Leah Ruiz: The Inner Workings of a Dental Office
In the life of a busy worker bee, there is constantly a task to be done in the hive. Each diligently works at their task to build something greater together. A hive of busy bees works comparably to a dental office.
In summer of 2023, I interned at a private dental office. Our team, or hive you could say, consisted of three dental assistants, a dental hygienist, the occasionally temporary hygienist, the dentist, and me, the intern. The team shared the same goal each day: take care of each patient on the schedule list. As the day started, the team would split into their rooms and work with the day’s challenges (patient cancelations, unforeseen dental circumstances, emergency life events), the team would assess, adjust, and overcome the obstacle, whether that meant the dental assistants were having to partner up, or that I had to take over the sterilization room to make sure we had enough clean instruments for the day. Like bees, we adjusted and conquered the day for a shared goal of patient care.
Having never worked in healthcare before, I was amazed to see the organized chaos of the workplace culture. It was important to see how each team member had to be quick on their feet when something went a bit out of protocol. Like a bee, each member was swift always buzzing with a smile for each patient.
Patient care drove the buzz of the team. As the writer John Chrysostom remarked, “the bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.” This may be a stereotypical thing to say about a healthcare team. However, the dental office had a team that truly embodied what it meant to put patients first. The team opened their arms and resources to patients on and off the schedule. Patients had the personal phone numbers of the dental assistants and the dentist. Like with many jobs, especially healthcare, the idea of serving and caring for others is the main priority more than anything else. Seeing patients smiling as they leave the office was such a rewarding feeling.
And, getting to work with such a caring team was an empowering experience. The dentist at the office was incredibly supportive of my plans to learn more about the dental profession and encouraged me to get as hands-on as possible. She had let me observe her cavity fillings, and treatment planning. And allowed me to pour my own dental mold and help alongside dental assistants and dental hygienists. I was always eager to be a helping hand in any way I could. Yet, regardless of my great enthusiasm to help, I felt my helping hand was too weak to lift the weight off the rest of the team.
Leah's first attempt at pouring a dental impression
I came into the office not knowing much about dentistry except the importance of brushing and flossing. So, when I would get questions about, “which number tooth did the patient have sensitivity with,” or “bring me a posterior bite block please,” my novice self would ask for clarification, which the staff kindly offered. Still, I felt disappointed in not rising to the occasion to help the team. I was not a trained dental assistant and I needed more experience and knowledge. This brought me into an imposter phenomenon where I had internal doubts about whether I was qualified enough to be working at such a great dental office.
Yet, staying in such a mental state would only do me and the team harm. I knew I could not catch up to the expertise of the rest of the team, so instead I just focused on being me and doing the best of what I could. So being me, I had a good working attitude and two ready-to-help hands. I would make sure to clean and prep the room as soon as the patient leaves so the dental assistants can have a small break between patients. I would always organize, restock inventory, and fill up patient goodie bags when there was ever a chance. Though the tasks may seem little, they helped the team, as there was a little less of their day’s work that I could help take care of. Like a new worker bee, I did my best to play my role in the team.
Halfway into the internship, I started learning to how to polish and floss patients to help with the hygiene appointments as we had been short a hygienist. However, on one of these days, the clinic had a busy overbooked schedule for patient cleanings, and that same day our only hygienist had to leave for an emergency halfway in the schedule. This left the team with 5 scheduled hygiene patients and no hygienist. So, without our hygienist, I stepped in and adapted to the situation. I carried out the schedule in teamwork with the dentist, who was doing the cleaning, by having me work on cleaning/prepping the room, seating the patient, polishing and flossing the patient, and then letting the dentist complete the hygiene appointment. Having cleaned and prepped the room several times before, I was familiar with the hygiene room. Yet, I felt very self-conscious in the process as I have only observed the entire process and now, I was the one leading it.
But, my self-consciousness was pushed aside as my focus was to make sure the patient was attended to throughout their visit, I directed all my attention to my number one priority: patient care. To me, this day highlighted the importance of the bond I had with my coworkers as it strengthened our teamwork. As a team, we were able to coordinate and work around a hectic schedule and a missing hygienist. Like a new worker bee, I did my best to play my role in the team and it was through the seemingly little tasks that allowed me to rise to the occasion and support the team at a vulnerable moment.
Leah Ruiz is a sophomore at Lander University and will graduate in Spring 2026 with a Chemistry, Health Science Emphasis major and Psychology minor. Apart from being in the Honors College, she loves getting involved on campus and helping others by serving as a Presidential Ambassador, Chemistry and Biology tutor, and an ITS Student Technician. In summer of 2023, Leah had the opportunity to intern at a private dental office. This experience inspired her to continue her plans of pursuing a career in healthcare.