Dentistry Unlocked

In university, we were taught about tumors—benign and malignant. The malignant ones always carried more fear, more weight. But what I’ve come to realize is this: just because a tumor is “benign” doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Not even close. A patient once walked into our clinic, but it wasn’t her face or voice that caught my attention first—it was the smell . I was asked to clerk her. During history taking, I found out some frustrating details. She had already gone to another clinic, had an x-ray taken, and the lesion was clearly visible . But instead of getting the proper diagnosis and referral, they simply extracted her tooth and sent her on her way. Meanwhile, the ameloblastoma kept growing. Slowly, quietly, aggressively. Had it been caught earlier, the extent of the damage—and the amount of bone that had to be cut out—could’ve been drastically reduced. Her main complaint was that her teeth were shifting. Understandable, because as the tumor grows, it displaces teeth within the bo...

You never truly realize how many road traffic accidents (RTAs) happen until you work in a hospital. When I was on call, I’d say over 90% of the cases I was called to review were RTA victims. The rest were either assault or armed robbery cases. It made me look at life differently. Every day you get into a car and come out in one piece? You're one of the lucky ones. Really. Most patients came in with facial lacerations that needed suturing, and many had obvious or suspected fractures—so we’d send them for a CT scan. It quickly became routine. But some cases… stick with you. One patient in particular I’ll never forget. I was called in to review her, and as soon as I got to the hospital, I made my way to the trauma center. I had no idea what I was walking into. The woman was in visible distress—disoriented, crying, pleading with anyone nearby to help her. And when I got closer and we made eye contact, she started begging me directly. Her voice, her expression—completely broken. T...

So the 12 weeks honestly went by in a blur. I must have extracted enough teeth to fund the Tooth Fairy's early retirement. Somewhere along the way, I got over my fear of giving nerve blocks—turns out, nothing builds confidence like using actual patients as test subjects (with supervision, of course). It was also oddly satisfying to finally put all those things I learned in school into real-life action. At first, I shadowed another house officer. He walked me through the basics—what to do when you’re on call, how to document, how to not look completely lost when trauma hits. He even took me to the trauma building where we met a patient who needed our attention. A child had been brought in with a laceration on his forehead after an accident. I assisted with suturing. Just a regular day. When a patient comes into emergency with a maxillofacial injury, it’s the house officer who’s first on call—regardless of the time. So yes, even if it's 3 a.m. and you're deep into your thi...

My first three days in the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit felt like someone pressed fast-forward on life. Day one? Chill. I did nothing for most of the day—just observed, got a feel for the place. Then a child walked in, and I thought, why not? Let me try my hand at an extraction. I’d never worked on a child before, but I figured I had to start somewhere. First mistake? Letting her see the needle. From that moment on, it was over. She wouldn’t calm down. She cried nonstop. I tried; I really did. But then one of the doctors swooped in, took over like it was nothing, and just handled it. Clean, calm, efficient. I stood there in awe. These doctors? Different breed. Second day? Tell me whyyyy I was following a doctor to the SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit) to assist in a case I’ll never forget. A newborn, barely a few days old, brought in by panicked parents. The issue? Ignorance. Pure, painful ignorance. They noticed the baby had a uvula—something completely normal—but thought it was abnorma...

So, within just a few days, I got the hang of everything. I was honestly surprised at how quickly it all started to click.  There I was—freshly minted, still half-expecting someone to tap my shoulder and say,  "Just kidding, you're not really a doctor yet."  But within days, something clicked. The motions became fluid: taking histories, probing cavities, explaining treatment plans. This was my first real experience working as a professional, and once I created my own flow, things began to make sense. For most of my time in this rotation, there were only two other house officers working alongside me. They were both helpful and easy to talk to — whenever I had questions or needed a second opinion, they were there. That made a huge difference. One of the things I was most nervous about before starting was whether I’d fit in or feel lost in the mix, but having people around who were kind and supportive really helped me settle in.  I slowly got used to the environment of...

My first day in the Diagnosis unit wasn’t bad at all — actually, it was a lot calmer than I expected. I arrived unexpectedly early, before any of the other dentists, trying to make a good first impression. That’s also when I realized something surprising — it’s mainly the house officers who run the clinic . The consultant only comes in twice a week. On the other days, it was just us — the house officers — handling the flow.  That first day, I didn’t do much hands-on work. I shadowed one of the dentists and watched closely, mentally noting everything — how they asked questions, how they examined patients, how the process moved from one step to the next. It followed a structure I was familiar with: start with a proper history — why are they here? what kind of pain are they having? — then move into the physical exam, starting extraoral and moving intraoral. After charting findings, we’d take radiographs when needed, then refer the patient to the appropriate unit for treatme...

For four months, I sat at home doing nothing. I had passed the MDCN exam in November, but until the official induction happened, there was no next step. No license, no job, no real direction — just waiting. I tried to stay positive, but it was frustrating. I had just finished dental school, and instead of moving forward, I felt stuck. The four months of waiting should have prepared me. Four months of watching my 'MDCN Pass' notification collect digital dust in my inbox while my life stood still. Four months of watching my non-medical friends start jobs while I refreshed my email, hoping for news about my housemanship placement.  The induction finally came at the end of January, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. I could finally apply for my provisional license. I thought things would pick up from there, but instead, I found myself in another waiting game — this time, for where I’d actually be posted for housemanship. In Nigeria, you don’t get to choose just any hospital....