I’m a pre-dental student and have been working as an assistant for a month now, I have been able to memorize almost every instrument and bur we usually use but extraction instruments seem very tricky to memorize and their number codes can often be hard to read when they are inside sterilization packets. This makes preparing extraction trays pretty difficult. The office where I work mostly uses pre-dental students as assistants so most of us don’t know the names or use cases of each instrument.
I am trying to create a visual guide for extraction setups with either pictures or 3D renders of the instruments and on what tooth they are usually used on. I am currently preparing the pictures but need help identifying the instruments and their uses. I am aiming for a very professional looking end result and based on my years of experience in design and 3D software I am sure I will be able to deliver.
If any dentists or experienced assistants are willing to help me on this project I will be glad to share the end result with them so they can use it in their office too.
Thanks!

Some info I’m from Germany, finished University almost 4 years ago and have been working as an employed dentist since then. My long term goal was owning my own practice just because so no one could dictate what and how I should do stuff.

Over the 3,5 years I’ve noticed that I’m bad at selling stuff. And I don’t mean useless stuff the patients dlon’t need but I mean essential stuff like ” no we can’t fix this with a filling, the tooth needs a crown” or ” no an almagam filling will not do”. Things like that.

I have come to the realisation that if I had my own practice I would probably bankrupt.

First patients don’t take me seriously. Like I advise them that a tooth needs a crown. They say” nah a filling will do” Boss walks in looks at the tooth, says the same and they are like ok. Wtf. Second I’m not a big talker. I have a big problem convincing people even if I know I’m right and it’s not only about making money off them.

Now I don’t live in the richest part of Germany so money is always a factor. But still it’s frustrating. And this doesn’t help with me being already fed up with my job in the first place. I seriously underestimated how stressful dealing with people and their problems all day long is.

Sorry for the rant.

Hello dear colleagues, if I can call you this way. I have recently graduated from dental school, and now I’m doing an internship at one clinic. During this time, I have noticed that some patients completely ignore their dental health. Please note that I’m not talking about visiting a dentist at least 2 times per year. I’m talking about some basic and most common hygiene rules, such as brushing teeth every morning and before bedtime. I think this situation is worth some attention.

During my practice, which is not long enough, I have noticed that patients usually come when they have sharp tooth pain. In the meantime, they completely ignore some other problems that lead to this pain, such as tooth decay and enamel problems. Besides, when I talk to those patients, they confess that they ignore some basic dental hygiene rules. When I try to explain to them that the sharp tooth pain is the consequence of not taking care of teeth, they stare at me like I’m insane and say some nonsense.

Also, I don’t get why people in the UK (where I have my internship) don’t care about their dental health. In the USA, the situation is entirely different. People are ready to apply for a loan to have a beautiful smile. While, in the UK, there are so many other gadgets available. For instance, I’ve recently found out about this new flossing gadget. It takes approximately 10 seconds to floss teeth, and it’s much easier than using regular floss thread.

Is there any approach that can explain to patients how important it is to follow specific hygienic rules to avoid problems like that? I think that posters in the place where I work are not motivational enough. When I try to explain something, it seems like

I always feel like physicians and dentists make significantly more than these surveys indicate. Do they include all sources of income or just w-2? Because i have w-2, dividends and real estate income. Every dentist I’m friends with makes $300k+ and a few of us are $500k+. But maybe that’s just the friend group i have

So I am about a year into practice and I constantly debate specializing because occasionally I get tired of bouncing around between restorative, fixed, endo, “easier”surgical cases. I really enjoy doing cosmetic cases that can cause a patient to feel an emotional connection to our profession like a MIFL from a trauma case or some anterior crowns/veneers. I have always been told I have a gift with pediatrics and that I should pursue being a pedodontist, but don’t know that I want to treat kids all day long. I also debate differences in lifestyle, patient management, and office difficulties between pedo, endo, or ortho. I am just curious if any specialist on here could provide their own insight on making a transition or other general dentist on why they are still doing general.