Student dentist? Need reassurance!

[Punkerpants]

I finally had the courage to look at my referral for wisdom teeth removal. I've had it for almost a year and was too terrified to take a good look at it before. It turns out that my insurance will only cover if I get it done at a university by a student dentist. That thought scares the living daylights out of me! Coincidentally, it is the university I attended (UCLA). I know UCLA is known for being one of the best in the medical field (I wasn't in it, I was an English Literature major!), but I'm still afraid.

Has anyone had work done (any kind) by student dentists and what was your experience? Were they more careful to not make mistakes? Were they nice? Understanding? Patient?

It says the students are supervised during the procedure. But I'm not sure if I want to see other people peering over their shoulder and hearing them give advice.

I also absolutely insist on being awake for it, because I'm deathly afraid of being sedated.

Please help, this made my anxiety 10 times worse!

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Punkerpants..

Wow.. so only they will accept student dentists. that is very restrictive..

What I can say is ... I remember the ONLY good experience I had as someone underage in dental work was a brief stint with a student in the Orthodontic school at the state university.. went 2 or 3 times and actually he was so nice and kind.. my mom decided it was a bit too much work and time to continue to go there so I was disappointed I had to switch to a not so nice... to put it mildly ortho closer to home.

I also have a friend who's been going to the univeristy of Indiana school for years and swears by it and loves everyone he has got saying how nice they are.

If you have to go there I would definately make sure all your fears and concerns are discussed with all students and faculty so everyone knows how to best care for you.

I hope that can somehow encourage you. also the ortho student I saw.. ended up being one of the best orthos in the city when he graduated. which was kind of cool to know

Are you setting up a consult soon to meet with them prior?

 

[Enarete]

Hi there,

never had a treatment by a student myself, but there is a freshly graduated dentist in my practice. He is the one who needs the most time for procedures as he does everything very slowly and carefully, but he is also the one who I would chose for any nervous patient as his slowlyness makes him especially gentle and careful.

I am afraid you won't be able to avoid anyone supervising the student, after all they are still students and need to be watched. On the other side this gives you the security that all will go well.
When it comes to kindness, patience and understanding, this might be a matter of personality and chemistry, as with any dentist. It might be helpful to know what you need and to be ready to let the person who treats you know when you are uncomfortable.
Can you take someone with you?

This is just me guessing, hope you get some replies from experienced users soon.

All the best wishes and may all go well

 

[griffinej5]

Hi,
All of my work recently has been done by a number of student dentists at a dental school (UPenn). They have been excellently patient with me. The first student who got me was super. When i first saw her, i was a mess. Crying, gagging, shaking. As long as i was willing to show up (and they do love a person who shows up reliably) she was willing to work with me. That has been the case with all the students I’ve had, and I’ve gone there a few years. These students, especially the first one, are the reason I’m not a total mess anymore. There was one guy i didn’t like. I just asked to get changed, and the person who coordinates it did that for me.
As far as the work they do, everything has to be checked off by a supervising dentist. It hasn’t been someone peering over their shoulder the whole time. It’s more when they finish a step or if they have a question, they go get the supervisor who checks on it and maybe discusses the next step with them. I usually go with headphones, so i don’t really hear the discussion much unless they specifically want to tell me something.

 

[Punkerpants]

Thank you for your replies. I do feel a bit better after reading them.

I think part of it was just the anxiety going into overdrive when I realized it wasn't going to be exactly how I expected it to be. Maybe feeling not as in control of the situation and being surprised by new information. And also fear of the unknown.

I have to remember that all dentists were once student dentists themselves. They may have more experience but it doesn't necessarily mean they are better because of it.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Punkerpants,

The feeling of not being in control and fear of the unknown is SO HUGE in dental fear... I have definately struggled wtih that .. And you should have somewhat a choice in the matter and if you don't feel comfortable wtih someone ask for a different student . or making sure you feel you can stop the treatment when you need to ask a question , or have some choices in it. Even if its with a student.. the more they can share, listen and give you control the more at peace you should feel..

 

[Punkerpants]

I definitely felt a surge in my anxiety levels when I realized I couldn't choose where to go, but I agree, I think what would help me overcome some of that fear is having the control of choosing which student will do it.

Part of me wants to just save up the money to pay out of pocket and pick my own place, but I really don't have the means to do that at the moment.

 

[Punkerpants]

AH!!! I'm so confused now!

I just read the fine print on my referral and it says UCLA dental school doesn't accept medi-cal (medicaid), which is the insurance that I have. I don't know why the referral lists only this location for me to go to if my insurance won't even cover it.

I will have to face my fear of calling them and ask them if I can pick other dental offices too. I see no reason why they wouldn't allow that.

And once I do my research I might decide UCLA is the best option and go with them anyway. I think I just want it to be MY choice, and not being forced into it.

 

[griffinej5]

If money is going to be an issue because it won’t be covered, the dental school should definitely be cheaper.
Obviously i don’t know how it works at UCLA, but i don’t have a totally free choice of which student works on me. I’m assigned to somebody, but when it was a bad fit i was able to ask to change.

 

[Punkerpants]

If money is going to be an issue because it won’t be covered, the dental school should definitely be cheaper.
Obviously i don’t know how it works at UCLA, but i don’t have a totally free choice of which student works on me. I’m assigned to somebody, but when it was a bad fit i was able to ask to change.

Thank you for the info. I think as long as I have the option to ask for someone else or leave if I have to, I will be okay. But what I really want is to be able to do my own research to find a place that I'm most comfortable with. If being able to do that is worth the cost I might do that instead.

 

[grumpybear]

I personally have never gone to a student dentist. But if it helps assure you a little, I recently had a very kind and gentle dentist at the hospital I work at and every one of my colleagues whom I've recommended to go see her have liked her very much as well. She's also popular among her other patients who are not our hospital staff. She was a recent graduate (first or second year out of dental school). She did my first ever (and very deep) filling for me and did a good job. She was from UCLA dental school. I was a little sad when she went back to the US to further her studies to become an endodontist.