T Diddy :: Your Friendly Black Dentist

This past week was my first as a true clinician. It was exciting as well as nerve racking. The first day was craziness. I had 2 appointments on Tuesday. The first one was complicated because she had previous work that was not completed. My group leader said it best, "Day one and already a case like this!" My second appointment that day did not show up.

My second day, Wednesday, was a great success. After learning some of the process on Tuesday, the flow of the day was much better. The issues are not performing the dentistry, the issues are within the process and paperwork that must be completed to do the dentistry. This is the biggest learning curve. I had a brand new patient that needs a root canal, a crown, and one cavity filled. My second patient that day needs two cavities filled, but I did give her a cleaning.

Besides the learning curve, I think my strength is in my ability to empathize and communicate with the patients. I will continue to work at this and improve, but I will need to rely on this until I feel comfortable completing all the procedures. Looking back at the week, it was quite hectic. Yet, it was completely rewarding. The gratification I had from helping people out was very rewarding. This is the reason why I decided to change careers. After the first week, I am very happy I chose to leave the corporate world, leap out on faith, and change to the career that I did. In 20 more months, I will be even more happy because the change will be complete.

Week 2 was a lot better than week 1. I finally started to get a grasp of the process and paperwork. Many of my classmates are complaining about it, but they fail to realize that they just need to do it until we graduate. In all seriousness, it is not that bad. Yes, some of it is unnecessary, but it is what it is. On Wednesday, I did my first two fillings. They were the composite white fillings. While doing these procedures, I realized that I was having so much fun. This aspect of dentistry incorporates many of the engineering principles that I love. I must use a drill as a tool, I have hand instruments, I design holes to remove the cavities, and I use materials to fix the problem. In addition to that, I must make the filling look nice. Hence, there is an artistic aspect of this profession. I definitely made the correct choice in my career change.

I am really trying to hustle. There are a certain number procedures I must complete in order to graduate. To my surprise, I am the only person in my junior class that is in my 13 member group that had drilled and restored a tooth. In fact, I have completed 3 and I have 1 more this week and many more in the pipeline. I am trying to take names and numbers. This is just what I do.

I have only 2 more weeks until my summer session ends. I will then have 2 weeks of classes before I head back into clinic. I expect to be well established and comfortable to continue to work, learn and progress towards graduation. I have only 20 more months until that day comes. I see the light my friends. I see the light.

Two years ago, I got Tracy watching this show. I found it the summer when I first moved to Philly. I was fresh off my 2 year run of Salsa lessons in New York City and I had the dancing bug. This show is essentially like Idol, but much better. Last summer was the first year that we watched the entire show together. We learned the lingo, the dances, and even enough knowledge to actually critique the dancing this year.

This year was far superior than the previous two. I think with the success of the show and other dance shows, this country is beginning to latch on to dance. Dance is simply beautiful and amazing. When people can move as they do to make it look so easily elegant, all you can do is say, "Wow!" The dance contestants this year were not only phenomenal dancers, but they all seem to have great character. There was no drama or attitudes towards each other or the judges. Speaking of the judges, unlike Idol, the judges actually are respectful, full of insight, constructive, and honest at the same time. The show has a recipe for success.

This year we both fell in love with Sabra. Sabra only has been dancing for 4 years, but she is amazing. There is something about her that is heart felt that captivates you every time. Tracy liked her so much she proclaimed that she would no longer watch the show if she lost. This was like the declaration I made with Idol after Melinda came in 3rd after Blake. Officially, I am finished with that show. However, I am happy to say that Sabra won and we will be watching faithfully next season.

You may be asking why am I writing about this show. The answer is simple. While browsing online the other day on Yahoo. I entered a contest held by www.phillyist.com that was giving away 2 tickets. I entered myself and I also entered Tracy. Just 10 minutes ago, I just received word that I won the tickets. I was actually thinking about buying tickets to take Tracy, but now I do not have to worry. I won the contest and I will be going for free. I cannot believe it. Before I get to excited about winning, I will wait until I receive the tickets. This will be difficult because how can somebody not get excited about watching Sabra dance live. I am just too tickled.

Class started once again this week. This is my last year of classes. Besides this week and next, I have only 1 class per day. I have 2 - 4 classes each day until then. The classes cover all of the upper level dental procedures and concepts. No longer will I be bogged down with G-proteins and NaCl channel mechanisms. Unlike the information from the previous 2 years, all this information is interesting and pertinent to my profession. For example, yesterday I learned of the techniques to bleach a tooth internally. You may think that this is boring. However, I find this quite fascinating. Especially when you think of when somebody has trauma to the teeth and they discolor. They become really conscience of the gray tooth and want it fixed. They decide to come see me and I bleach their tooth. From my exceptional skill, I am able bleach the tooth close to their normal color and they once again to smile with glee. All of this because I know how to put bleach in a tooth. Now that is exciting.