As a fourth-year dental student who is halfway through my last year, I think back to the beginning of dental school — those days of uncertainty, the dental lingo that did not yet have any meaning and a work ethic I strived to grow into. By your D4 year, you will have gained a newfound confidence. Instead of wondering what you are doing, you determine what you don’t know and how to find the answers. You will have built a patient base and discovered areas of dentistry that you like the most. The following outlines things you can look forward to as you transition into your fourth year.
If you’ve experienced clinic, I suspect you have had at least one difficult conversation with a patient. Having these types of talks is one of the hardest parts of our jobs and can occur every day. As dental professionals, it is our duty to report the facts about our patient’s oral health to them. Once the patient is informed, they are tasked with making a decision about the course of treatment. How can we make these conversations easier for ourselves and our patients?
