Mistakes of a novice dentist

Mistake number 1.

The doctor was not prepared for the patient.

What should Svetlana Nikolaevna have done?

Collect all the information from the administrator as much as possible. In most cases, patients already tell the administrator where they are hurting, this will give them the opportunity to calmly go through all the possible diagnosis options in their head.
Calmly think through your actions, you can even write a cheat sheet:

I enter a resourceful state of self-confidence;
Getting acquainted;
I question the patient carefully;
I take a photo;
I carefully examine the photograph;
If necessary, I gather a consultation. It's better to look stupid in front of a colleague than to harm a patient.
I discuss the diagnosis with the patient and sign all the documents.

What problems can be identified promptly during a dental examination?

If a visit to the dentist is postponed for an indefinite period, then existing problems may begin to progress, as a result of which more time, effort and money will be spent on eliminating them.

The main dental diseases that are identified during examination in the dental chair include:

Caries. If caries forms at an early stage, it is possible to cure it in one visit to the dentist. If treatment is not carried out in a timely manner, common complications such as pulpitis and periodontitis may occur, which complicates the preservation of the tooth.
Gingivitis. Due to the formation of tartar and plaque, this disease begins to progress, which in turn can cause periodontitis, in which inflammation of the soft tissues around the tooth occurs, the ligament of the root and bone is disrupted, and the patient may lose the tooth.
Periodontal disease. This disease manifests itself in the gradual destruction of periodontal tissue, which can lead to the loss of healthy teeth.

As we can see, the importance of the examination cannot be underestimated; it serves as a kind of starting point for drawing up a further action plan to maintain oral health.

By signing up for a preventive examination, you will receive competent advice and find out all the answers to questions that are of concern to most patients about proper oral care:

which brush and toothpaste is right for you;
Are you brushing your teeth correctly?
what additional hygiene products should be used for prevention purposes;
how to properly use an irrigator, floss, etc.

Also, if necessary, the dentist can prescribe a number of preventive measures, such as:

Tartar/plaque removal procedure;
whitening;
fluoridation;
fissure sealing, etc.

Don’t wait until dental problems make themselves known and begin to bother you, because it is much easier to set aside time for a professional examination than to spend days, and sometimes even whole weeks, on grueling treatment.

Mistake number 2.

Panic turns off the brain.

Panic gripped the doctor from the very beginning. Each of us feels a rush of adrenaline in our blood. We doctors must be able to manage this. The easiest way is to switch your attention to your breathing for a few seconds and deliberately begin to breathe more slowly. Careful preparation, by the way, is also a great way to reduce stress. Switching to something familiar also works great: for example, you can and should fill out a patient’s dental chart. This will calm you down and prevent you from missing something important. Find your own way to calm your brain. You can read a lot of useful information about how the brain works in David Rock’s book “The Brain. Instructions for use"

Toothache

Toothache

This is one of the most common reasons for visiting a dentist. Painful sensations in the teeth are the most unpleasant. There are several dental diseases that cause severe pain. To prevent problems from occurring, it is necessary to have your teeth checked and treated in a timely manner.

Causes of toothache

The most common causes of pain are:

Deep caries is a deep cavity in the tooth, in which various kinds of irritants act on the nerve of the tooth;
Acute pulpitis is the most common and painful cause in which inflammation of the nerve occurs and compression of the nerve endings by inflammatory exudate. Inflammation of the nerve has several forms and phases, first it is catarrhal, then purulent, and after a few days the nerve becomes necrotic;
Acute or aggravated periodontitis is inflammation or suppuration of the tissues that surround the root of the tooth;
Periostitis is an inflammation of the periosteum that occurs when infection spreads from the root of the tooth to the tissue surrounding the bone;
Cyst suppuration is an exacerbation of the chronic inflammatory process around the cyst;
Difficult eruption of the third molar is very often accompanied by damage and inflammation of the surrounding tissues.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of acute toothache are the occurrence of acute throbbing, shooting pains that last for a long period of time (more than 6 hours). The diseases will be accompanied by additional symptoms: inability to eat, swelling, facial asymmetry, increased body temperature, weakness.

What to do if you have a toothache?

When the first symptoms of the disease occur, it is recommended to consult a specialist for professional treatment. Only a doctor can completely eliminate the problem and prevent further complications. If treated incorrectly, an acute process can turn into a chronic one, which is less disturbing to a person, but can exist and remind itself for years. In this case, the infection spreads throughout the body.

If you are unable to urgently visit a doctor or the pain occurs at night, you need to take the right measures. Where to go if you have an acute toothache at night? At night, you can find out the reference number and address of a 24-hour dental clinic in your city. If there is no clinic, you can call a dentist you know or take a painkiller and visit the doctor in the morning.

Recommendations

A few recommendations on how and how to relieve acute toothache:

carefully remove food debris from the interdental space;
rinse the tooth with a solution of baking soda and salt;
rinse your mouth with a decoction of chamomile or oak bark;
do not chew food on the affected side;
take painkillers (Ibuprofen, Nimesil, Ketanov, Nurofen);
When reducing pain from the actions described above, you should not neglect visiting a professional.

Mistake number 4

The doctor forgets to sign and discuss the informed consent form.

A young doctor usually believes that if he admits to the patient in advance that the treatment result may not be ideal, this will undermine the patient’s trust in the doctor. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. Anyone can have an instrument break in the canal, anesthesia can result in complications, and when removing upper teeth, a connection with the maxillary sinus can form, and even a piece of the root can fly into the sinus of the most experienced doctor. But! If the patient is warned about this, he will take it calmly. Both he and the doctor will have less stress, and the doctor's reputation will not suffer. And most importantly, the doctor will be able to calmly help the patient.

Frequency of dental visits

To prevent the development of serious dental diseases, you need to undergo a dental examination at least once every 6 months. It is with this frequency of visits to the doctor that the beginnings of various pathologies can be identified, even if the patient feels normal and does not complain of discomfort in the oral cavity.

It is especially important to observe such frequency and not miss scheduled appointments for those who wear braces, dentures or have implants installed, since the presence of such structures in the oral cavity requires special care and medical supervision.

However, if, in the interval between regular preventive examinations, the dentist still experiences discomfort, pain, or even just a constant bad breath, you need to go to the doctor as soon as possible and report your problems.

Mistake number 5

The doctor does not tell the truth to the patient.

We interrupted the story with Svetlana Nikolaevna at the moment when she was thinking: should she tell the patient the truth? Definitely say! Feel free to look the patient in the eye and speak. Take textbooks; they always have many pages devoted to complications. This means they happen, and there is no escape from it. Anything is possible. It will be worse for your reputation if another dentist tells the truth to the patient. It will be worse for the patient if your silence and inaction worsens his health. And we all want our patients to be healthy.

Let's return to our young doctor. Svetlana Nikolaevna remembered about the breathing exercises, calmed her brain and decided to examine the hole again. This is not a connection with the sinus, it is a cyst cavity with a characteristic discharge. And here is a piece of the root. Oh! How wonderfully it all ended. Now the doctor is in a great mood. The brain has stopped panicking and can evaluate the situation critically. The doctor refers the patient to an otolaryngologist and says goodbye to him contentedly.

What hasn't the doctor done yet? One simple secret action

. It provides dense patient scheduling for both novice and experienced dentists. Write a comment of 4 words or more under the last post on our Instagram @doctorgutorova or @vakhrinairina, and we will send you the main secret of a dense recording.

Even more useful in our practical courses ⤵

How does plaque affect the health of the oral cavity?

The development of many dental diseases is associated with the appearance of plaque. Harmful bacteria and their decay products have a detrimental effect on the enamel. Over time, plaque hardens and leads to the formation of tartar, which not only causes aesthetic problems, but also destroys the enamel structure and affects the health of the gums. And constantly multiplying microbes and bacteria provoke inflammatory processes and contribute to the progression of the focus of caries development. By causing bleeding and inflammation of the gums, pathogenic bacteria can cause the loosening and subsequently even loss of completely healthy teeth.

During an examination, an experienced dentist may recommend that the patient undergo a procedure for removing tartar and plaque to improve the health of the oral cavity and improve its general condition.

Effective measures to prevent the formation of plaque and tartar include:

thorough oral hygiene;
regular dental examinations;
teeth cleaning at the dentist.

Features of the profession

To have the prospect of career growth and opening your own dental clinic, you should go beyond a narrow specialty and become a general dentist. Such a specialist must have knowledge in the field of therapeutic, surgical and orthodontic dentistry, prosthetics, and aesthetic restoration of the dentition.

Generalist dentists, who, for example, are both therapists and prosthetists, are in demand in private clinics, where they pay good wages.

You can undergo professional retraining or advanced training courses at the Academy of Professional Standards. A convenient form of training is selected for a medical worker; there is the opportunity to study without interrupting work.

Six of the best: Dentists about their choice of profession and love for work

The competition “Best Doctor of the Trans-Baikal Territory” has been held since 2016. Last year, 37 doctors from 19 medical institutions competed for the title of the best in their field, this year more than 100 doctors from 32 organizations competed. We talked with all the participants in the competition in the “Best Dental Doctor” category and found out how all these people came into the profession and why they love their work.

All about beauty and health in Chita and Trans-Baikal Territory

“Working as a dentist is a lot of emotional and physical stress”

Dentist-therapist of the Regional Dental Clinic Andrey Matveev, winner of the competition

All about beauty and health in Chita and Trans-Baikal Territory

I graduated from the institute in 1996, I have been working at the Regional Dental Clinic since 2001. One of the reasons why I chose this particular profession is the need to work not only with my head, but also with my hands. For example, when restoring teeth, you need to feel everything with your fingers, you need to guess the color, restore the shape of the tooth.

At school we were sent to professional practice, I did it at the clinic, and there I decided that I would go to study to become a dentist. It was not difficult to learn - when you have the desire, everything comes easy. If a person doesn’t like his profession, how will he work? And when you go to work every day in a good mood, your attitude towards work is completely different. A dentist is not only a doctor, but also a psychologist, a sculptor who gives people not only healthy teeth, but also a beautiful smile and a good mood.

Patients have changed - now they demand aesthetics. The patient has become very picky and we can solve his problems - we now have many different materials and technologies. I really want to help him, and you know, everything will be fine, no matter how difficult the case may be. In addition to professionalism, human qualities are very necessary: attention to the patient, empathy, desire to relieve pain. The ability to find an approach and comforting arguments for patients become the key to effective treatment and a happy recovery and healing.

Working as a dentist is a big emotional burden, so to distract myself, I often go to the forest - just for a walk or to hunt. In addition, this is a lot of physical activity, because you sit in one position for 6 hours, your arms are constantly suspended, so I definitely go to the gym. It's hard without physical training.

The overall cohesive work of the entire team is very important - from the receptionist, nurse, x-ray technician to all doctors - not only therapists, but also surgeons, orthopedists, orthodontists, periodontists. Only together we can cope with the problems of our patients.

“To get along with children, you need to be a little psychologist”

Pediatric dentist of the Aginsk district hospital Valentina Batomunkueva, participant of the competition

All about beauty and health in Chita and Trans-Baikal Territory

I graduated from the Chita State Medical Institute in 1987, then completed an internship at the Aginsk District Hospital, where I still work. I studied to become a dental therapist, and in 1995 I became a pediatric dentist. My mother worked as a paramedic, so medicine was closer to me than other fields.

In my work, what attracts me most is children, they are so kind, open, responsive, and grateful. When they are very happy, when they are not hurt, they always say: “Thank you, doctor.” Sometimes parents who once visited me as children themselves bring their children to me. When I see this, I think to myself: “I’ve been working for so long.”

To get along with children, you probably need to be a bit of a psychologist, to know the characteristics of each child's age. We look at children from 1 to 17 years old, and we need to find an approach to each child. If he cries, then today, for example, I won’t do anything - I’ll just treat his mouth, carry out professional hygiene, so that he realizes that it won’t hurt him, that the next time he comes, everything will be fine. Children from 1 to 3 years old are very afraid, they are attached to their mother, so it happens that everything has to be done in several passes. We try to present the procedure in a playful way, tell fairy tales, and point out pictures on the walls. Now the kids are already coming with their phones and looking at something.

Older children behave better, but there are also pampered ones among them who do not want to leave their parents. Therefore, we first tell the adults to set the kids up, show them how to brush their teeth, play dentist and tell them what we will do. The child must know that he will need to open his mouth, sit quietly and obey the doctor.

I was very glad that I took part in this competition, and I was grateful to my management for nominating me. This is a great recognition of my work as a pediatric dentist, and this was my first time participating. An unforgettable impression on me was made by the award ceremony for the winners in the category “For Loyalty to the Profession,” when all the doctors gave a standing ovation to those who had devoted their entire lives to the medical profession. It is very good that the ministry came up with such a competition to raise the prestige of our profession.

“I myself had to treat my teeth 4-5 times, that’s why I decided that I would become a dentist”

Orthopedic dentist of the Regional Dental Clinic Oksana Li, competition participant

All about beauty and health in Chita and Trans-Baikal Territory

I have been working since 1985, with a total experience of almost 30 years. She began working as a dental therapist, treating and removing teeth. Then it so happened that a position for another specialist became available, I retrained and since 1990 I have been working as an orthopedic dentist. Now I do all types of work, including removable and fixed prosthetics, making orthodontic structures and much more.

Previously, it was difficult to properly treat teeth, fillings often fell out, teeth were affected by caries - I myself had to go and have it treated 4-5 times. That’s why I decided that I would treat teeth and become a dentist. Now there are anesthetics, new machines, and modern materials - and I don’t regret at all that I became a dentist. There were no dentists in the family, but there were doctors, so I had an idea about the medical field.

Beautiful and healthy teeth are a component of not only beauty, but also success in society, and being involved in this is a great pleasure.

Dentistry has made great strides forward during the time I have been working - new anesthetics, new fillings, composite materials, and ceramics have appeared. When you work for a long time, you can track all these changes and conduct an analysis. For example, we install structures that are guaranteed to last 3-5 years, but people do not always come to replace them on time and return only after 8-10 years - this is often the best confirmation of the quality of our work.

“The most interesting cases are working with someone’s mistakes”

Dentist-therapist of the Regional Dental Clinic Nina Kuvaldina, competition participant

All about beauty and health in Chita and Trans-Baikal Territory

I have been working at the Regional Dental Clinic for 9 years, with a total experience of 18 years. I initially chose medicine and specifically the oral cavity as the object of my work in order to help people in this area. Well, during my studies at the institute, I got involved and realized that I wanted to do this business all my life.

Fortunately, I was not disappointed in my choice. Every year you get to know your profession more and more, and even now I cannot say that I have reached the ceiling in the profession - we are constantly learning, learning something new. Moreover, this applies not only to professional skills, but also to communication with people - it is very important to be able to find a common language with them.

There were already doctors in my family, but I was the first dentist, so I help my whole family. No one else has yet followed this path, because the profession is very difficult, mostly due to the need to communicate with people. Patients are often negative, you need to be able to talk to them and convince them. And, of course, there are constant changes in dentistry itself - you need to go somewhere, see, study, and master new technologies.

We often experience emotional burnout at work, everyone is susceptible to it, so the most important thing is to remain psychologically stable. At the same time, patients help us fight it - one will come with negativity, and two will come with gratitude. For example, I have elderly patients who still come, bring pies, and say kind words. Well, at home you try to disconnect from everything, before there was still sports, but now the main activity is raising your granddaughter.

The most interesting cases are working with someone’s mistakes, because many patients come to us through second or third hands, when they could not be helped somewhere, and stay with us forever. We don’t always have to work from scratch; sometimes we have to correct the mistakes of our colleagues, but we don’t blame anyone.

Thanks to related specialties, for example, dental surgery, it becomes more interesting to work, because it is a new way of looking at the patient. Within the walls of our clinic, all conditions have been created for the organic collaboration of all specialists - orthopedists, surgeons and therapists; the process is organized very well, which is why I like working here.

“I know everything that happens in patients’ lives, they know everything about me”

Dentist-therapist of outpatient department No. 2 of the Clinical Medical Center of the city of Chita Tatyana Sinitsyna, competition participant

I have been working for a very long time, 41 years. I chose my profession, perhaps even by accident at the very beginning, but throughout my life I really liked it, and I merged with it. For the last 30 years I have been working in one place - in a clinic in the Central District of Chita. Before that, I was in a variety of places - for example, for 6 years I worked in a mixed reception in the city of Gus-Khrustalny, Vladimir region. But the most interesting experience was right after college - at that time we were assigned, and my husband and I got an interesting place - in the Khiloksky district, in the village of Linevo Lake there was a medical and labor dispensary for alcoholics. And we worked there for 3 years. Although the patient population was very complex and specific, we were interested, we got to know life, one might say.

Work taught me to be painstaking, subtle, and unhurried. I do what I can and thereby help patients. This is not a therapist or any other specialist, the results of whose work cannot be visually seen immediately.

Now patients have become more literate. Previously, they opened their mouths, listened to everything and performed it, but now more often you hear comments from them, stories about their own experiences. Young people have become more literate - they began to monitor their health more often and are forced to work more scrupulously on their health.

Since I work in a clinic, my patients are the same - people come for generations, whole families - husbands and wives, then their children, and then grandchildren. And there are many such patients, I know everything that happens in their lives, and they know everything about me. Here we live side by side. When I walk around the city, we meet like family, we exchange phone numbers, I know a lot of life stories from them, because when they come to me, they share their troubles and joys. Perhaps, walking down the street, some patients will not recognize me, because I work in a mask, but I always see them.

“It’s more pleasant to work with children than with adults”

Dentist-orthodontist of the Children's Clinical Medical Center of the city of Chita Olga Kazantseva, participant of the competition

I started working as a dentist in 1986 - this is the year I graduated from college. But at first I was an adult dentist in a regular clinic, and after working for a year and completing an internship in the dental department at the Children's Regional Hospital, I realized that I like working with children. I had a desire to move to a children's clinic and work as a pediatric dentist: I was attracted to orthodontics, the experienced doctors with whom I worked were enthusiastic and creative people. Working with children is more interesting than working with adults; you need to find a common language with a child of any age. As a pediatric dentist, it is necessary to use an individual approach to each child and work as a team.

I like to help people, alleviate their suffering, I have wanted this since childhood. True, now, rethinking my path in life, I think that everything happens in life for a reason. When I entered the institute, I first went to the pediatric faculty, that is, even then I wanted to work with children, but I did not enter in the first year. I went to dental school, graduated, but I still work with children, they haven’t gone anywhere. Apparently, this is my fate.

What I like about working with children is their spontaneity. During the first two or three visits, the child treats the doctor with distrust and is a little afraid, but then he gets used to it and begins to walk with pleasure. Children get used to me, I become attached to my little patients, together we try to achieve a good result in treatment. And when we achieve this result, the joy is indescribable - for the child, for me, and for the parents. This causes a lot of positive emotions.

During this time, I developed some ideas on how to work with children. We, of course, have a slightly unusual specialty - children wear equipment, orthodontic plates, and in order for the child to begin to do all this independently and with discipline, motivation is needed, the child needs to be interested. Not just to force, but to make him realize that it is he who needs it. And when a child sees some positive changes in treatment, he begins to do everything consciously. Then real success comes. No coercion, no intimidation, everything is voluntary.

The regional dental clinic congratulates the residents of Transbaikal on the upcoming New Year and wishes them health and happy smiles. The clinic's dentists are always ready to help every patient; in their work they use modern high-tech equipment, imported and domestic materials. You can make an appointment at Ugdanskaya, 8, or by phone: 211-150, 21-26-46.

Regional dental clinic, st. Ugdanskaya, 8, room. 1

Self-care.

Are you used to caring for your patients? Don't forget about yourself! Those who want to change the world start with themselves. A hackneyed phrase, but relevant to this day, proven by the experience of successful people. Don't forget about constant self-development. You can take additional courses, watch webinars, attend events both in your field and in other industries. Knowledge will never be superfluous. For example, having mastered history, you will be able to maintain a conversation at the reception with a patient who loves history, thereby calming him down. Don't forget to take care of yourself. Neat clothing and a well-groomed appearance are necessary in all situations. Don't promise yourself what you can't fulfill, don't push yourself into strict limits. Learn self-control and self-discipline.

Follow the tips listed above and success will not take long to arrive! Become the best in your business!

Learn to plan.

Surely you know that successful entrepreneurs plan almost every step they take. Planning is also important for dentists. This habit should be developed early in your career. Not only actions in work activities, but also personal life are subject to planning. This is done so that some goals and problems do not interfere with others. It is advisable to plan your week starting from Sunday. If you strictly follow your daily routine, then you will see how effectively you complete tasks, gaining valuable free time.