A Day in the Life of a D4

A 7:30am alarm is the relentless and unfortunate beginning to my day today. Luckily, it’s a Tuesday so the D4 class does not have an 8am class. After showering, eating, and brushing, I’m off to school. I’ve got two patients scheduled for today.

I arrive at school and run to the basement to pick up my patients’ charts.  In a flash I’m back up to the second floor, where I disinfect my patient cubicle in the green clinic. My patient is here for a “D4 Special,” which consists of an updated treatment plan, cleaning, bitewings, and a post-operative evaluation. The completion of this series fulfills one of fifteen ‘case completes’ required for graduation. 

In a rare swing of events, I finish treatment an hour early. I grab my sack-lunch and go to CAIDENT, the dental school computer lab. I like to eat lunch here with my friends and trash talk other members of my fantasy football league before class starts at 1:00pm. Class today is an advanced oral pathology class where we learn about mixed red-white lesions.

I meet my afternoon patient in the oral surgery clinic. I am extracting her remaining maxillary teeth and providing a stayplate. The seven extractions go off without a hitch and by 3:30 I am back in the 2^nd green clinic where I spend an hour grinding away at the stayplate. After giving final instructions to the patient, we part ways for the day. She will return in 24 hours to check her extraction sockets and fit of the stayplate.

On returning home, my wife is in the kitchen making dinner. She gives me strict instructions to study until dinner. I oblige. Just like most of my classmates, part two of the NBDE (National Board of Dental Examiners) is quickly approaching, so I spend a large portion of time at night studying for this test. After eating and more studying, my night ends playing a competitive series of Backgammon with my wife with the TV on in the background. Today was a good day and I hope tomorrow’s outcome is the same.

Drew Moeller is a D4 who is happily home on break.  Happy Holidays!