A Day in the Life of a Dental Student
With 9am lectures commonplace, a day in the life of a dental student starts earlier than most!
I live with friends in Jesmond and the morning begins with a short twenty-minute walk with my housemates to the Dental School. In fourth year the mornings are filled with lectures enthusiastically given by the dental lecturers. Whilst not compulsory the lectures are well attended, although they can also be found on the internet - very useful for the days the alarm doesn’t go off! The lectures given are on a wide range of subjects ranging from anatomy and physiology through to dental materials. Some mornings are also spent melting wax and making dentures in the lab, learning the role of the dental technician first hand.
Clinics
After a quick lunch it is time for clinics. The year is divided into small clinical groups who you work with from third year through to final year. The clinical groups become close-knit and are friendly and reassuring, particularly for the daunting experience of seeing your first ever patient in third year!
Every afternoon is spent working on a different clinic, which provides a nice variety to the week. Students are given control of booking patients and arranging appointments. The patients are a diverse, interesting and usually tolerant group who you often get to know well after several appointments.
The clinics are supervised by members of staff and assisted by nurses who are friendly and helpful, so although you have some independence help is never too far away!
Dentsoc
Although it can be hard work being a dental student, this is balanced out by the fun and games organized by Dentsoc.
Dentistry as a course has one of the friendliest and best organized social scenes in the university. Every Friday evening my friends and I head to the Crown and Bridge bar, operated by the fourth year students, with free beer available to all! Social highlights of the year include the dental ball, mystery tour and the recently created ski trip.
As you can see the day in the life of a dental student is a unique, exhausting but also very rewarding experience!
James McKenzie, Fourth year BDS
You can find out more about student life from our student profiles and our videos.
