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If you are thinking of becoming a dentist in the UK, I hope that you have thought about your decision long and hard. I say this because, I know it is very structured and long path for you. It is also not as glamorous as it can appear. Although if you have decided that it is the career for you, you are really going to enjoy the journey and all the great fulfillment that comes from this career

Over the past 10 years I have become the go-to for students who know me and want to become a dentist. I have been a qualified dentist for over 10 years and helped my brother at first before the word spread. I have now got together with a team of successful current dental students and teach other students using a programme which we have developed.

Ask yourself these questions if you are considering a career in dentistry… 1) Do I enjoy working with people all the time? 2) do I enjoy working with my hands in a very practical career 3) Can I concentrate and do very small detailed work? 4) Am I patient? If you can answer positively to all of these that is great. Plan your career as early as possible since you will need to pass certain exams and improve your manual dexterity.

At any stage you can improve your chances to get into dental university, But your chances will really improve if you have worked hard at your GCSEs. These universities are looking at your GCSEs now as well since the competition has increased. It also gives them a indication of how you will perform in your A levels. Really make sure you get A/A*’s in biology, chemistry, maths and english. It will really help later.

As a dentist, you will be doing all sorts of gymnastics with your hands. To improve your skill and show that you enjoy working with your hands, make sure you do a hobby which reflects this. It could be anything like fixing cars, knitting etc. It could even be playing the Piano or guitar. This will look really good for you and increase the flexibilty of your hands, which will be really useful when you are a dentist.

The A level stage will seem like the hardest before you get into dental university. This is because you will be applying to all the dental schools while trying to get at least an AAB in your A levels. You will be expected to have biology and chemistry as 2 of your A levels with grades A in both. The other A level, should be either a science or maths, although some universities are a lot more relaxed about this. They all do not accept general studies as another A level.

As well as all the exams, most dental schools will expect good grades at a UKCAT test. This is not such an easy feat. It tests your skills such as verbal reasoning and decision analysis. You will have to practice at this test while you are doing your A levels. Although it seems that this is unrelated to dentistry, it really is, since you will be making instant decisions, for which you will need to draw upon your common sense and analysing abilities.

In your second year of A levels you will be applying to dental schools. This can be quite stressful because they will expect you to write about why you should go to thier dental school and why you want to become a dentist. This personal statement has a lot of weighting with universities. Take your time and get a lot of advice on this. Also work hard at your A levels, as most universities will not accept retakes.

Most women need ways through which they can obtain pain relief during labor and also when delivering their newly born lids. The two main areas which experience a lot of suffering include the uterus and cervix. Muscles found in the uterus contract while the cervix is put under too much pressure hence leading to the onset of severe pain during labor. Pain during labor is as a result of cramps occurring in some areas such as groin, abdomen and back as well. Both the bladder and bowels experience pain too just as much as the vagina and the birth canal.

The level of pain, which a woman under labor and preparing for delivery goes through, differs from one lady to the next one. It is never similar in two women and thus the treatment or remedy may also vary. A number of pain relief measures have been devised to help women experiencing this type of discomfiture. There are medications such as analgesics, which are very helpful in this regard. These types of medications are administered either through IV or by being injected into the expectant mother’s muscle. They have their own side effects on the mother and baby alike.

One of the most commonly practiced pain relief measures by women in labor is known as regional anesthesia. It is highly effective in the two major types of child birth delivery, caesarian and vaginal. It blocks the woman from certain feelings or sensations in specific areas on the body hence helping to relieve the pain. It is commonly offered in the form of epidurals, and this is quite effective in any type of pain experienced below the belly button in women. Vaginal walls benefit the most from the use of this therapy by women going through labor pains or delivery.

A lot of care should be used on an expectant lady, who is under epidurals, with regard to pain relief. Whereas they rarely get into the baby, they may cause a decrease of blood pressure in the affected woman. A woman under this therapy should expect to encounter some level of difficulty in regard to urinating. The mother may also feel nauseated, itchiness and experience a lot of headaches as a direct result of using epidurals. While they have no major effect on the unborn baby’s life and health, they can still portend some risk due to the mother’s low blood pressure.

Tranquillizers are used by expectant mothers as a way of enjoying pain relief. Very rarely do these drugs relieve pain. The main task they perform is to help the mother calm down and enjoy some measure of rest. A doctor may prescribe them together with analgesics but carry some level of risk on both the mother and unborn baby. It is not a common to find doctors placing the mother under these types of drugs, unless there is no other option left. It is important for the lady going through labor and delivery to obtain the counsel of her doctor before using tranquillizers.

It was ironic that I found out so much about my doctor after the fact. In 1996 we didn’t have the internet to work with and at the time, my father was still practicing medicine and he was the one that was asking around about who should do my surgery. This particular doctor used his own staff in the OR so it really was no surprise that they backed him, he is their meal ticket and employer. Now, I know for a fact that it was not the first time that he had come to surgery in such a condition. When I went back to the Mayo for my 4th surgery, my dad sent me to an old friend who had moved back there to teach and work in the medical school at University of Minnesota. When I saw him, he indicated that he had been the surgical instructor for my surgeon when he was going through school and had kicked him out of the OR several time for coming in in an impaired state. That would have been nice to know before I let him cut on me.

With regards to law suits, he has been involved in several, but he is very charismatic and likeable on the witness stand and so juries like him and he gets away with things. I have heard that when he is not under the influence, he is a decent surgeon, I wouldn’t know. I do know that even after 15 years have passed, he is still practicing here in Las Vegas. That is just sad in my opinion. Being a doctor is a huge responsibility because you not only hold a person’s life in your hands, you also hold what their future life is going to be like based on how well you do your job.

Having said all that, I have learned over the years to just let it go. I don’t see that this man and I would ever be friends, but I have forgiven him for his serious lack of judgement. Being bitter about my lot just made me angry, and I don’t want to go through life angry.