DentiSight - Dr. Abhilasha Manker

I am currently working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry at Sri Aurobindo College of Dentistry in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

I was keen on providing healthcare for the welfare of society and initially aspired to become a doctor in the medical sciences. However, dentistry ended up being my choice. Although it wasn't my first choice, I realized that as a dentist, I could still serve people and make a meaningful impact. So, I put my heart and soul into pursuing dentistry.

Being a dental professional shape you into a skilled, focused, steady-minded, creative, and patient human being. It helps you develop abilities such as active listening, multitasking, coordinating with others, and becoming more empathic. While many healthcare professions instill these qualities, dentistry uniquely involves one-on-one interactions, even during complex procedures, with the patient completely awake and aware. As a result, dentistry requires a high level of co-dependence, teamwork, and trust to ensure successful treatment outcomes.

When I get some me-time, I prefer cooking, painting, creating crafts, organizing my home, sitting in a garden, taking walks, reading something, listening to music, or sometimes just singing my heart out. I also like to pamper myself; I soak my feet in warm water, put on a favorite movie, make some hot chocolate, and order a pizza. When my head is full of random thoughts and it gets noisy, I like to pen down my thoughts.

Pedodontics is my favorite of all the dental subjects. The branch gives me an opportunity to be with children, talking and playfully treating them while I take away their pain and experience a sense of satisfaction when I see them smile. It's amazing that pedodontics, though an age-defined specialty, is so vast and includes comprehensive treatment for children.

The least favorite of all was Biochemistry. I found it to be a very dry subject

I used flowcharts to study physiology, which helped me remember the sequence of processes. I created diagrams to summarize and retain information about the origin, course, and distribution of nerves. For medicine, I would draw diagrams to remember signs, symptoms, and treatment.

I enjoy performing surgical procedures such as implants, surgical extractions, cyst enucleation, cleft lip, cleft palate repair, and more.

I enjoy doing root canal treatments (RCT) more than extractions. The sense of accomplishment when a tooth is saved is more satisfying than extracting it. It also makes the patients more content and happier because losing teeth would make them feel debilitated.

Dentistry is a very demanding profession that requires a lot of patience, a diverse skill set, dedicated effort, and hard work to become a dentist. It can be physically, mentally, and financially taxing in the long run, affecting vision, hearing, causing backaches, posture and spine issues, sciatica, and sometimes carpal tunnel syndrome, to name a few. The incentives or salaries provided are often not sufficient in comparison to the risks involved. Additionally, the work environment in academics can be highly toxic, competitive, and stressful.

Dynamic, lively, helpful, focused, free-spirited, and a party animal.

The best of my memories are from my post-graduation time. It was fun and a lot of learning as we supported, helped, and cheered for each other. Whether it was staying back after college hours at the library or watching a movie on the college projector, we would work hard and party harder.

Yes, to some extent, I choose to avoid in-between meal snacking, refined sugars, processed foods, and sticky food items. I have also started including salads, sprouts, and complex carbohydrates in my diet.

I stay away from sticky food items, refined sugars, and processed food. Brushing twice daily, using mouthwash, dental floss, and regular oral prophylaxis is routine. I also make sure to switch my toothbrush every three months and avoid carbonated or sugary drinks.

I would have opted for bio-mechanical engineering or biotechnology. With a career in either, I would have put my efforts into innovating and revolutionizing the healthcare system.

I am looking for a place with a positive work culture, a less toxic environment, and one that supports hard work, knowledge, and sincere efforts over office politics.

Switzerland

I am not very good at moving on and quitting a task once I get absorbed in it, and I'd linger on until I complete it. Because of this, I sometimes have to rush to get the remaining tasks done.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom." It reminds me of how important it is to move on from a comfortable, cozy spot so that one can grow to their full potential. If we do not get out of our comfort zone, we may never become what we are intended to be.

I am a strong believer in equal opportunity for all and would like to see a change in society where we honor skill and knowledge beyond age, race, sex, and ethnicity.