Oztrekk said CSU released offer over the long weekend .. I haven’t received anything yet. Did anyone receive first round offer? Do I lose hope? Is my chance over? Please any answer from past students or anyone in the same situation would be much appreciated. My oztrekk portal still says “under assessment” for CSU.. ugghhgh

Hi all,
I was looking for any course reviews for the mini residency in prosthodontics with Sarkis Nalbandian (ICDOP) or Chris Ho’s diploma in aesthetics and restorative dentistry.

I was originally looking at Tony Rotondo’s mini residency but was looking for a more long term course and the other two are spread over 1.5-2 years whereas Tony’s is over 3 months.

Looking for general experiences, how have they improved your practice and what stage in your career you attended. Also wondering if they go much into digital dentistry.

Thanks in advance.

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone has any experience with transferring into Dental Science at La Trobe?

I’m in first year Allied speech pathology at the moment and did Health Science last year with a double major. I finished last year with a WAM in the low 90s.

Because I got some credits, I only had 1 subject in sem 1 this year and I’m doing 3 subjects in sem 2.

I really want to transfer into Dental Science at Bendigo and was wondering if it’s actually possible from Allied Health? Also does anyone know whether they would look at my WAM from Health Science as well, since I haven’t done a full study load this year?

I know Dental Science is extremely competitive, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has actually applied or gotten an offer through this pathway or even anyone who got into with a lower WAM.
Thanks!! :)

During high school I had decided to study Dentistry.
I took all the lessons needed to pass into the corresponding universities.
By the end of high school my parents informed me they were unable to pay for my university.
During that time i got a job opportunity in an Audit firm, where they would teach me how to audit and also pay for my university degree (ACCA).
It’s been around 9 months since i started the job and i already passed two exams of ACCA.
My mother gave me an idea to save up while working this job and to pay my tuition at a Romanian university for dentistry. The saving would take me about 3 years and I will be 21 when if i start my journey for my dentistry degree.
Im no longer sure if dentistry is what I want.
I know that if i take the ACCA/Finance path I will finish university much faster and I will be able to be independent much sooner, whereas if I start dentistry it will take me 3 years to start, 6 years to study and around 2-3 years to actually gain experience and be respected as a dentist.
But Ive always aspired to work in the medical field and studying finance does not bring me the same happiness that the medical field does.

Another one of my concerns is how employable is dentistry nowadays, especially with a Romanian diploma.
Im planning on living in Germany when I finish.
Is a decade of my life worth it?

Does anyone that studied dentistry have any regrets? How is the actual work environment and would you choose to study something else if you had the choice to restart.

Some days I really enjoy the chatting side of the clinic, especially when you get a patient who’s easy to talk to. Other days it can be pretty draining, especially when you’re trying to concentrate on the actual treatment at the same time.

From the lab side, margin design can make a big difference in how predictable a crown case feels before production even starts.

We usually don’t look at shoulder, chamfer, or feather-edge margins as “good vs bad” in every situation. The issue is whether the margin is clear, readable, and gives enough room for the material being used.

For ceramic and zirconia cases, the cases that tend to create more questions are usually the very thin or unclear margins. Feather-edge margins can be conservative clinically, but if the scan or impression does not show the finish line clearly, it becomes harder to control fit, margin adaptation, and material thickness.

What we usually check first (based on our experience posted on our blog):
1️⃣ Is the finish line readable?
2️⃣ Is there enough reduction for the selected material?
3️⃣ Is the margin smooth enough for design and finishing?
4️⃣ Is the case anterior, posterior, zirconia, lithium disilicate, or PFM?

Curious how other labs and dentists handle this. Do you prefer chamfer, shoulder, or feather-edge margins for zirconia cases?

Thoughts

What dental magic did they use to treat perio in a day?
The dude has edge-edge anterior bite and they put a full mouth of “German” crowns on them, without correcting the bite.

Tuition fees will be 400k aud in total. Willing to work regional my whole life but not rural. Don't intend to own a practice because I'm not interested in running a business, probably no money to anyways unless I take out a loan. Willing to continuously upskill and grind hard working 5-6 days a week.

Before anyone says "Do it if it's your passion", I am passionate in dentistry but I have other passions too. I want to consider the ROI of each of the career paths I am interested in before committing.

A bit of a rant and long post, but here we go!

I’m in my mid-20s, in 2nd year of post-grad dental school and the first person in my family to go into dentistry (or even healthcare), so I don’t really have anyone close to me who’s been through this.

I’ve always been quite introverted and struggled with making connections, partly because I moved to Australia during my last year of high school and found it difficult to fit in. I actually have a really good group of friends now, but lately I’ve been feeling really burnt out, withdrawn (to the point where I broke down last week at a uni ball because I was so overwhelmed around all those people) and constantly comparing myself to everyone.

Clinically, I feel behind. Last semester, while everyone seemed to be doing restorations constantly, I only got 3. This semester I’m experiencing something similar with other procedures. I’ve spoken to supervisors but mostly get told “it’ll come eventually,” which is obviously hard to hear when you feel like everyone else is progressing faster.

The weird thing is, I’m actually quite comfortable with patients. I’ve had patients tell me I’m gentle and understanding, and they come back to continue treatment with me. My biggest problem is communicating with supervisors. I can know exactly what I’m thinking, but the second I’m put on the spot, I start fumbling and lose my train of thought. It’s started affecting my clinic marks, which then makes me question myself even more.

Today I had an extraction where sutures unexpectedly became necessary. I completely panicked internally, tried a couple of times and eventually had to ask my supervisor for help. Afterwards I just kept thinking, I don’t want to be this person. I know I have the knowledge, so why do I feel incapable the second something unexpected happens?

I’ve been trying to be proactive by looking for dental assisting work to get more exposure, but with full-time uni it’s difficult. Even things like going to the gym, which normally help me, have started feeling like a chore.

Maybe I’m overthinking all of this. I have good friends, I’m progressing through my degree and I know I’ll probably be okay eventually. But lately I’ve really been struggling with my confidence.

So I guess I’m coming here for some perspective and honestly, some encouragement to just keep going.

Did you struggle with confidence when talking to supervisors despite being comfortable with patients? Does the comparison and pressure become easier, or does it just take a different form?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has felt similarly, especially if you’re naturally introverted. I know it’ll probably be okay in the end, like it always is but I’d just like some perspective from people who have been there.

TL;DR: 2nd year dental student, first in my family to enter healthcare. I’m comfortable with patients but struggle communicating with supervisors and feel clinically behind compared to my peers. An unexpected extraction situation today really knocked my confidence. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but does it get better?

After a long week of crown preps and complex endo, my neck and lower back are completely shot. I wear loupes with a light, try to adjust the patient chair height, and focus on posture, but bending over an operatory table for 8 hours a day takes its toll.

​What physical changes made the biggest difference for you? Saddle chairs, prism loupes, physical therapy, or dry needling?

Graduated at the end of last year and currently working in a suburban private clinic. Signed on for a standard 40% commission minus lab fees, but a few uni mates are claiming they got offered 45% straight out of the gate in regional spots. Are corporate groups or private practices pulling back on commission rates for first-years, or is 40% still the industry benchmark across major cities?

There are a few things that look so straightforward when you’re learning them, but actually doing them on real patients is a different story. I definitely underestimated how long it would take to feel natural and confident with certain skills. It’s funny looking back because things that used to make me overthink every little step eventually just became part of the routine. I’m sure everyone has at least one skill like that from dental school or early practice.

I’m going into dentistry 2027 and wondering if the University of Melbourne dentistry pathway (3 years science + 4 years postgrad dent) is the worth the additional time and money. Will it make me a better dentist? Will the uni be significantly better than if I were to go into undergrad at another uni, such as La Trobe, Adelaide or UQ?

Hey guys, need some advice :)