Dental School Applicataion - Essay Example

I never thought that I would be pursuing my career in dentistry because of the unreasonable fear regarding this profession. I have become cognizant about dentistry from my extensive readings and this has aroused a curiosity in me. My volunteer and research experiences have helped me to decide to delve into the dentistry field.The first clinic that I chose to become a volunteer was at the Graduate Endodontic Clinic at the University of Washington, School of Dentistry and I have been working there for about a year, from five to seven hours a week.

My tasks at the clinic have been to develop x-ray films and set up trays for treatments, but, I also had the opportunity to observe doctors performing root canal treatments and various Endodontic procedures.Dental procedures and the use of instruments have not been the only aspects of dentistry that I learned there. The doctors I have been working with are graduate dental students. I was able to observe how much time and efforts they have invested to succeed there. The doctors always shared with me that their hard work has always paid off at the end when patients thank them and tell them how dental treatments make their lives easier.

To explore different fields in dentistry, I have also volunteered at the Dental Fear Research Clinic at the University of Washington, School of Dentistry for five months, from three to five hours a week. This clinic specializes in patients that have some type of dental fears. I was very impressed to observe Dr. Tar-Chee Aw at work with his team of dental assistants and psychologists, seeking the best methods to relieve the patient’s anxieties and discomforts. My experiences at the dental clinics shaped my desire to help people with oral health needs.

These lessons have been invaluable to me to succeed in a dental school. I am also planning to volunteer in a community (public) clinic and a private clinic in the near future.I have also had the opportunity to learn many laboratory techniques from my prior experiences in different laboratories. I have worked in a Biochemistry laboratory since my freshman year. The focus of our research is to study the metabolic mechanisms of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast species), especially the interaction between BMH and ADR1 proteins, which are known to be involved in transcription regulation of the carbohydrate utilization in yeast.

The focus is to identify the specific binding site of BMH to ADR1 and how this affects the glucose´s repressible pathway in the metabolism. This research is not only restricted to yeast species therefore this would allow to apply our knowledge further into the metabolisms of more complex organisms, such as, the humans´.I have also participated in a Periodontics research laboratory for eight months. Our research studied different combinations and concentrations of chemicals called doxycyclinc and BMP that are known to help periodontal ligament cells to form bones.

They were tested to find out whether certain combinations of these two chemicals would produce a synergic effect and amplify the bone forming ability of periodontal ligament cells.