Whenever I went to see a dentist for an appointment, I observed my dentist’s procedures. Other than the common sense of treating people’s teeth, I wondered about the details of their work. Talking in jargon with dental hygienists, my dentist was busy making a diagnosis for each of his patients. After I interviewed Dr. Yoon of Seoul Yoon Dental Clinic for an article, he said he was impressed by my article and interest. As one of my dreams is to be a dentist, I asked him for a one-day experience to make a close observation at a dental clinic, and he readily gave me a chance. I was looking forward to the day with both excitement and anxiety.

My day at the dentist made me realize several things. First, dental treatment was part of the dentist's job. I thought he spent the majority of time treating teeth because I could only see the dentist who always treats me. In addition to treatment, however, he performed various procedures such as implant surgery, orthodontics, and so on. In particular, before treating patients with orthodontics, he studies to find the most efficient method of correction by analyzing the patient's teeth.

Next, my experience at the dentist changed my work ethic. I think it is important to find a job where you can enjoy your work and be helpful to society rather than planning your career path simply because it looks great and helps you make a lot of money. If you don't really love your job, every day will be boring, repetitive and hard. Dr. Yoon said that if you lower your head every day and operate and treat patient’s teeth, your shoulder hurts or you get other occupational diseases. He said he couldn't even feel tired because he concentrated too much when he was in the dentist's office, but after work in the afternoon, he felt tiredness.

During lunch time, Dr. Yoon explained what his job-dentist is and his work ethic. He said, especially during the dental treatment, patients play a large role. The patient’s attitude determines how fast and accurate the treatment will be. “If you open your mouth small or move during treatment, the time will be longer and the quality of treatment will decrease.” He also emphasized the importance of diagnosis. He mentioned that the proper treatment is achieved only when the diagnosis of the problem is made quickly and accurately. The way to reduce pain through medicine can make the situation worse, so if you have a toothache, you should treat the cause of pain by visiting a nearby dentist.

Lastly, he talked about self-employed businesses. Unlike companies that operate normally even if the chairman leaves the office for a while, self-employed businesses do not work if the head of the company takes a day off. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a person needs to be quarantined for two weeks if they contact a confirmed person or were in the same space. Because of this situation, Dr. Yoon said that contact with everyone in daily life is cautious.

“To build trust, I think we need to treat the patient sincerely.” He said he was most pleased and proud to see patients recovering from his dental treatment. When he sees people smiling with healthy teeth, he feels proud the most. As I watch how dentist’s day work, I feel I want to be a person who can work a job responsibly with a sense of duty like Dr. Yoon.

Haram Yoon
11th grade- junior
Holy Trinity Catholic High School (TX)