Dental School is Over! Now What?

The last semester at University of Louisville Dental School was full of “final stretch” stresses, including finishing our graduation requirements and taking the final portion of the national licensing boards and a series of proficiencies and exams to demonstrate that we were qualified in all areas of dentistry.

Board exams—a combination of written exams and patient-based clinical competencies—were by far the most stressful part of the semester. At that point we were used to taking written exams, but the patient portion was a killer. We had to find our own patients and they needed to fit the Board’s exact criteria.

The first patient had to be someone in need of full quadrant scaling and root planning which means he must have significant perio pockets and radiographic-evident calculus on most of his teeth. That’s a lot more difficult to find than you might think. The next two patients...