, I still remember asking my friends

after my first few periodontal lectures, “who would ever choose this specialty?” As I progressed through dental school, I slowly started to become more interested in becoming an “expert” on one aspect of dentistry. During my clinical training I became increasingly fascinated by the scientific focus, surgery, and expertise required of the periodontics field. Despite this, I still kept asking myself, “even more school?” At that point I knew I had no choice. My passion was in the field of periodontics and I wasn’t going to quit until I made it there. Between these statistics and my own experiences, I thought it would be worthwhile to explore the topic of dental residencies. Everything from motivations and ambitions, lessons learned and unique experiences encountered during those years. Dr. Navasero takes us through her mindset when deciding to do a GPR and expand her skill set. Dr. Wu details valuable lessons learned during her time as a resident at UCSF. Finally, I share the unique experience of going through residency when a world changing pandemic begins. 

I became increasingly fascinated by the scientific focus, surgery, and expertise required of the periodontics field. Despite this, I still kept asking myself, “even more school?”

Mark Your Calendars Shred Day - Sept 16th!

An event specifically to thank our Foundation members and help all members get rid of that pesky shredding.

Visit our website and check your email for more information coming soon.

Cost: Free to SDDS Foundation members and $100 for everyone else (if you have over 10 banker boxes we’d appreciate an additional $100 donation to the Foundation).