The life of a dental student can vary university to university, and year group to year group. For example, at many universities, first and second year students will focus on mainly theoretical studies, whereas the older years will treat patients and take part in more interactive sessions. In this article I will recount a day in my life during one of my clinical years.

General layout of dental school:

Clinical sessions, treating patients and doing real dentistry, typically tend to be later in your studies. Doing hands on procedures for the first time which can be both exciting and challenging. However, it must be noted that the theoretical years (typically 1st and 2nd year) should not be discounted. They are fundamental to building a base for your dentistry learning. Without those years, learning about subjects such as anatomy of the head and neck and pharmacology, I would have really struggled in my later studies. If your university also follows this layout (which most universities do), then I would make the most of this time to build the foundations of your dentistry journey. You will also likely still have some hands-on seminars and projects that involve simulation units (practising dentistry on fake models). These hands on/simulation sessions are a good reminder of why you are there – to be a dentist! If your university is like mine, you will be given a 2 - week timetable meaning that your weekly routine alternates week to week. This is nice as it means every day is different. Since we were in person all the time our lectures were also online to be done in our free time which is ideal to work around the busy dental student schedule.

Day in the life of a 4th year student:

7am: Day begins.

I start my day with the most important meal of the day – breakfast. It is important to look after yourself physically and mentally during your studies. Making sure that you eat good fuelling and healthy meals is one way to do this. Breakfast is around 7.30am before I quickly get ready and set off for university at 8am. My scrubs are pre-packed in my bag along with a packed lunch for later. I walk to the dental school with friends which is a nice way to start the day!

8.30: Arrive at the dental school.

Patients arrive at 9am so it is essential to have that time to get ready, set up for the session, and make sure I’m prepared for the treatments ahead. As a student you might have questions to ask your clinicians before the patients arrive, so you want to have plenty of time to have those discussions and get any equipment ready.

9am – 1pm: Morning Clinics

This morning, I have three patients coming in. The first patient is a regular attender who I have previously done lots of treatment on. Next on their treatment plan is a filling of their lower molar. I complete this today. When scheduling my patients I made sure to leave plenty of time for the treatment, plus clean uptime, before my next patient. The second patient is visiting for the next stage of their denture treatment. This involves taking impressions. The last patient is a review following a root canal treatment done previously. The patient had no complaints, but it is still important to review root canal treatments radiographically (by taking X-rays).

1pm – 1.45pm: Lunch

Time for lunch and to relax with friends in the common room before the afternoon session starts.

1.45 – 4pm: Afternoon Seminars

Sometimes we have afternoon clinics that are like the morning sessions, or sometimes we might have the afternoon off to catch up on lectures/revision. Today we have a seminar in the clinical simulation room. We are learning how to prepare a tooth for a new type of crown. We watch a demonstration and then practise on our own models. After this is finished I walk home.

4.30pm: Gym

Once home I like to squeeze in a gym session as I find this helps me destress and relax after a mentally stimulating day.

5.30pm onwards: Evening free time

Depending on if I have studying to do or not, I might spend the evening catching up on some lectures or revision. If not, I might spend the evening relaxing with my housemates watching a movie or cooking some food together. It is so important to have some relaxation time even if it is the study period to avoid burnout. It is also important to relax and get a good sleep before waking up early the next day to do the same again.

This is a standard textbook day in the life as a dentist, however, it varies greatly day to day. It will also vary from university to university. I attend Newcastle University and would recommend it to any prospective student (however I am bias). Other universities have lectures in person, less/more clinical time. Other things that might be involved in your day are visits to outreach clinics (these are community dental centres that you attend to carry out treatments), small group seminars, in person lectures and library sessions.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at dental school. As  recent graduate I would recommend dentistry to anyone as an enjoyable degree and a fun career. The dentistry application is tough. It is a rigorous process that requires many things such as high aptitude test scores, impressive work experience, a well written personal statement and impeccable performance at interview. Here at Future Doc we pride ourselves on supporting our students through every step of the process. To read more about the UCAT click here.  To explore the 1 on 1 coaching that we offer click here.

Holly Davidson Future Doc