Saying Goodbye

It's my last day here and Dr. Patel doesn't have too many patients. So all I'm doing is following her around the dentistry helping her with x rays and teeth check ups. I'm just writing the tooth numbers and any other abnormalities Dr. Patel sees Other than that, Dr. Patel isn't making me file today but there aren't many patients so I'm also not operating the suction machine either. I'm going to miss this place and all the people. This place has given me many opportunities someone my age doesn't usually get and I'm thankful to everyone, especially my mentor, Dr. Patel. This experience will help me throughout my career path and much more. Hopefully the next time I am operating on people is in dental school.

Almost Done

Its almost my last day and I am spending it acting as Dr. Patel's receptionist. I am just filing and thanking Dr. Patel for all her help so far. Soon I will have to say goodbye and I won't be filing or answering calls anymore. I can't say I'll miss this part. Yet I will miss the part where I helped her out with her patients. I like doing that. Well, today it was sort of a slow day and all I did was manage upcoming appointments, and answer phone calls.

Senior Project Reflection

1. I am most proud of myself for doing extra research checks and using all the research checks to help me with all my three answers. My research checks are the things that molded all the content i provided for my three answers.

2a. P
b. P

3. The thing that worked most for me was always having a head start on the senior project components. I would always start a day or two earlier than my friends and that really helped me be prepare for everything.

4. If I could have done something differently, it would be to get more books on my topic because one of the books I had was very old and not too helpful.

5. It has helped me learn how to find credible research. One of the main things this project has helped me with is finding credible research because of the ESA, interviews, research checks, and more. It has also further helped me write better because of all the papers we have had to write.

Mentorship

Literal
-done
-Dr. Rita V. Patel, Montclair Dentistry
9625 Monte Vista Ave, Montclair, 91763

Interpretive
The most important thing I gained from this experience would be all the hidden things dentists do. Many people think that all dentists do is clean teeth and that is false, There is another side to maintaining a profitable dental office and that deals with dental insurance and patient care. A dentist must make sure that their patients get the care they need but also pay their fees. There are many things that dentists do and I have learned more in depth what they do and everything they do. This information could not have been obtained by reading a book or doing research, the only way to learn this is from actually mentoring, which I did.

Applied
My mentor was the one who helped me come up with all my answers and my EQ. All of my answers require me to see with my own eyes what a dentist does and that is what I got to do. Following Dr. Patel around in her dentistry assisting her has helped me obtain a far better understanding of the answers to my EQ and even more information.

Exit Interview

1. My essential question is "What is most important in maintaining a profitable
dental office?". My answers are:
The most important thing in maintaining a profitable dental office is...
- for the dentist to use the proper procedures to best whiten patient's teeth
- for the dentist to hire a dental team that most benefits the dentistry
- for the dentist to make sure kids feel at ease
My best answer is my first answer which is the best way to maintain a profitable
dental office is for the dentist to use the proper procedures to best whiten
patient's teeth.

2. The process I took to arrive at this answer was that I started to think the
main reason people go to dentists and the one thing all people want, in respect
with their teeth. I came up with that people want white teeth and give them a
glowing, and nice smile. After I got my rough draft answer, I talked to my
mentor about it and about how dentists whiten teeth. She told me about the three
main procedures dentists use to whiten teeth and I researched all of them to
come up with information I needed for my answer. It wasn't after until I got all
the research I needed that I put together the pieces to come up with my first
answer.

3. The only problems I faced were that I could find research that made my answer
sound very important. I resolved this by telling Dr. Patel about my dilemma.
After I explained my situation, she found me an article posted in a journal of
the American Dental Association and another article posted from the American
Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. These articles provided me information that
really helped make my answer sound very important and help me justify why it is
my best answer.

4. My two main sources that I used to answer my EQ are my mentor and my book. My mentor has done so many things to guide me through my senior topic. One of the main reasons Dr. Patel is my first main source is because she has helped me out in many of the interviews I've done with her and she has given me a lot of
research to help me out with my answers, but mainly my first and best answer. My
book, Essential Skills for Dentists, has helped me out with my other two
answers. The book starts from the very basics of skills that dentists need and
all the different things they should do to be an effective dentist. This book
talks about many things such as oral diseases, the dental team, children care,
pediatric dentistry, and much more. With these two main sources, I have truly answered my EQ.

Independent Component 2

Literal
(a) I, Punit Patel, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Dr. Patel and Essential Skills for Dentists
Davenport, Elizabeth S., Gareth J. Holsgrove, Peter A. Mossey, and David R. Stirrups. Essential Skills For Dentists. New York: Oxford UP, 2006. Print.
(c) Done
(d) I have done many things in my independent component 2. The first being was that Dr. Patel helped me come up with my second and third answers. She guided me through all the information I needed and where to get it from. She provided expert tips and resources. While I am at the dentistry doing my mentorship/independent component, she always teaches me useful things that help me toward my second and third answers and my whole topic overall. I am basically her assistant while I am over there and I follow her around assisting her in the operating rooms as well as file the patient's files that need to be filed.

Interpretive
These are pictures of the files that I have to put away and pull out when we are starting and finishing with every patient. The other picture is of one of the operating rooms which I have to sanitize quickly after every use before the next patient comes. This proves my 30 hours of work.



Applied
This component has helped me answer my EQ by giving me my second and third answer. Dr. Patel is the one who helped me come up with the answers to answer my EQ. She guided me through the whole process and gave me all the information I needed and more. This component truthfully has really helped me greatly in my senior project.

Strange Meeting at Dentistry

When I went today I saw my aunt unexpectedly and it turns out that she had an appointment and her dentist was Dr. Patel. It was weird and cool at the same time that I got to operate inside her mouth. I got to say, she needs to brush more. She came in for a teeth whitening/deep cleaning session, which interestingly deal exactly with what my first answer is. I got to practice more on my first answer and get more information about it. Other than that, after I finished filing the patient files, I followed Dr. Patel around acting as her assistant. I got to say that I am getting really used to this and getting a real feel of what it’s like to be a dentist and I even have started to remember a couple of patients that usually come to the dentistry. In addition, Dr. Patel is still helping me answer my second and third answer. She is giving me useful information, tips, and resources and she is a great help in me learning more about my answers and more about dentistry.