Q & A

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I recently have been interviewed by a few college newspapers and I wanted to share some of the Q&As.  Hopefully they will help someone. Enjoy! 

Q: Why did you choose dentistry?

A: I choose dentistry through a process of trial and error.  At first I thought I wanted to become a medical physician, but when I found out medicine was not my calling I felt lost.  I ran into my cousin who had just finished dental school and she encouraged me to look into dentistry.  

What drove me to dentistry was the aspect that you get to work with your hands.  Dentist get to be creative.  They produce work in patients mouths that provide immediate satisfaction.  I like to think on my feet and be creative.  As a dentist I get to make treatment plans based on a patient's chief complaint.  I come up with a diagnosis and treatment plan for the patient.  I have to be creative on how I present my plan to the patient.  He or she may or may not accept.  I then have to make beautiful restorations and results for my patients.

Dentistry is very aesthetic.  The human patient interaction combined with art and science made me choose the profession.  It was my calling.

Q. How would you describe the road to becoming a dentist in a few sentences?

A. You have to be prepared to put in the work.  Great hand skills come with time.  A dentist needs to work well with their hands and this take a lot of practice and patience.  You must be ready to work very hard and put in many hours in dental school to become a skilled, artful, gentle provider.

The road to become a dentist is not a straight line you have to be ready to take detours.  If you want to become a dentist you have to be prepared to take a long road trip with several stops along the way.  In the end you will get to your destinations, but there will be paths/obstacles in your way.  

Make sure you have a good roadside service place (your safety net) being your family and friends because you will need their support mentally and physically.  For example your friends and family will be there for you when you need patients.  They will drive hours or take time off work to come in so you can get "points" to graduate.  Your family will also come in and help you during your licensing exams.  Your friends will cook for your or drop off meals.

Even though you might get a nail in your tire and get a flat this is not the end of the world.  You can take a detour and see the Grand Canyon while you are waiting to patch up your tire.  Small bumps in the road may seem like setbacks, but they only give your grit and make you appreciate becoming a dentist so much more.

Q: What is the general purpose of your website ?

A: GYDO was my way to give back to the dental community.  I have a few more months of my active duty service time.  I have free time and I wanted to create a free platform to help inspire pre-dental students.

In today's climate we need more diverse voices.  I wanted to present dentistry from my perspective, a female first generation dentist.

The ultimate goal of GYDO is to help inspire pre-dents to pursue their dream of becoming a dentist.  I want to let pre dents know that they are not alone.  

Q: What led you to the idea of creating GetYourDentistOn.Com ? 

A: I wanted to share my personal stories and create a guide to help pre dents.  I first wrote the content, and then I built the website around that.  

I work with a lot of young enlisted soldiers.  Some are interested in becoming dentists.  They have a lot of questions.  I realized in Oklahoma that access to mentors can be geographically challenging.  Everything is spread out.  Also, I realized that people are shy.

I realized there was a need for a website to share some personal content about the pre-dental application process.  

Q. If there is something you would like to tell first year pre-dental students, what would you say?

A. It takes 10,000 of intentional practice to become skilled at anything.  Keep practicing.  I know that it can be very frustration when your eyes, brain and hands don't all do what you want, but one day it will click.  Don't give up.   

Q. Since you made it, what is something you would like to tell pre-dental/dental students who are struggling with such a tremendous course load?

A. Undergraduate is a time in your life that you will never get back.  Enjoy it and all the opportunities that college has.  Don't try to rush through college.  If you have to take an extra year or summer school then do it.  It is not the end of the world.  

Don't overload your semester/quarter with too many classes and make your GPA suffer.  Do what is right for you.  If you can handing 6 classes then take them, if you can only handle 4 then take 4.  Do what is right for you and what will help you get a high GPA for applications.  

I suggest throwing in a fun class which may be an easy A every semester or quarter, if possible.

I hope that helps!

-Dr. Loi