DentiSight - Dr. Meghana Pasala (Part - 2)

I like being busy with patients and diagnosing new cases.

My invention will be something related to retainers. Because I feel that is the hardest thing to tackle. A retainer that reduces the patient's burden while effectively performing its function.

One thing is the way the patients see us. They don't come to the clinic unless they have a toothache or other severe dental problem. I don't know about foreign countries but at least in India, there are no yearly check-ups. Whether it is due to the affordability or the lack of awareness. Maybe 1 in 20 people might be walking into a clinic just for a general checkup. We often don't see patients coming in for just general checkups. I feel there should be more awareness among the patients that dental checkups are mandatory. For example, recently I read that a sportsperson passed away because of multiple carious teeth. People might think that it is just a small thing but we don't know that it could be due to an infection. The infection in the body will travel through your blood. It is going to affect your entire health. That is the kind of awareness I want to bring to people.

We should make the patients or the population aware of the importance of the dental checkup.

Joining my post-graduation family. Another memorable one is when I finished my post-graduation last July. I achieved the second position in my university.

I would say right now I am more interested in doing a root canal. Ortho is my all-time favorite. Anything in that will be my favorite. But right now I am starting to do endodontic treatment too.

The first thing is the ambiance of the clinic. Ambience, I don't mean ambience meaning it should be like a very high-end type of clinic. It's not like that, but a comfortable environment. For example, now usually what we do in our college is that it is an open clinic type. Many colleges that I saw during my under-graduation mostly do not have a close type of environment. Patients are sat next to each other. So, I feel not every patient is comfortable with the ongoing treatment under you when everybody is watching them. There should be segregated type of ambience so that each patient can have their comfort.

With separate treatment rooms and good staff like who are ready to answer every question during the procedures.

So choosing your staff is the next thing and follow-up is very important. Like once you have done your procedure, okay, the patient is not having pain so he doesn't come back. You should make sure that your assistants are following up on whether the patient is fine or not. Getting the feedback is important.

I feel one thing is empathy and the other one will be being genuine. These two are very important. You should always be empathetic to your patients. You don't know what the patient is going through. So you should be in a state to understand what they're going through.

One thing I believe is that in this generation, there is a focus on quick earnings. Many compare themselves to friends who have pursued engineering or other degrees and are already earning, while they are still studying. Some people choose dentistry not out of passion, but because they didn't get into medicine or were pushed into it for other reasons. However, some who pursue dentistry with genuine passion, often due to family influence or personal fascination. Despite the perception of saturation in the field, I believe that true passion and dedication can set individuals apart and lead to success. Every profession faces competition and saturation, but this should not deter one from pursuing their interests. Ultimately, success comes from doing one's best and being passionate about their work.