Invisalign vs. braces

Saw this on the invisalign site.  It maps out the reasons for more family dentists to switch completely to their product.  Though this list may be bias because it's on their website, ultimately invisalign is very practical, cost effective, and more comfortable for the patient.  One reason many dentists don't want to make the switch is because the price of braces is slightly higher than invisalign.  Switching would lose them some money.  However, it is a great solution to having metal braces which cut your cheeks, and are uncomfortable.  A practice which is aimed toward pleasing the customer should adopt these.  There are cases where braces are a better option but hopefully invisalign will become much more prevalent in coming years.

Cited:
" How Invisalign Works ." How Invisalign Invisible Braces Straighten Teeth. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.invisalign.com/How-Invisalign-Works/Pages/Default.aspx>.

Observing Community

I called a neighbor from my cottage at Glen Arbor who was also a pre-dental student at MSU.  She now attends UofM dental school and is on her way to her own practice.  I interviewed her over the phone about pre-dental work at Michigan State.

Q: What courses required for dental school were the most challenging?
A: General as well as organic chemistry

Q: Were there a lot of other pre-dental students that you know of?
A: Not really sure.  She met several people when interviewing for a job after graduation who also went to MSU but didn't know any of them personally.  However, she did know of a fair amount of people who were in the pre-dental club.

Q: Did you find that the heavy course load impeded your ability to have a good time at college?
A: Not at all, "Work hard, play hard"

Q: Was MSU a good place for a pre-dental student?
A: Absolutely, out of the 100 students in her graduate dental program there are 35 from Michigan State.

Though the community of pre-dental students at MSU is not large, they are successful in their work and are going on to graduate schools to begin practices.  MSU is a great place for getting into graduate programs.  To draw conclusions about its beliefs and values, I would say "work hard, play hard" is pretty accurate.  I hope I can pull it off.

Exploring Writing Process

Questions To Use for Interview

What does your average day at the office consist of?
How did you start in the field?
What is your favorite part of being a dentist?
Is your job very social?
What kind of writing is involved?

When asked about what writing is involved in dentistry, the person I interviewed said he really didn't write a whole lot and that it was not required because if there was a lot of writing required he would hire someone to do it for him.

Observing Writing Process: Interview

[img]http://www.fileden.com/files/2012/9/23/3350340/Dietrich%20Interview.mp3[/img]
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Dental Terminology

This is a website that offers a "dental-glossary" or list of dental terminology.  These words among many more make up this thorough list of dental terminology which is key to everyday work in the field.  From this list can be found anything from surgical terms to tooth placement and name.  Some of the many new words I learned from this list are: Alveolar Bone - The jaw bone that anchors the roots of teeth, Anterior Teeth - The six upper or six lower front teeth, Deciduous Teeth - Commonly called "baby teeth", the first set of (usually) twenty teeth, Frenum - Muscle fibers covered by a mucous membrane that attaches the cheek, lips and or tongue to associated dental mucosa, Gingivoplasty - A surgical procedure to reshape or repair the gingiva (gum), Laser Cavity Detection - A laser diode provides pulsed light of a defined wave-length that is directed onto the tooth. When the light meets a change in tooth substance, it stimulates fluorescent light of a different wavelength. This is translated through the handpiece into an acoustic signal, and the wavelength is then evaluated by an appropriate electronic system. These words among many more make up this thorough list of dental terminology which is key to everyday work in the field.

Cited:

Eby, Eric. "Dentist Terminology, Dental Glossary, Terminology." Dentist Terminology, Dental Glossary, Terminology. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://www.geodentist.com/page.php?id=dental-glossary>.

New Numbing Method

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaEWMk5YJuM

This is the technique my dentist used when I got some teeth knocked out by a wake surf board last summer.

The laser and cream definitely worked for me, and I didn't need to have any type of injection for the procedure.  This advance in dental technology is making it so much easier for dentists everywhere to complete their work in a less painful way.  Making life better for the patient, this new technique is an amazing discovery.

Comparative Delivery; Book/Blog

Though both sources offer good insight into the dental community, the delivery of information through a published book offers much more credible information due to the authors exceeding advancement in the field.  The blog is from a dental student who offers answers to questions from various people online about dental school and what is to be expected.  The style of the blog is very informal, the author seems to have a good sense of humor and jokes around a bit whereas the book is formal, and straight forward. Both are well directed toward a purpose and audience in that it is clear that the blog is for students coming into the field whereas the book covers the field in a broader and more general approach.

http://manicmolar.blogspot.com

Careers in Dentistry: Your Questions and Answers. Richmond: Trotman, 1996. Print.