ENOUGH!

Christmas has come and gone, New Year's is a day away and I feel like I'm on a year long vacation.

I know I'll get nasty stares for this, maybe a couple neck snaps and a few "uh-Uuhhh's" but...

I miss school!

I really only needed a week off, just to catch up on some sleep, have a little fun, spend time with the family and to be a little carefree. The only other thing that would keep me from not thinking about school would be to have gone to a foreign country with lots of sun and white sand beaches

HEAVENLY!

...which I clearly didn't do since I was up to my knees in snow the other day. I pretty much have a love-hate relationship with NYC. More love than hate though.

So I'm spending another relaxing day at home today (until it's time to ring in the New Year, of course) and can't help but think of all the stuff I'd rather be complaining..err learning about this semester. I've just about had enough of this break. I've had enough of the carefree lifestyle for now. I'm ready to get back to business!

I MEAN BUSINESS!

So Hurry Down the Chimney Tonight!

Santa Baby I've really been an awful good girl this year and I've got good grades to prove it. I finally got the final results from my classes and I couldn't be more proud! But Santa, I remember asking for a 4.0 GPA, did you forget about it? It's okay though you can make up for it with one, two, maybe all of the "little" items on my wishlist...

{CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE}

1. Puff ball scarf - in purple

2. Matiko HALLE black suede boots

3. Milk Glass Bud Vase

4. Yamaha FG720SBL Black Acoustic Guitar

5. Think (+) Positive Wall Fixture

6. "Have Faith In Your Dreams" Juicy Couture bracelet

7. Marc Jacobs Striped Dial Watch

8. Furrific! Trapper Hat

9. Juicy Couture Velour laptop sleeve - in pink

10. Chamberet Mirror - in turqoise 

11. Nikon D3100 Digital SLR camera

12. Vintage Picture frames

I've gone ahead and added links above, just in case you like something and wondering where to grab yourself one - You're welcome!

 Now I know this is a little last minute but I've been so good this year - so hurry on down the chimney, you hear?





It's Beginning to Cost A lot like Christmas

It's that time of year again when chestnuts roast on the open fire, Jack Frost nips at your nose, Yuletide carols are sung by a choir and folks dress up like Eskimos. Yes...everybody knows 'tis the season for family, close friends, snow and lots of spending!

Since I've become a broke Dental Student my Christmas Wishlist or every Wishlist for that matter just seems to be growing longer and longer. Did you know that during the Christmas season the average person anticipates spending $556 in gifts alone?! and I thought the Country was still in a quasi-recession.

Anyhow, I have a dilemma. I have to buy gifts for the family and friends but have a very limited budget. Can you help me out?  Using the numbers 5,5,5,1, and the four basic arithmetic operations, see if you can derive the number 24. See, $24 is the amount of money I'll be spending on gifts for each member of my household. Hey! don't judge me it's the thought that counts :)

And yes, you guessed it - It's Mental Monday! Solve Away!

D1, Semester1: ✔

[Deep sigh of sweet relief] I've successfully completed my first semester of Dental School *throws confetti*

 Dental School has definitely been a new and unique experience. Academically, it is challenging but doable, and with some discipline and tenacity I was able to get through it unscathed. What I've learned: Start strong and keep up! If you allow yourself to slip, you will forever be playing catch up.

As anticipated, dealing with different personalities was also a challenge; however, like everything else, deal with it as it comes and adjust accordingly and if  needs be. What I've learned: You can't please everyone and at the end of the day you can only be you.

I'm now on Christmas break and I have every intention to make it as fun and relaxing as I possibly can albeit the freezing temperatures. Get ready for my holiday randomness!

My First Set of Wax-Ups

Just a couple more days before the end of my first semester in Dental School and I must say Occlusion has been one of the more fun, stress free classes. If you recall I had my "Initiation" into Dentistry through this class when I carved my first tooth out of wax. As the semester went on and we learned more and more about each tooth's anatomy and intricate details we had to do a little bit more than just carve teeth. We had to do what is called a wax-up/wax drop.

Waxing up teeth involves wax, a colored marking pencil, a tooth peg, dentoform/typodont, bunsen burner, specialized instruments, knowledge of dental anatomy, a good eye for detail and nylon :) for the sparkle. The actual waxing skills are developed on the way.




Essentials


 Waxing up is in essence building a tooth from wax. Now this may sound easy but keep in mind that this has to look like an actual tooth and actually be functional, i.e the aim is to reproducibly relate the maxillary (upper) and mandubular (lower) teeth; they must contact each other (not too long, short, thick or thin). This ordeal includes placing and removing wax, making marginal ridges, sealing margins, shaping the tooth, establishing occlusal contacts, and evaluating the final wax-up.

 

Facial View:
Maxillary Right Central Incisor - #8. Also photographed:
Maxillary Right Canine#6 and Left Canine #11

 Lingual/Palatal View:
Maxillary Right Central #8 and Canine #6

Facial/Buccal View:
Maxillary Right Canine #6. also photographed:
Mandibular Right 2nd Premolar #29 and Mandibular 1st Molar #30

Occlusal View:
Mandibular Right 2nd Premolar #29 and 1st Molar #30

BONUS!!

Facial View:
Maxillary Left Canine #11. This is a wax-up of my Final Exam.

  Now if I should say so myself, the pictures do not give these wax-ups justice. They look a lot better in person. Now that this phase of Occlusion is over, I'm looking forward to the next phase which brings more fun and more challenge. Bring it on Second Semester!

**On another note, it's Mental Monday! Go here for today's trivia and to see last week's answer and winner**

I can see the finish line

From classroom to labs to studying and back again...seems like a never ending cycle until you realize it's almost the end of the semester. Christmas is approaching and I've never been more excited to see it come! More important at this time though are finals.
Only two more weeks remain in the first semester of my D1 year as finals approach. Thankfully at this point I am in good standing with all my classes and need not fret whether I'll pass a class or not.
For the next two weeks I'll be down under preparing to turn the B's into A's and  finish off the first leg of my race correct, and with no regrets.I do look forward to the end of this semester and the beginning of the next. I guess one year from now I'll be saying the same thing until my final semester as a D4; until then, I'll continue to keep my eyes on the finish line.

Wish me luck as I complete this part of my journey!

By the way, want an iTunes Gift card? Click here.

Work it, Own It!

Thanksgiving with the family and close friends was great! I blame it all for the lack of a post last week. Not to worry though, I'm now back from my mini vacay and naturally, it's back to the grind as finals are well on their way. Sometimes all we need is a little break so we can dive back in, full throttle. With that being said, dive into this Mental Monday trivia. It's a tough one so the first person to come up with the correct answer(s) gets a $10 iTunes gift card! (no joke).

First person to come up with the correct answer(s) gets $10 iTunes gift card!

On Saturday, 6 marriages are due to be performed throughout the day at the local church. However, the details of the brides and grooms have been inadvertently mixed up in the planner. Although each name is in the correct column, only 1 name in each colum is correctly positioned.

	Groom 1st	Groom 2nd	Bride 1st	Bride 2nd
1	Abe	Goliath	Minnie	Stephens
2	Bill	Holdernes	Nina	Tallis
3	Colin	Idi	Olive	Underwood
4	Doug	James	Pauline	Vitori
5	Eddie	Kite	Alice	Wells
6	Fred	Leonard	Rosie	Yates

Here are the facts that are certain about the correct order:

1. Yates is 2 places below Goliath
2. Colin is 1 place below Idi
3. Fred is 3 places below Nina, who is 2 above Underwood
4. Vitori is somewhere below Olive who is somewhere below Kite
5. James is 1 place above Pauline who is 2 places above Doug
6. Rosie is 1 place above Abe who is one above Stephens
Give the first and last names of the groom and bride for each position.

You know what time it is!

PS answer might be easier to send in table form. Feel free to send a table with correct answers to patrice@stu-dentdiaries.com or copy & paste table you made in the comment section.

♪♫ Let's Get Physical, Physical ♪♫

 It's Mental Monday! Put on your thinking caps.

Look at the following:

1 + 23 - 4 + 5 - 6 + 78 + 9 = 106

Notice that the digits 1 through 9 are used in order to arrive at 106. Using 1 through 9 in order, and using only addition or subtraction, create equations that equal 100.

Come on, give me at least 2 equations! Post your answers in the comments section.

♪♫ Let's get Physicaaaal ♪♫

Break Time: Good Time

...especially when Thanksgiving is right around the corner and all I can think about is going home to my mom's stuffed turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole, candied yams, pumpkin pie, mmm-luscious! I really can't wait for next week when I ride on up to ♫Neww Yorrkkk♫ It will surely be good times with the family and close friends. What are you doing this Thanksgiving?

Train Your Brain

It's Monday! and I'm here again to give you your weekly brain work-out with   

Mental Monday.

I had a pretty relaxed week last week, and not to toot my own horn but I must thank my own Mental Monday post (and my relaxed school/study schedule) for putting me in that frame of mind. Now that it's time for another work/school week let's pick up the pace.

How good is your memory, problem solving skills, flexibility, attention and processing speed? You may have a general idea but how can you really tell for sure? A couple weeks ago I came across a website geared towards improving all those mentioned above, it's called Lumosity. What's on it? GAMES-geared toward enhancing cognition!
It was designed by neuroscientists and game developers; research shows where these games, as simple as they appear, help in ones overall cognition.

I'm a true testament that lumosity works. In just a couple days after visiting lumosity in my down time, I have seen improvement in my memory and Brain Performance Index (BPI). For example, I have to draw teeth for my Occlusion class - it's a way of studying and knowing our teeth's anatomy and morphology. Before starting lumosity I would have to repeatedly refer to my laboratory manual for the dimensions of the teeth, even when drawing the same tooth more than once. After a couple training sessions with lumosity, I was able to draw all my molars, from different views by having only looked at the laboratory manual once.

Lumosity does work and is free for the most part, but you must make an account in order to participate in the exercises. Another good thing about lumosity...there's an app. for it! Check it out on your iPhone or any other smart phone. This way you can train your brain on the go.

Click the link below and find out your brain grade and start a training program to improve your memory and congnition.

Come back and share your progress!

Being Frugal

Now that we are approaching the end of the first term, it is apparent that for some, not having an adequate sum of money to carry over until the next financial aid disbursement is a reality. I was almost caught in the above situation if it wasn't for a timely intervention. I consider myself to be tight fisted with money. Hence, receiving my first FA disbursement seemed manageable; the first thing I did was to place myself on a strict budget and lived within my means. Nevertheless, despite my frugality, I still found myself 'dipping' into my resources to make up for expenses such as paying more to get my hair done, engaging in a Starbucks moments, indulging in several retail therapies, and the least expected, parking and speeding tickets.
What this has taught me is despite how much I plan there are still unaccounted expenses that I encountered. Now, as I anticipate my new FA disbursement, I am ever more cognizant of the fact that the cost of living differs from the city where I previously resided to the one in which I currently reside. I am also more cognizant of the unanticipated expenses that can pose problems for me if I am not careful. In my planning and budgeting, more emphasis is now being placed on being frugal, and at the same time trying to avoid having to unnecessarily and wastefully spend what I do not have. The worst thing that can happen to any of us is to run out of money before our next disbursement comes around.
As professional students, managing our finances is a necessary skill that we must be good at. As future dentists, medical doctors, or the likes, managing the finances of our practice will not be something that we want to learn on the job, hence the time to do so is now. I'm learning from my mistakes, how about you?

Relax...

It's Monday again, and I must say it has been a mentally taxing weekend for me. So this week for Mental Monday, I'd like to slow the pace a little.

Let's RELAX...
You can't avoid all stress but you can counteract it's negative effects by evoking a relaxation technique. For example, practice deep breathing, yoga, meditate, listen to classical music, etc. All these in the end leaves the body more relaxed and enforces mental clarity.

Listen to Classical Music:
Investigations at University of California, explained that kids who studied music by learning an instrument or learning to sing, were greatly superior at solving puzzles, and when examined, scored 80% higher in spatial intellect than the non-musical crowd. In a different study, 36 students were prearranged three spatial analysis experiments on a typical IQ test. Just before the primary examination, they would listen to Mozart’s sonata two piano sonatas, K. 448 over a period of ten minutes. Prior to the subsequent test, they listened to a relaxation recording. Prior to the third, they did not listen to everything. The standard scores for all 36 of them: 1st examination: 119. 2nd examination: 111. 3rd examination: 110. A Student who listened to classical music saw an increase of nine points. (mindcafe.org)

So not only will you be more relaxed but you will also be increasing your cognitive abilities.



Answer to last week's Mental Monday riddle: 1113213211

How Committed Are You?

Recently, I came across a survey which spoke about the completion rate of college students (undergraduate and graduate). One important  aspect of the survey centered on the lack of discipline and commitment to self exhibited by those polled. As I read through the data, I couldn't help but ask myself, how badly do my colleagues and I really want to complete our dental program and become dentists? In searching for an answer to the above question, I realize that a one size fits all does not apply in this case. However, I do believe that there are 3 things that we all should consider as we strive in our quest to becoming future dentists. First, it is imperative that we take time to reflect on ourselves continually, to ensure that we are staying committed to our intended purpose. Secondly, it is equally important for us to recognize that everything that we do have consequences. For example, if a person chooses to allow non-essential activities to overcome their study-time, then, the onus is on the individual to accept the responsibility if he/she does not perform up to standard on any given quiz or examination. While some students may not be good test takers, the results of tests evidently reflects, in most instances, the amount of work dedicated to studying. Finally, equally as important to the first two statements, as future dentists, it is incumbent on us to know when to say "no" to even our best friends who may encourage us to miss classes or skip studying, just because they may have chosen to do so. It is imperative to note, that while we may have made friends or associates while in dental school, we are totally responsible for ourselves. At the end of it all, the major difference is donning the cap and gown on graduation day. In reflecting on the survey that I read, the question that I'm posing is, are you disciplined and committed enough in your quest to become future dentists (or whatever profession  you have chosen)?

Riddle me this...

It's Mental Monday y'all, where we post activities geared towards enhancing your cognitive abilities.

Riddle me this, riddle me that...Did you know that a great way to exercise your mind is by doing puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles or just some odd riddles? The good thing about this is, you can do it anytime or anywhere. Just a few minutes while waiting for a doctor's appointment or riding the bus can help significantly enhance your problem solving skills. So are you ready? let's go!

What row of numbers come next in the series?

1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221

Respond with your answers. Surprise for you at the end!

Don't fall behind

The week of October 18th was a rough week. It was the week of mid-terms. Whilst they may be well behind me, the journey continues. In anticipation of my mid-term examinations, I developed serious tunnel vision, essentially, neglecting my classes and assignments. As a result, once my examinations were over, I was left spending most of my time catching up with sleep, coupled with understanding concepts that I should have already covered and understood. In retrospect, I thought that neglecting my current classes and assignments in order to prepare for my mid-terms was not a great idea after all. I've come to realize in my short tenure in dental school thus far that there's a lot of concepts to understand and apply in a very short amount of time; hence, I've learned that I must stay extremely focused and develop the art of staying on task despite having to prepare for major examinations. In addition, I've come to the realization that in professional school, major and minor examinations are an integral part of weekly life. Furthermore, I do also recognize that if a person allows one week to go by without carefully reviewing power-point slides, notes, and assignments, they will forever be playing catch-up all semester, which can make for a difficult journey. Rather, I would suggest that it is imperative to stay on top of all your classwork despite the pressure of having examinations. If you do, you will definitely be in control of your journey.

Hindsight is always 20/20 vision. Again in retrospect, I wish I had stayed on top of last week's classes. Nevertheless, being the astute and determined student that I am, I was able to "catch-up," with most of my work, albeit modifying my approach to my studies mentally and physically. Take home message and note to self: never allow yourself to fall behind. Build multitasking skills, it's very important.

Mental Gymnastics

I'm starting a new trend here on Stu-DENT Diaries - Mental Monday, where every Monday I share an activity geared towards enhancing your cognitive abilities. Who's with me? (Lets just hope I can keep this up).

Due to the gazillion amount of information I receive everyday from my classes, it seems my brain is continuously working - even in my sleep! However, the brain cannot function at optimal capacity without exercise and of course, hydration. Water is extremely important to the brain's function. Did you know that the brain is approximately 90% water? Many parts of the brain draw much of their energy from water and also uses it as a communicator between nerves for neuro-transmission.  Physical exercise is also important as this increases circulation and consequently oxygen and glucose to the brain, which in turn enables mental clarity.

As physical exercise strengthens your body, exercising your mind strengthens your brain. I like to refer to this as brain-ercise or simply, mental gymnastics. We should all try to engage ourselves in small activities such as Sudoku, puzzles, drawing, and math quizzes as all these stimulate the brain, helping to create and maintain important neuronal connections critical to cognitive abilities.

Now, our first activity for Mental Monday...Write with the opposite of your dominant hand. It may be difficult initially, but with a little practice and some neuronal connections, you will get the hang of it.

My practice:

Do your best, forget the rest

Aaah! Gees Louise! every time I promise you guys I'll write more here I slack off. Dental School has me down under. I literally have no time for anything but school and a little sleep (sometimes). It's pretty bad, considering I'm only taking 4 classes. What am I going to do when I have to take 8 classes next semester? and 12 the next? ay caramba!

Anyhoo, I turned my tv on for the first time in months last night. It felt soo good. I had a chance to catch up with my fav. shows (well, the only ones I watch really) House and Lie to Me. If only everyday was like yesterday...not to mention the full 8 hrs sleep I got, heavenly!

In more serious news, it's the week of midterms. I had a super stressful weekend studying for Anatomy, which I got through in one piece on Monday, phew!  But hold your horses, this only means I have a stressful week ahead since I have to also get through the rest, sigh.

It's week 9 and I have seen, heard and learned many things. One of which is that...I need a life! Seriously, it's my next big goal (besides doing well and passing all my classes of course). I cannot continue at the rate in which I'm going if I ever want to make it through first year without being burnt out, or if I want to make it out of Dental School being a normal human being. I must make time for other things, find a balance.

That's my spill for now. I'm off to study now, and remember; do your best - forget the rest!

Wish me luck!

Interview Season

My! how time flies. It seems like just yesterday since I had my interviews for Dental School. A whole year has passed and I am now seeing people from the 2011 cycle come in for their Interviews at my school.

I still remember the day I interviewed at my school. I was nervous, terrified and the fact that it was during winter made the matter that much worse. However, I got through my interviews by following some very simple guidelines.


Going back to previous posts, here are some guidelines/ground rules to pay attention to when getting ready for your interview(s):
1. Look the part, dress for success! 
2. Be ready for the Questions. Do your research on each of the schools and answer your questions intelligently.
3. Last but not least, relax - breathe - be calm.

Good luck!

PS  Any business students in the house? I've been given some GMAT prep. books that may be beneficial to you. If interested Contact me.

Carving teeth: Initiation

I carved my first tooth out of wax last week, I like to refer to it as my initiation into Dental School /Dentistry. As Dental Students we have to know the details of each tooth in the mouth, which believe it or not is a tedious task. This is what we do in Occlusion class, we learn about the intricacies and details of the different teeth and how the maxillary (upper) and the mandibulary (lower) teeth align with each other in the mouth...fun!
In studying the anterior (front) teeth we got a chance to carve, with all the correct dimensions, the right maxillary central incisor - this was pretty fun but time consuming.

Here's what I did:
I first had to get my tools together: wax, boley gauge, carving knife and a sheet of paper to reduce the mess. I then had to use the boley gauge to mark my dimensions on the wax, after which I drew an outline of the tooth.
 Dimensions:

Maxillary Central Incisor	Length Crown	Length Root	Mesiodistal Crown	Mesiodistal Cervix	Bucco-lingial Diameter	Bucco-lingual  Cervix	Mesial cervix/Distal cervix
(mm)	10.5	13.0	8.5	7.0	7.0	6.0	3.5/2.5

from left: boley gauge, block of wax with dimensions and outline of tooth drawn, carving knife.

  After that was done it was time to get to carving! The wax was pretty hard, I had to use the carving knife to shave down to the outline that was drawn on the wax.

wax shaved down towards the outline drawn

The aim of this part was to get as close as possible to the outline made, so I had to carve some more.

Proximal/side view: wax carved to the outline drawn

Facial/front view: wax carved to the outline drawn

After the carving to the outline was done it was time to put everything learned in Occlusion class to work! Generally speaking, the mesial surface should be angled acutely, the distal surface more round, cervical line at mesial surface should be lower than on the distal surface,the root should taper distally (how's that for mumbo-jumbo??)
So after carefully carving and measuring and carving and measuring some more I finally had what looked like the right maxillary central incisor with the correct dimensions.

Facial/front view: finished product (not yet polished)

Lingual/back view: finished product (not yet polished)

Carving the tooth was a fun exercise though time consuming. The images above are far from perfect but was my first of two trials. The second was a little better but I took no pictures of those.
Go ahead and add your critique!

Got my own...

**Winner of the Digital Camera Giveaway posted within**

A couple weeks ago after coming to the realization that Starbucks coffee was costing me way too much money, I decided, why not make my own darn coffee? See, I have coffee twice per day - one in the morning to take me through my 9 hr school day and another at night to take me through my countless hours of studying thereafter. If coffee costs on average $1.85 it means it'll cost me $3.70 per day which is $25.90 per week, $103.60 per month and a whopping $1243.20 per year! RI-DI-CU-LOUS!

So being the poor student I am, I took a trip to my local grocery store and picked up a bottle of Maxwell House breakfast blend (medium) roast coffee, mmm! After that it was time to search for a portable coffee cup, so I made my way to Target and after about 30 mins of picking and choosing I finally settled on an aladdin brand cup. I was all set and ready to start my new make-my-own-coffee regimen. The next morning came and I was excited to make my coffee. I put  one tbsp. of coffee in my cup, added sugar, a little milk and water. I was almost ready to go and beaming about the $3.70 I would be saving that day when I realized that I had been mixing for a while but my coffee wouldn't dissolve. Hmm, what is up with this coffee? Figuring I must have made it wrong I poured that away and started to make my coffee again from scratch. 1 tbsp coffee, sugar, milk, water -- mix. Coffee still won't dissolve. I finally decided to check the label on the coffee to see if it was expired...it wasn't. What I did realize however that with my inexperienced coffee buying self I had actually bought brewed coffee instead of instant coffee. Crap! I don't own a coffee maker. So feeling defeated I left the house and went on my way to school, stopping by the local starbucks to spend yet another $3.70. 

I did however go back to the grocery store in the evening and made certain to get Instant coffee - man was I happy. So the next day up until today I've been having my Maxwell House Breakfast blend (medium) roast Instant coffee everyday. I have plenty of servings left (90 servings/bottle) and it only cost me $6.11.

Maxwell House Instant Coffee and my aladdin coffee cup

So in summary:
Price of Starbucks per year = $1243.20
Price of Instant Coffee per year =  $24.44
Feeling you get when you realize you just saved  $1218.76 = Priceless!
for everything else there's....common sense?

And now, the moment we've all been waiting for, the winner of the Red Digital Camera courtesy of the sharper Image is.....

Camille Knox!!

When contacted and told she was the winner of this giveaway, Camille had this to say:

" Oh my god! thank you soo much! I've never won anything before, I still can't believe it. Thank you so much and your blogs really help in preparing me for Dental school. I've been following you privately for a while and I like how you make it so fun to read. I've applied for next year and I have you to thank for providing information on how to go about applying. Thank you again! I love your blog even more now :)..."

Congratulations Camille! and you're very welcome. Thank you as well for visiting my blog and for your kind words.. I'm very happy that I was able to help you through the process. Good luck with your applications.