Week in the Life of a Dental Student
One of the best things about dental school is how quickly I get involved in real patient care. By the end of the week, I could be making dentures, placing fillings, or giving oral hygiene instruction to a child. It’s challenging, but every day brings something new—and it reminds me why I chose dentistry in the first place. Here’s a glimpse into my week.
MONDAY
Mondays are all about prosthodontics, the branch of dentistry that replaces/repairs missing or damaged teeth, and treatments range from crowns, bridges, dentures, and even implants! On my clinics, the focus is usually dentures, and today I had two patients.
My first patient came in at 10 am for a primary alginate impression for complete dentures. Alginate is a pink material made from seaweed (yes, really!) that sets in the mouth to capture all the details. It can be messy to mix—water plus powder isn’t always straightforward—so I usually let the nurse take the lead. Once placed in the tray, I pressed it into the patient’s mouth. There can be a little gagging, but the fun part for me is border moulding, where you move the soft tissues to get the perfect impression. It’s the first step towards a confident smile.
My second patient arrived at 11:30 am for a try-in—a wax mock-up of the denture before the final acrylic stage. I adjusted a tooth with a warm wax knife and checked the fit and stability. When she saw her new smile in the mirror, she was thrilled, and I can’t wait to see her final denture.
Fun prosthodontics story: I once became the patient! A 5th-year student attempted my root canal three times with no luck. My tutor had to step in mid-clinic, and when he tried to work on my palatal canal…let’s just say it was painful! I was referred to a specialist right away, but it definitely made for a prosthodontics day I’ll never forget.
TUESDAY
Tuesdays are all about periodontology, which focuses on gum health and the supporting structures of teeth, ensuring they are as healthy as possible. Today I had one patient who arrived at 10 am for a subgingival PMPR (that’s a professional clean below the gum line).
To keep the patient comfortable, I started with a local anaesthetic injection to numb the lower right quadrant—I used a technique called an inferior alveolar nerve block. This ensures multiple teeth are numbed-up at once. After the local anaesthetic kicked in, I used an ultrasonic scaler to carefully clean underneath the gum line, by inserting the tip in the gum, removing harmful bacteria and stubborn pieces of calculus (tartar). It’s satisfying to see the gums looking healthier after the treatment, even though there is quite a bit of bleeding – this means that I have gone deep into the pockets and given the area a thorough clean. The patient always appreciates leaving with a clean, fresh mouth.
In the evening, I swap my dental kit for my clarinet and head to Wind Band (6:15–7:30 pm). Doing societies is a fantastic way to meet others on different courses who you otherwise wouldn’t meet. We play a wide range of music—from Wicked the Musical to Disney classics—and rehearse for concerts at the local church twice a year, at Christmas and in the summer. A real highlight of being part of the band is the annual Christmas Dinner, which is always great fun and a chance to celebrate!
WEDNESDAY
Wednesdays are spent in Children’s Clinic, conducting a range of dental treatments, as well as helping children learn how to take care of their teeth properly. Today I worked with a young girl to improve her oral hygiene.
We started with disclosing tablets, which tastes of bubble-gum, and turn plaque purple so it’s easy to see where she was missing with her brushing. Then came the fun part—I handed her a toothbrush with some toothpaste on it, grabbed my model and giant toothbrush, and we brushed off all the purple plaque together, showing her the correct brushing technique.
After that, I gave her some practical advice about snacking and diet to help keep her teeth healthy. This included reducing snacking and waiting at least half an hour after brushing before drinking anything – this is to ensure all the fluoride from the toothpaste has its maximum effect! It’s always so rewarding to see a child’s eyes light up when they understand how to look after their teeth—and to know you’ve helped them build healthy habits for life.
After clinic, I often go out for lunch with a friend – Olive and Bean and The Supernatural Café are my favourites!
Then I head to Kings Gate at the university for my Realising Opportunities (RO) Ambassador catch-up with my line manager. Our fortnightly meeting lasts about half an hour, and we go through my workload and upcoming tasks. It’s a really nice way to stay involved with the university and help other students while building my own skills.
THURSDAY
Thursday mornings are my clinical day off, which is a nice break from treating patients and gives me a chance to catch-up on lectures in the mornings. But in the afternoon, I had a clinical simulation suite session, which is all about practising clinical skills on extracted and plastic teeth. After a previous session of panning for suitable extracted teeth (there were HUNDREDS in that bucket!), I unwrapped the teeth I had fished out and placed it in putty to place inside my phantom head.
Today, we were using a range of files to clean out the roots of these teeth, preparing them for a root canal filling. It’s a hands-on way to practise techniques that you’ll use on real patients later—and it’s surprisingly satisfying to see a perfectly prepared root canal on the radiographs!
After clinic, I attend my British Sign Language (BSL) lessons. I’ve been working towards my Level 1 certificate, taught by a brilliant teacher who is Deaf himself. So far, I’ve learnt signs for all sorts of basics—transport, greetings, numbers, and giving directions—and even how to sign dentist! There are actually two ways: one is pointing to your front tooth with your finger, and the other is making a tooth extraction movement with your hand.
UPDATE: I’ve since achieved my BSL Level 1 award, and I’ll be collecting it at our annual BSL Society Party this month. Last year’s party was such good fun, and I can’t wait for this year’s celebration!
FRIDAY
Fridays are often about restorative dentistry, which means repairing teeth that have decay damage. Today I treated a patient who needed a filling on their upper front tooth.
With guidance, I selected the right handpiece and bur and carefully removed the decay bit by bit—it’s all about being precise, ensuring I don’t remove healthy tooth, but at the same time, removing the decay. Once the tooth was cleaned, I used a shade guide to choose the perfect colour for the filling so it would blend in naturally. I then placed a white composite filling, shaping and polishing it until it looked just like the rest of the tooth. The patient was happy with the aesthetics of the new filling and left happy with the final result!
There’s something really rewarding about stepping back at the end and seeing a tooth look as good as new—and knowing the patient can smile confidently again.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Weekends are my chance to catch up on lectures. I like to make colourful shorthand notes and use my whiteboard to quiz myself or repeat key information—it helps everything stick. But it’s not all work! I also enjoy day trips with friends, whether it’s visiting cafés, wandering around Tynemouth Market, or heading to the beach at Whitley Bay.
One of my favourite attractions near Newcastle has to be Beamish Open Air Museum in Durham. It’s like stepping back in time, exploring towns from the past—and yes, they even have a mock-up dental surgery!
