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Did the student dentist do it right??

helpme!

helpme!

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Messages
43
I have just returned from the dentist and had a question for someone in regard to fillings.

The visit was absolutely awful but I won't go into details!

Last week I had 3 fillings done by a student dentist...after scraping and drilling and filling the hole she used a blue ultra violet light to set the filling...which I thought they always do... then she polished the filling to ensure it was smooth.

Today the student dentist (a different one) did 1 filling....put the filling stuff in... did a bit of scraping and then it was finished.... no ultra violet light to set it?... no polishing to smooth it off?... and she filled it with the brightest white stuff unlike the offwhite the previous student dentist used.

All of the fillings were in the front of bottom teeth near the gumline... same type of decay... why such different methods?

Did she forget the ultra-violet light thingy???
 
There are self-curing composite resins so most likely she used that type. It's like you mix paste A with paste B, and you have a few minutes to place it before it sets. As long as it feels hard to the touch it should be fine. The other type of composite resin is light cured, and that's what the blue light thingy was. You'd be able to tell if it wasn't light cured since it would still be all mushy and caramelly. Caramelly? Hmmm I don't think that's a word. Okay, caramel-like! In addition, the student would have gotten a failing grade for the filling when the instructor checked it over if it wasn't cured.

The lack of polishing is a little bit weird... but maybe it was small enough that it didn't require it? That certainly could be the case. As long as it doesn't feel rough or anything it should be fine I suppose.
 
Thanks.

The dentist checked the students work prior to her filling it but didn't check it once the filling was done so I have to hope that it was right.
Feels rough (like sandpaper) when I feel it with my finger but it's not bothering me at all so as long as the filling stays in I am fine with it.

Although do wish she had've done it 'off white' like the 3 fillings the other student did last week... this bright white filling is nearly neon!!!!!
 
Just make sure you mention that next time so they use the more esthetic material. As well it doesn't take too much time for them to polish it a bit at the next visit if it's rough. In dental school it's going to be a hit and miss sort of thing just because of the lack of experience. Some students want to try some different materials and gain experience so it does take some time before they become adept at things.
 
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