Toothaches don’t need to pinch pockets

For many UCLA students, sitting in a dentist’s chair means
staring open-mouthed at someone decades older than they are.

But when students go to the UCLA School of Dentistry, they may
find dental students in their final years of study inspecting and
fixing their teeth.

As a way of providing cheaper dental care, students at the
dentistry school have been authorized to treat undergraduate and
graduate students. The program is currently being advertised across
campus.

With reduced dental fees at “half the private practice
price or less,” UCLA students are treated by upperclassmen in
the dentistry school under the supervision of licensed faculty
members, said Craig Woods, a professor at the dentistry school.

The program at the school’s General Clinic offers many
advantages, but can also be taxing for students. While dental fees
are reduced, the amount of time spent in the dentist’s chair
is increased since it’s a dentist-in-training.

Convenient care at a fraction of the cost is among the main
benefits of the program, said Jossein Shahangian, a third-year
dental student and president of the Dentistry Associated Student
Body.

“Everything is so expensive, especially in L.A., that
students end up ignoring health care,” Shahangian said.

The service starts with a student being given a patient
coordinator and a team of student dentists, according to the UCLA
School of Dentistry Web site. Students also have the option of
having their dental care covered by the Student Health Insurance
Plan or the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan.

Many patients are at first hesitant about receiving care from
other students, but every stage of the treatment is supervised, and
if a procedure is too complex it is referred to a specialist,
Shahangian said.

One downside to the dental service program is the larger time
commitment. Students are told that clinical visits last
approximately three hours due to the close checks performed by
faculty members.

Dental care at the General Clinic is not ideal for students with
hectic schedules and only an hour to spare.

UCLA students can receive a more personalized dental care
experience with student dentists, nevertheless, because the
doctor-patient barrier is no longer present, Shahangian said.

“Students understand each other’s
limitations,” he said. “We know what makes students
comfortable because we go through the same phases they do, so
we’re able to connect.”

Instead of small dentist’s rooms, students work together
in large open rooms where the atmosphere is more relaxed, and the
dentistry students can joke with the students they work on.

“One time a patient called me a smurf-ette because I was
wearing blue scrubs. I think patients feel more comfortable when
they see another student in the room,” said Karen Potter, a
third- year dental student.

The variety of services dental students perform include
cleanings, fillings, extractions, veneers and root canals.

“Everything a licensed general dentist can perform, our
(dental) students can perform as well because they have undergone
extensive training,” Shahangian said.

Not only do UCLA students benefit from this service, but
qualified dental students can obtain further hands-on experience
performing even surgical removals.

Also, student dentists say working on fellow students is
something they look forward to.

“Students’ teeth are generally easier to work with
because they are younger,” Shahangian said. “Plus,
young students place more emphasis on the teeth being atheistically
pleasing.”

That understanding of the need to have not only healthy teeth,
but good-looking ones, is just one way dental students connect with
their patients.

The dentistry school continues to further promote this service
through fliers, presentations and videos, said Sandra Shagat,
spokeswoman for the School of Dentistry.

With reports from Dharmishta Rood, Bruin senior staff. Look
for Science & Health articles to run every Tuesday and
Friday.

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