Amalgam Restorations

Hey all!

Here are some pictures of me as well as my first amalgam fillings! Over the past month we've worked on a number of tooth preparations and today we finally filled them!

There are something like 30-some-odd tools that we use for the amalgam fillings alone (cleoid, discoid, beavertail burnisher, etc.) and I can barely get them all straight in my head! And apparently in about a month or so I have my first practical which involves a preparation and subsequent amalgam filling ...

Aka drill and fill.

And not to mention, bill!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm still many quarters away from doing this in the patient clinic on real human beings. :)

On that note, one of my classmates told me in lab today that I looked like a real dentist. It was actually quite reassuring to hear that, and of course I returned the compliment -- always keep your eyes on the prize peeps!

And at your request, I will be posting more pictures of my first year at UCLA Dental School!

Cheers,

E

My first amalgam restorations!

Stressful ... but successful!

2012 UCLA Dental School White Coat Ceremony

Hey guys!

I know I haven't posted in a while, but after my whirlwind 3 month tour of Asia with many many friends and family along the way (in addition to an amazing teaching stint in China), I'm finally back stateside!

Also, as many of you already know, I've decided to return to the West Coast for dental school at UCLA!! My undergrad experience at Harvard was absolutely incredible, and I'm so grateful to bring everything that I've learned and gained these past years to a new place with new people.

Anyways (drumroll) .... TODAY was the 2012 UCLA White Coat Ceremony! (pics below)

Our class size is exactly 88 students, and although it's only been one day, I've already met some really talented and inspirational people. Surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly?) there are a number of familiar faces in the crowd - people who I've met at various functions over the past year including various interviews, conferences, and the like. The world is SO small! And it gets smaller and smaller everyday.

Speaking of which, this summer I literally bumped into college friends on the streets and subways of Bangkok, Taipei, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong without even knowing that they would be in the country! Expectedly, crazy reunions ensued. The same things also happened in London and at Oxford just over a year ago!

Cheers to serendipity, good times, and luck - especially in dental school!

Here's to the next 4 years!

E

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Finally!!

About half of the UCLA School of Dentistry Class of 2016

The good, the bad, and the stunning!

The good: It's mid-December and final exams are officially over here in Cambridge (for me at least ... as the rest of you - hang in there!). Also, I've been accepted to a couple of awesome dental schools! :) If you know me well, we probably already celebrated HARD together! That being said, it's still too early for me to decide whether I want to stay in the area or head back to Californiaaa.

The bad: It's mid-December and it is COLD! Boston's schizophrenic weather never ceases to amaze, me neither do the New England winters. Hmm maybe I should go back to the West Coast for dental school ...

The STUNNING: I've finished my first paper on teeth!

I learned a whole lot from my research ... it turns out that there is considerable (relative) dental morphological variation among human populations. Carabelli's cusp, for example, is one of the most well-known distinguishing morphological traits, and is most commonly found in people of European descent. Dental morphological variation has been researched before, but my specific focus was on racial admixture and the phenotype of specific traits

Things like tooth studs and grillz don't count ... at least not for this project.

I'll post the abstract soon - and stay warm!

E

Research and Interviews!

Heya folks,

Here are some pictogram updates of one of my teeth research projects! Not a short amount of time was spent mounting and sawing this suspected mandibular first molar for your (or my professor's) viewing pleasure. This was actually a really awesome side-project and was done for more than one reason! A detailed procedure will follow...

In the meantime, this month sees travel to LA, Philly, and short trips around Boston for my first batch of dental school interviews! Wish me luck :)

Cheers,

E

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A timely capture

Complete visualization of prisms and the like!

New Teeth Research Project

Today marks the day that I began my first dental-related research project! Although I concentrate in Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), I am currently working in the Dental Hard Tissue Lab in the Human Evolutionary Biology (HEB) department with Dr. Tanya Smith.

Live imaging

To hone my skills before jumping into my yet-to-be-determined project, my preliminary goal is to identify a tooth sample that was extracted by a dentist. There are two roots, one mesial and one distal, with the mesial one larger and more strongly grooved. Interestingly, there also appear to be 6 cusps with a maintained talonid basin, in addition to a suspected carious lesion which is perhaps why the tooth was extracted in the first place. Yet my best guess so far is that this is a lower first molar (M1) which is typically rare to extract unless there is a specific orthodontic/occlusal reason to do so. Further, the end of the roots suggest that the lower M1 is in fact from a juvenile. The typical dentist might have filled the carious lesion - aka cavity - but in this case the tooth was extracted ... interesting! An aggressive dentist indeed!

Suspected lower M1 from a juvenile

Today I also made a mold of the tooth, took some key measurements (mesial-distal and buccal-lingual), and also took some cool photographs (see below)! Research details will continue as I work on my technique. Next step will be a Micro-CT scanner to completely visualize the tooth!

Suspected carious lesion, likely reason for extraction

Live imaging focusing on the carious lesion

Stay tuned!

E

Why are teeth Cool? 10 Reasons

As credited to Dr. Tanya Smith at Harvard, here are 10 cool and interesting reasons to study teeth and dental anthropology!

In other news, I'm taking her amazingly awesome course HEB 1421: Teeth -- check it out folks!

Me holding a tooth sample! Who knew roots were so much larger than the crown?

10) Abundance -- In many cases we have more fossilized teeth than living specimens. And in some cases of extinct species, all we have are their teeth!

9) Variation -- From variation in metric and non-metric data we can reconstruct phylogenies.

8) Development --As early as 10 weeks of fetal age, there are already signs of teeth buds! Further, the first (permanent) molars already appear 2-3 weeks before birth. Amazing!

Teeth morphology -- A small collection of Homo sapien teeth

7) Record-Keeping -- Using the 'birth certificate' embedded within our first molars and other cues we can determine approximate age at death with striking precision.

6) Forensics -- Aka forensic odontology aka everything you see on CSI, NCIS, and all those addicting, romanticized crime dramas. But seriously, you can reconstruct criminal events, identify remains, and even examine bite marks.

5) Aging -- Did you know that not everyone grows wisdom teeth, or grows all four of them? 3rd molar eruption is highly variable. Tooth wear in aged populations and calcification in juveniles can help determine age.

4) Stress & Disease -- Teratoma formation ... don't really want to elaborate

Our textbook -- does NOT compare to the online readings

3) Dietary Evidence -- Tooth chemistry, isotopic chemistry, micro and macroscopic wear. Also, more light and fun stuff like discoloration (er not quite fun) from coffee (very fun) and betelnuts (fun for some)!

2) Enamel Thickness -- Did you know that women have relatively more enamel, whereas men have relatively more dentine? Also, hominins have evolved to have really thick enamel.

1) Genetics -- Many dental traits and characteristics are indeed heritable. Shovel-shaped teeth, anyone?

And that's it folks! Come back soon for more!

E