What are the common dental associate horror stories?

One horror story could be when a dental associate used the wrong type of filling material. It led to the patient experiencing extreme pain and sensitivity in the tooth. The patient had to go through multiple corrective procedures.

Another one is being thrown into unfamiliar areas of law without proper guidance. I was a first - year associate and suddenly had to deal with a very specialized area of corporate law that I had hardly studied. I was expected to produce quality work but had no one really to teach me the ropes, so I had to struggle a lot on my own.

Miscommunication is a typical element. The firm may not communicate clearly about the scope of the work or the opportunities available to the summer associate. For example, they might say there will be exposure to different departments, but in reality, the summer associate is confined to one small area. Also, there can be a hostile work environment. If there are office politics or a clique - like atmosphere, the summer associate can feel left out and miserable, which is really a horror for them during their summer stint.

I've known of a situation where a dental hygienist accidentally dropped a tool into the patient's mouth during the cleaning. It was a small instrument but it still startled the patient and could have potentially caused an injury.

One common one is the pain during procedures. Like when people get cavities filled and the anesthetic doesn't work well. Another is dentists being rough. For example, when they handle your gums too harshly while doing cleanings. And then there's the fear of getting bad news like needing a lot of expensive work or having to get a tooth pulled.

A common one is being overloaded with work. New associates often get assigned a ton of tasks that they have to juggle all at once. It's like being thrown into the deep end without proper training on time management. Another is getting blamed for mistakes that were not entirely your fault. Maybe it was due to miscommunication within the team, but as the junior person, you are the one who often takes the heat.

One common one is not changing the toothbrush often enough. Bacteria build up on an old toothbrush and can re - infect your mouth. Another is using teeth - whitening products too much and getting chemical burns on the gums.

Probably the most common is the fear of hurting patients. Dental students are still learning, and they might accidentally cause pain during procedures like root canals or extractions. For example, I knew a student who gave a patient too much anesthesia in a nerve - block, which made the patient's face numb for a long time, causing distress.

One common horror story is about sterilization issues. For example, a dental assistant might forget to properly sterilize a tool. If this happens, there's a risk of infection for the patients. It's a very serious matter in the dental field.

Poor hygiene is a common one. In some stories, the dental tools are not properly sterilized, which can lead to infections. For example, a patient might get a gum infection after a routine cleaning just because the tools were dirty.