Dr. Jacob Laudie: Lees Summit Dentist

With my early trips to the dentist and the natural loss of my baby teeth having sparked an interest in dentistry before I really knew what being a dentist meant, I began shadowing to further explore the profession. As I watched a tooth take shape from a blob of acrylic under the experienced hand of the dentist I was shadowing, I was filled with the same awe and satisfaction that I gain from the piano. Dr. Aboud repeatedly positioned the temporary crown in the patient’s mouth, checked his bite, and painstakingly continued to adjust the crown until the fit was just right. Though I have wanted to be a dentist for almost as long as I have played the piano, my interest in dentistry grew

In elementary school, one of my favorite days in grade school would be when my mom came in for her oral hygiene lessons. Even though my mom could have easily demonstrated proper techniques on how to brush and floss teeth with a dental model for my classes, she knew how excited I would always get when she called on me to personally demonstrate. I would brush in confidence those tooth surfaces, at a 45 degree angle and with small circular strokes. Promptly in the lesson, I would put the toothbrush vertically for those inside surfaces of my front teeth. My mom would end the brushing technique with a friendly reminder to brush for a full two minutes, twice a day. She also told the kids to think of triangles and to floss along the mesial and distal surfaces of their teeth, rather than straight down and cutting their gums. With every upcoming yearly demonstration, I honed that routine of mine, ensuring to my classmates the best way to keep the plague out. Even to this day, I have still got my middle school sketchbook in my desk drawer, where I had illustrated the cover as, “Dr. Pham, DDS”. Starting in my high school summer, I had my first shot to assist my parents with what I have always known to be as, “The Office.” In the day-to-day, I strove to follow my dad’s office procedures. Imagine, my young, impressionable self holding onto the large suction and water syringe as a patient’s wisdom were extracted; gums cut, that red blood flowing throughout the procedure.

My first healthcare related experience, shadowing Dr. Osman at his dental offices, fortified my passion for

My first exposure to dentistry, out of the chair, came when I began babysitting for a dentist. He worked on the weekends, and his daughter and I would tag along. Initially I stayed as far away from the dentist chair as possible, but later, I became curious, and gradually observant. By the time I reached high school, I was intrigued by every aspect of dentistry. The procedures quickly turned from one of torment into something more familiar. Coming from a family of engineers and contractors, I recognized the doctor’s instruments because they were similar to tools I had grown up watching my father use. I began to think of dentistry as performing small scale construction in a small hole. Performing such intricate procedures while simultaneously utilizing my mind and hands both excited me and complimented my detail attentive personality.

Limestone Smiles allowed me to witness the technical aspects of dental assisting. With being a newer establishment, they were not as busy as the previous. In this extra time is was educated on some key concepts a dental assistant would need to know. The tooth numbering system was explained to me so that I would understand what was being mentioned during each appointment. Teeth are labeled from one to sixteen on the top row from left to right: this is assuming one is looking into a client’s mouth. The remaining bottom row is the labeled from seventeen to thirty-two going from right to left. I was also taught some key concepts pertaining to labeling the mouth. The buccal (facial) surface is the side of teeth that touch the mouth. The lingual surface in the back side of one’s teeth. The median line divides the mouth in half between upper teeth eight and nine and lower teeth twenty-four and twenty-five. The side of each tooth facing towards this line is the mesial side while the side pointing away is the distal surface. The biting surface of each tooth is referred to as the occlusal surface. Knowing this information helped me to better understand the procedures I witness. I also learned about two prevalent instruments used during appointments, the explorer and the PF5. With the explorer, the explorer end is used to find cavities while the perio probe end is used to measure bone lose. An older African American male

From observing varying dental environments, what appealed to me most was the technicality and artistic skills that were encompassed. I shadowed three dentists for a total of three weeks at Penthaligon Dental Centre, where I saw a wide variety of treatments, ranging from general check ups to root canal treatments and crown fittings. While spending my time here I also observed an oral surgeon for a day - procedures which involved high precision and care. In contrast to NHS treatment, I observed private treatment at the Avenue Dental Practice, which I attended weekly for two months. One of the many differences was how the dentist executed a root canal treatment; using more developed equipment. Here, I also

Dentistry has always been on my mind ever since I watched the Pixar film, “Finding Nemo.” Finding Nemo was the first time I ever witnessed a dentist in action, and although it was quite traumatizing because of how the patient was screaming in the chair and how Pixar decided to use a little girl, who wore an intimidating style of braces and hurt fishes on her free time, as one of the antagonists in the film, I was curious to know what was happening in that chair that the director did not want the audience to see. Despite this, the combination of these negative portrayals in Finding Nemo did not make a dental office my most favourite place in the world; however, my opinion soon changed when I met my first dentist, Dr. Le.

Technology is a very growing area and one cannot be successful if they are not up on the latest. In the dental field, most dental offices are now “digital and paperless”. It will be my responsibility to make sure that I teach my students how to function in a digital environment. In order to do this, I must be proficient in this area. If I will be successful, I must know what new procedures and technology is being used in the dental field. “Dental technologies have been evolving continually, helping to transform the field of dentistry. New technologies are developed with a focus on creating products and developing techniques that can be used by dentists to help prevent, diagnose and/or treat dental conditions and diseases

During Wednesday’s lecture we had the opportunity to hear Kathryn Trilli give us a short autobiography of her career, and introduce us to the roles of a hygienist when working in a specialty clinic. Mrs. Trilli started her career at Sheridan College in Wyoming. She received her Associates in Science in Dental Hygiene. Upon graduation Mrs. Trilli was serving tables while waiting for her license. It was at her serving job that she met her first boss, John Nabers D.D.S., a periodontist in Wichita Falls, Texas who later was the founder of the Nabers probe. After working in Nabers practice for two years she left to begin her teaching career. While teaching Mrs. Trilli obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene, from Midwestern State University. After relocating to east Texas for her husband’s profession she worked at various private practices. While living in Denton, Texas for five years she taught at Texas Woman’s University. After her husband accepted a coaching position at Newman University the Trillis relocated their family one final time to where they currently call

Health care has been an issue for the United States of America for multiple years. Dental care, a topic that does not get much attention because people believe it is trivial, plays a major part in people’s lives, particularly children. Gerard van Honthorst’s The Tooth Puller shows a dentist pulling a patient’s tooth with five observers watching. Van Honthorst shows how in awe or scared people are of the dentist. There is a negative outlook on dentists and dental care: people are afraid of the dentist giving them their negative connotation, while dental care only causes pain in many people eyes. There is a problem in the health care system and improvement in the system is needed because health care is a right for every citizen, especially dental care. The United States of America’s government should allow dental therapist to conduct the procedure that normal dentist conduct for free for children under the age of twelve. The government should fund the teaching, training, and employment of dental therapists to care for underserved people.

Why should you go to a dentist’s office that will treat you with equipment that is less than the best? At J. Wesley Anderson, Jr., DDS, we want nothing but the best for our patients, and it shows through our dedication to having a technologically advanced office. Some of our more technological

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However it was not until my mission in Guatemala that I got a sense of the impact I could potentially make globally as a dentist. While there, I shadowed my father where he performed dental procedures on roughly 200 people. Although I was only able to provide supporting efforts for my father, I gained experience that was invaluable. I carried a portable backpack chair into the villages. The chair was both solar and electric with basic built in tools. Once the patients were seated, I provided emotional encouragement through smiles, hugs, and interpreted language. I was rewarded in that every patient that we treated showed his or her utmost gratitude. Working and observing alongside my father, we were a team, doing something that was life changing for countless individuals. A fire was ignited inside of me that will never be extinguished. A fire that is fueled by passion for helping people close to home as well as those in remote countries where very few are willing to

Dental hygiene plays an important role in oneś life, from infanthood to elderhood oral health is a visual into healthy bodies. Throughout one’s life annual dentist visits are a need to keep a mouth fresh and disease free. Looking back into my own childhood and the first visit, I was happy to be there. In fact, I found this new adventure in the dentist office better than being in a doctor's. Being a small child and coming into the office for a check up, the first face I saw was a dental hygienist. That meeting later motivated me to do all my studying to become one myself.

(Stockton, CA) -- Bringing "virtual dental homes" to schools, nursing homes and long-term care facilities can keep people healthy - reducing school absenteeism, lessening the need for parents to leave work to care for an ailing child, and helping to prevent suffering for millions of people who have no access to a dentist, a six-year study by University of the Pacific demonstrates.