Top 20 Things I Learned: Day in the Life of a Dentist
A dentist is an accredited medical professional who specializes in the care of teeth, gums, and mouths as explained at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. There are different types of dentists, from general dentists, who are the majority, as well as specialist professionals like orthodontists, endodontists, and oral surgeons, among others. If you are considering this line of work, here are 20 things we learned when it comes to a day in the life of a dentist.
Staff meetings to start the day
In a typical dental office, the dentist usually arrives about 30 minutes before seeing patients as per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Usually, a dentist has a staff meeting before beginning the day, which is also commonly known as a huddle in the dental community. The huddle is an important part of the day.
What does the huddle entail?
As already mentioned, the huddle is a crucial part of the dentist’s day. Typically, every patient on the schedule for the day is reviewed and several things are discussed, hence why it is crucial to start the day in this way so that you have a plan going into the day.
Discussing the patient’s history
The first thing that happens during the huddle is that the patient’s history with the practice and their dental and medical history is reviewed as articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. This is done to allow that everyone is on the same page when the patient arrives.
Discussing the patient’s treatment
After discussing the patient’s history with the practice and overall dental and medical history, the patient’s treatment for that day is discussed next. This is done to ensure that the dental team knows exactly why the patient is coming to the office as well as the costs and what is needed for the day.
Planning the patient’s other treatment needs
Finally, the last agenda during the huddle is planning the patient’s other treatment needs. For example, does the patient need to have another appointment for more treatment, or is all treatment completed and the patient need only return for routine cleanings.
Getting patients in
After the huddle, the dental team starts to get patients and leads them to a treatment room according to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Typically, a dental office has 3-4 patients to be seen at a time. The dentist will usually have two patients each being seen by a dental hygienist to have teeth cleaned and two additional patients each in a room with a dental assistant for dental treatment with the dentist.
Small talk with patients
Once patients are seated in treatment rooms, the dentist enters the room to start treatment on the patient. The dentist confirms what the patient is having done and starts small talk to try to relax the patient. This is important as many people get quite anxious when they have to go visit a dentist.
Choosing the type of anesthesia needed
As is captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, a dentist has to choose the type of anesthetic needed for each patient throughout the day at work. There are many different types of anesthetic, such as lidocaine, mepivacaine, bupivacaine, and articaine.
Common procedures during the day
When it comes to a typical day at the dental office, it is not uncommon to start the day with a procedure called a crown. Another common dental procedure is restoring teeth with fillings. Most of these treatments are done by dentists in collaboration with the dental assistant.
Examining patients undergoing dental cleanings
When patients come into the dental office and are scheduled to have a dental cleaning, they will be attended to by a dental hygienist. When one is undergoing treatment, the dentist will usually check the cleanings done by the dental hygienist, and give an examination to the patients that just had their teeth cleaned.
Teeth removals
Dentists also regularly have patients who come in for tooth removals as covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. The dentist numbs the patient and removes the tooth by moving it back and forth until it loosens up or by performing oral surgery. Dentists are trained in suturing and will usually do so when the gums must be cut away from the teeth.
Root canals
Later in the day, a root canal may be performed. While general dentists do most root canals, the more difficult procedures are referred to a specialist. When a tooth is painful but isn’t bad enough to be removed, the dentist will do a root canal to save it.
How many procedures can be crammed in a typical day?
As described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, it is not uncommon for a general dentist to do 1-2 crowns, 10-20 fillings, extract a few teeth, perhaps do a root canal, as well as check and examine about 15 patients that had their teeth cleaned with the hygienist a day.
Meeting with supply reps
Dentists also often need to meet with supply representatives on some days. This is because, in addition to helping patients, dentists are also running a business and need to meet with supply reps to ensure that the dental office is fully stocked to ensure that they can serve their patients.
Liaising with lab technicians
In addition to meeting supply representatives, dentists will also talk on the phone with lab technicians to coordinate how and when test results will arrive. Some patients may need tests done on them, especially those with badly decayed teeth, and dentists may have to talk to lab technicians about test results.
Accounting and bookkeeping
As already mentioned, dentists running private dental practices are also running a business, with employees to think about. As discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, this is why a dentist is likely to spend some time during the day performing accounting and bookkeeping tasks, as well as many other activities that come with running a business.
Breaks in between procedures
The dentist will typically take a break in between each patient consultation or procedure, which gives them adequate time to browse the final case files for the day, as well as take a mental and physical break to make sure that they can perform at a highly optimized and energetic level.
End of the day tasks
As the day winds down for a dentist, it is not uncommon for the dentist to decline to see further patients and instead retire to their office to file paperwork, review patient records, and start preparing themselves for the following day and week of work that is ahead of them as outlined at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.
Planning ahead
Being a dentist requires a lot of forward-thinking and planning to make sure that each patient is treated with the highest level of professionalism possible. An underprepared dentist is not going to be able to perform their job at an industry-standard level and thus they could run the risk of making mistakes, offering poor service, or even losing their license to practice because of malpractice or developing a bad professional reputation.
Emergencies
Finally, it is worth mentioning that some dental practices also see patients suffering from dental emergencies. When it comes to emergencies, the dentist will see the patient as soon as they come in with the aim being to try and get them out of pain as soon as possible and save their teeth if possible.
These are some of the things to expect when it comes to a day in the life of a dentist, with more on this topic, and much more, to be found over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.