My Experience: Interning at a Dental Office

Presenter: Olapimpe Abiodun, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum project, I interned at Flagship Orthodontics Office. Flagship Orthodontics is a dental office owned by Dr. Bonebreak that focuses on installing braces and Invisalign on people's teeth. I mainly assisted Dr. Bonebreak and his dental assistants by handing them the necessary instruments that they needed at any given moment. I also welcomed patients and had small talk with them to relax any nerves that they may have had. I learned a lot about dental anxiety and the different ways a health professional can reduce a patient's dental anxiety. These ways include having a friendly attitude, explaining to a patient what exactly you are treating them for and how you will be treating them, and how much everything will cost. I watched as Dr. Bonebreak and the dental assistants answered every question a patient or their parents may have, which helped ease patients' dental anxiety. After a while, I was able to start breaking down to patients how much their treatment will cost and ease some of their dental anxiety. I also learned a lot about preventive dental care from Dr. Bonebreak, such as how often one should brush and what type of toothpaste and mouthwash is best for preventing certain things, such as cavities and poor gum health. I also started teaching patients about the ways they can practice preventive dental care. Reducing dental anxiety and teaching about preventive dental care is a big part of what they do at Flagship Orthodontics Office, which is their way of positively impacting public health.