Shadowing with Dr. McRoberts opened my eyes to the world of dentistry. The First month of my internship was purely watching the dentists as they performed their daily duties. I would be sure to ask several questions throughout every procedure to better understand their methods. Through this I learned a lot about what certain tools are, each tool's purpose, and the different steps taken to do these procedures. Dr. McRoberts encouraged me to ask questions which made this experience more interactive. All of the sudden I became a part of the procedure. This kept me more engaged, taking notes so that I could talk with him after about other questions I might have. When the dentists became more comfortable with me, I was in the chair assisting. Assisting was awesome because I gained experience handling tools within a patients mouth. I also gained a better view of the procedures while assisting. I had to learn terminology quickly to best assist the doctors. Overall, the experiences of shadowing and assisting allowed be to complete several of my outlined goals for the internship including:



1. I know better now how to develop a treatment for a patient’s condition based off observations made via X-rays, examinations, and the patient’s comments, and effectively communicate with receptionists, dentists, assistants, and hygienists to most effectively implement the patient’s treatment plan.
2. Assisting allowed me to learn how to walk through and describe the various daily procedures such as but not limited to: crowns, extractions, fillings, and root canals. Being able to know the order of events and what tools to use when.
3. Shadowing enhanced my ability to view a patient’s post procedure evaluation and assess the effectiveness of the treatment plan.
4. I can certainly say that by the end of this experience I am able to articulate positive feelings about pursuing further studies in the field of dentistry. Further more, I can say that because of different shadowing opportunities I feel very passionate about Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 

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