Since I see the smile as the principal universal language for expressing human warmth and kindness, contributing to enhancing and preserving the smile makes me incredibly proud to be a dentist. The sense of joy that we can bring to patients and the proximity to perfection that we can now deliver, because of the advancements that we have made as a profession, never ceases to inspire me forward to more considerable progress. Especially as a foreign-trained dentist, it is vital to ceaselessly cultivate one’s passion and sincerity in providing dental care.
Born into and raised by a loving, traditional Indian family with a long public service tradition, I was groomed to lead a moral and ethical life and place an extremely high value on public assistance and humility. My parents always encouraged us to perform at the top of our ability to have an excellent chance to become one of the best in our field and of great service to our community. Always excelling in school, I successfully competed as a dental student and distinguished myself for excellence in and out of the classroom, particularly in my devotion to helping the underserved.
My first introduction to dentistry as a career option was through a career counseling program held in my high school. This led to an opportunity to shadow and assist Dr. XXXX, M.D.S, for a week in a dental health camp. I watched him closely and helped with anything I could as he provided dental care to poor people from rural areas for free, as often they could not afford otherwise. Even as a high school student, I began to sense and develop a better appreciation of how dentistry is a lifetime commitment to communal service. One of the principal aspects I found attractive about becoming a dentist is that it is all-encompassing.
Confident that I would realize my goal of becoming a dentist due to hard work and study, I received the most significant accolades in Biology, Physics & Chemistry. I took the medical entrance exam of Andhra Pradesh, EAMCET. I ranked among the top 3% of the seventy-five thousand students that sat for the exam in 2005, earning admission to the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Program at the XXXX Institute of Dental Sciences & Research - full scholarship. This gave me a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning and labor dedicated to perfection in all clinical and academic dentistry aspects.
Throughout my four years in dental school, I was exposed to various cases during my clinical rotations. Finishing with an overall GPA of 3.72, I graduated among the top 5% of my class and placed first in oral and dental anatomy and histology, pharmacology, orthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.
I participated in intercollegiate sports competitions, seminars, and CDA programs for the Indian Dental Association (IDA); I also did various paper and poster presentations. Since I am a well-organized and highly communicative person, I was selected to work on the organizing committee hosting the 9th Indian Society of Periodontology National Post-Graduation Convention in 2010, attended by dental professionals from all over India.
I worked at XXXX Dental Hospital during my one-year internship. Most of the patients were from nearby villages, with severe dental pain or oral diseases from tobacco consumption. As an anti-tobacco crusader, I did everything I could to impress upon them the importance of oral hygiene and how it promotes tobacco abstinence and oral health. Conducting dental health awareness camps and workshops for children in nearby schools was another salient highlight of my preparation.
After getting married, I moved to the US and began observing Dr. XXXX, DDS, becoming rapidly enamored with the sophisticated nature of dental practice in the USA and the higher level of general dental health awareness compared to my home country of India. Since arriving in America 4 years ago, I have learned a great deal about healthcare processes, a variety of diagnostics options, insurance coverage, and the documentation behind the treatment plans of each patient.
My husband, an ex-pat, had to move back to India for more than a year while working outside the USA on business, so I accepted a position as a resident at the XXXX Super Speciality Dental Hospital in India, working under the guidance of Dr. XXXX, who was also the hospital's chairperson. Apart from performing various general and cosmetic dental procedures, I got the opportunity to assist in several more complex systems, such as surgical treatment of cysts and tumors, ankylosis, impaction, GTR membrane placement, and removal of necrotic bone from the maxilla in the patient with osteonecrosis. Now that I am gaining extensive experience here in the USA as a volunteer Dental Assistant, I am keen to return to higher studies to realize my fullest professional fruition as a DDS here in America.
Earning my DDS will empower me to realize my dreams of balancing my professional life, providing optimal oral healthcare to as many people as possible, helping to increase oral healthcare awareness, and providing early screening for oral cancers. I want to motivate people to participate in their oral hygiene and health. No field could bring the same personal, spiritual, or professional satisfaction as dentistry. I look forward to serving in the US as a dental professional with great eagerness.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my application.
Experienced Indian International Dentist to IDP
