SPEAKER_00 0:00

Every year, lots of students prepare for the most dream of becoming doctors. But what if your journey takes you into dentistry? Is BDS a second choice? Or is it a powerful career in itself? What is life really like inside a dental college? And how difficult is the journey? So what I'm trying to say is like how many hours do students actually spend in clinics? Or what are the biggest struggles young dentists face today? And if you're planning to choose dentistry, what should you know before making one of the biggest decisions of your life? So today's episode answers all these questions. Stay with us because today's conversation could change the way you look at dentistry forever. So, Namaste, everyone, welcome. I'm Kapil Gupta, career consultant, study abroad expert, life mentor, and the host of Kapil Gupta Career Quartkshop. Our mission is simple to help students make better career decisions. Not based on assumptions, but based on real conversations with people who have actually walked the path. Because every profession looks glamorous from the outside until you speak to someone who has lived it. And that's exactly what we do here. So today we are entering the fascinating world of dentistry. And joining us is someone who represents the new generation of dental professionals, who has balanced academics, clinical practice, research, national conferences, and continuous learning with remarkable dedication. She completed her BDS and is currently pursuing her Master of Dental Surgery in period on top, has presented research at national conferences, received prestigious awards, participated in advanced workshops, and continues to build herself as a clinician and researcher. But beyond all these achievements, today we want to understand the human side of the journey. What really happens inside a dental college, and what makes students quit sometimes, and what helps others succeed? And how do young dentists handle pressure, patients, long study hours, and of course, career uncertainty? And if you're a student preparing for need, thinking about BDS, or simply curious about life as a dentist, this episode is for you. And it gives me immense pleasure to welcome Dr. Atan Shamishha. Dr. Atank Sha. Welcome to the Tapagatai Report Show.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Also, very grateful for you to have me here.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

It's an absolute pleasure to have you with us today, and really grateful that you agreed to be part of the show. And I know you are very much busy in your college life, of course, with the exams and all.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

So I was someone like every student, I experienced my affair, like share of challenges. There were moments when I was balancing both like activities, like I was participating in school sports days and everything. But those experiences taught me a valuable lesson, like in the management, also. So if I say I was someone who was very much like, okay, teacher nebola has I have to do it, you know, like someone who is like can't think of any other thing else. So uh I think that made me a person a bit serious about my what things I do and how should I take those things seriously. And of course, I had my parents with me, so they let me do my uh sports also. I was into sports, so you know, all of that, my friends and everything. So it was much more like a student who was very much involved in two different things at the same time.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Awesome, awesome. So I would say you were managing your academics and your extra curriculus side by side. But if we may ask you, were your parents very much pushy?

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Yes, they were they they would do that because I think self-I think that was uh something they as a parent they wanted to make me make sure that whatever I do, I do it. That uh you can do your thing. When you do this, you can do this. So it was much like I can go one hour and play. I can go one hour and play. Something like that sort of situation.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

So can I say that you were a very disciplined person in your school life? Or no?

SPEAKER_02 6:56

I was because uh discipline doesn't keep just that's a very good. Okay, and but you know, uh, I used to be a more like karna, yesab karna kam. So I used to come from school, rest kalya, apna kam kalya. So it was like because I was an elder sister, so I had my younger brother. So you know, you know, you have to be a bit disciplined and everything. That's why my nourishment was such that I was taking things a bit seriously in the school life.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

And what about your friends? Uh very easy going with friends, party friends.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

I was very introvert, very, very introvert.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

Because of that, I had very less friends in school, but at least I used to talk to people, like students in and around with me. And uh, uh because uh school life is like you don't think much from a mind. You just do your heart. So school life and that type there was not not much of social media, also. So, because I would say, and um school life and uh, school life.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

That's good. But see, when we think about our future, you know, that's when career begins to take shape, and especially in a dream first. So if I may ask you, what inspired to choose dentistry? And was this always the first choice, or did life take you in this direction?

SPEAKER_02 8:59

Uh if I have to begin with, firstly, I was just like any other kid. Like, I was just minute 12 past out here. So I was much more like I have to uh go into biology, something in biology, and that time many time either in or uh medical that time. So I was like, I was not that much keen on doing engineering. I was like, I want to go into biology, something in biology and something in medical made up first. But then eventually, just like any other kid, I was just like you need dena, and then I'll get into some medical or stamp, I had no idea. Dentistry, yeah, BDS, degree patati, MBS, BDS, homeopathy, all of these things are there. But I was just like Dr. Matlack, MBBS, that's it, that's what it is. And so yeah, I was more like that. But then eventually, counseling attention. So I got into uh with different people who made friends among them were some people who were actually applying for BDS. So, and they told me that it is not just this, there is there is something other part of the uh you know story also. There's something the different path also here. So MBBSD hair, BBSD hair. So I was like, okay, so this is something interesting, and I should know this. So that uh what actually this course offered me. Uh so I got to know about it, and I was more like, okay, this is something I can go for, and this is what actually I can be at. So that's what I choose.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Okay, interesting. And see, I would agree that almost everyone knows about MBBS, even if you are not studying biology in 11th and 12th, still you're aware of MBBS. But I what I get it is that they don't really understand what dentistry actually involves, right? And as you talked about counseling, were they your school counselor or uh your parents made you connect with some professional counselors? One thing. And secondly, if a class 11th or class 12th student came to you today and asked, should I choose BDS? What are the things you would want them to know before making that decision?

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SPEAKER_02 12:24

Okay. So firstly, I was not with the contact with the counselor. It was just that the students who

(Cont.) Inside Dental College: The Truth Every NEET Aspirant Must Know

SPEAKER_02 12:31

were around me, they were having their uh people and like the parents who were actually dentists. So they told they already had an idea, very much idea about what actually dentistry involves. So I had a conversation with them and they told me about the course and what actually things you do in the chat, and that really made me very much uh keen and very much uh interested into the course. So just uh counseling uh actually is like after you uh fill up the papers uh forms in the NET, you go in different counseling rounds by the NET itself. So the first counseling round, second counseling round. So in that also, I got to know about uh what I'll actually and I got to uh talk to people like there. So that's how I've come to know and came to know about it. And uh, if I say, like if a 12 student comes to me right now and asks me about this, so firstly, I would say that this is like one of the most important questions because many students choose uh a medical degree more, they are like, I just want to have a medical degree, and that's what they need. So now I think now people are more aware what I'm also seeing into my clinic also, that people are asking that okay, so it's not a hair, so students how to actually go through this. So if I have to say, then I have to say that firstly that you have to know about the course because now you have a lot of resources. So you can actually go through those sources and actually study what actually this course offers. So I don't want the students to just jump in with a medical degree in their mind. I want them to understand that dentistry is not an alternator, but it's an independent degree. It requires your hand skills, communication skills, and continuous learning. It's essential. So, like before even thinking uh about just being blind about it, I think students must just uh talk to or just go through the resources on the internet and they can actually work on it and they can know many much more about it.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

So, can I say if students have exposure to professional counseling at an early age, that would be a great benefit to them?

SPEAKER_02 15:03

Yes, yes, it would be really great.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

Yeah, yeah. And see, many times what happens is, for example, students live in dreams, right? When they people in uniform, then they are crazy about it, and similarly, when they see doctors, so their white coat, yeah. So it is like okay, it's their universe. It's something very you can say bring about a lot of responsibility when you wear that coat. But as people, we don't see the journey behind that, you know. There's obviously there's a person behind that coat, and that person has a journey. So, what I want to ask you today is that please take us inside your dental college. Okay, that is what is a normal day like for a BTS student? How demanding is the academic workload, or is it easy, or what kind of practical training you undergo, or the clinics you have, and of course, the stressful examinations, what's all about? Love to know that. I'm sure my students also, the listeners would love to know your life in a dental college.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

Okay, so to begin with, firstly, if I have to describe my journey uh in BDS, so I was just like any other kid, I was just like, okay, now I have got into BDS, now let's see how it is and everything. And um, so if I could describe in one sentence, firstly, it was challenging, it was transforming and incredibly rewarding. Like, but uh, if I have to start with the first year BDS, so in the first year, you actually are more into adjusting zones because you have just come and cleared your well, and most of them I feel uh don't have an idea about what actually the BDS offers. So, in the first year, it's much more of adjustment. You adjust with the environment, you adjust with uh a lot of um people around you, also, and uh lot of uh questions in your mind, which are there in your mind, like how so. First year is more like you study the medical subject just like the NVBS people do. So, that is the common thing in us that we also study the same anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, everything. And uh, first year is common for BBS and MDS, where uh we do all the anatomic work, and uh, coming to the uh second year, you do more of the preclinical work, like you go into pre-clinics and uh you have to work with the dental uh more of the dental. So, first it is all about medical, second year is second, third year is dental, and third year you actually do the patient. So second year is all about transforming yourself into preclinical work, and third year is all about your clinics. You enter the clinic, you do the patient uh first time, and uh then obviously it's your final year, which is more of theoretical knowledge and uh exams and all the submissions, all of these things, like there is a lot of things. So I think you have to be very much uh curious about your course, you have to be passionate about your course. Initially, you might have many questions, but eventually, when uh I also started having questions in my mind, and um second year made me more comfortable with the environment, and uh because it's new, it's interesting, so you are more inclined towards you become inclined towards it, I feel, because there were many people like me only in my batch. We had hundred people, hundred uh students in one batch. So most of them were not someone who were coming from a dental uh family, they were not having dentists, so all of them mostly were also we all were in the same boat, you can say. So we uh so you have to make friends, you have to communicate with people around you, and I feel it was more of emotional growth as well. So every talent taught me something valuable that shaped me into more confident person what I'm today.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Okay, but see, this is what academics is, right? You're spending most, but as when we talk about college, you know, it's especially when uh we were kids, we were in school, so we dream of the college life, right? And many people feel the college life is very much about like the current Jahar movies, right? All dance and all. But apart from your studies, was there some fun element to the life at in college also, or all studies?

SPEAKER_02 20:01

No, no, it's it's all everything has to be done, I feel. You should uh try into extracurricular, you should try into something uh public speaking. So I in the BDS, like I did my BDS in uh Ratnagiri College. So I was at the Ratnagiri College, so it was more of the rural uh in the rural Maharashtra side. So uh I would say that I come from Mumbai, so for me, shifting to that particular area, particular environment was a bit like adjustment, but I was grateful for the people I met during BDS. So that is very important that you have to communicate with people, you have to make friends. So I think uh the teachers also were really nice, and uh they knew that you know things are changing, so the students have to be more made comfortable. So in my BDS, I was uh we were you we used to have uh pressures firstly. When you come, you enter the college, you have your pressures party, you have you uh come and you uh network with your seniors also. You have your seniors with you. Very the seniors play a very vital role, I would say, in your whole journey of medical degree, be it MBBS, be it BDS, anything. And uh I was also very introvert, as I told you that I was very introvert. I used to not talk to much people. Uh those four years, I was very introvert, four years of my BDS. So uh I would say I was uh involved into more studies that time, and I was doing my clinics also. I used to uh because different patients used to come into our clinics, so I think uh academics was very uh similar to what you actually do in an ecologist. You uh do your lectures, morning lectures. We used to have afternoon. We used to go to our clinics and do our preclinical work. Then uh apart from academics, if I have to say, I uh there were many functions and many much uh you know, uh public gathering uh functions used to be there. Like uh uh there used to be a fest, like there was a proper month given yearly, like in the year end, there used to be a few in which we had to celebrate uh different days, like uh like you celebrate your days, like you have your red days, you used to celebrate Bollywood days, you celebrate some uh costume days. You used to like you, you you can like you know, you can do whatever you can do into that, and you should I feel that you. Should enjoy to the best you can.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

And because that is a college time that you actually can enjoy to the best. And it is very uh important to make memories because now also I you know remember those small things, and that's very cherishing. So there were uh lot of uh sports also, like we used to go to different intercolleges, sports days used to be there. Uh, there used to be conferences in our colleges, different colleges people used to come out to our colleges, and uh it was a lot of fun, I think.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

Okay, awesome. So I I think now that this is where expectations often meet reality. But looking back now, if I ask you, what was the most difficult phase during your BTS journey? It might be academically or emotionally or personally, and how did you overcome it?

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Okay, so the most challenging was because I was staying away from my home. It was the first time me staying away from home, different uh locality. So that was initial. I took time to uh make myself comfortable with that. Uh different people, so you know, and um staying in a hostile environment, which I have never did before, well, before this period. So for me, that was challenging because I was very much like uh I can't stay. Maybe I had uh should I uh opt for something different, uh PDS college, but into Mumbai side. Should I go? Should I opt for that? Because when I got this college, I was more like, okay, this is this was just I think six hours away from Mumbai. So it was much more like okay, I can go to my home whenever I want to. But then I got I had to prepare myself more like okay, now I have come to BDS. Now I have to give my input, I have to uh make my parents proud about it. Like I am doing this now, I have to be more professional. So obviously, I think any student uh has goes through all this emotionally, it was challenging for me, and then after that, uh because it's a new course, so you have to adjust to those courses as well. What that course wants you to do, what uh expects from you, you have to do those things, and eventually, I think it was much more emotional challenges in the start, but eventually, um, as I reached my third year, I was very much comfortable with the environment and very much um uh enjoying the whole journey. And I was like, I used to call then there was a time also where I used to call my parents that uh that uh I will stay here only, I won't be able to come uh because uh I'm not getting because you don't get leaves. That is the fact that you don't get leaves in medical uh colleges and dental colleges, you don't get it because you are expected to be there for your patients. So I think that shaped me really well, and I understood what this course expects from me, and I I enjoyed it as well. Like I really enjoyed it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:21

Okay, but I do understand. See, the first six months I believe are the toughest, right? When you are the first time in a hostel or first time away from home, right? And you know you'll not get to meet your parents very soon, right? So now and many things come to our mind, right? So if I may ask you, were your classmates there for your support, or were seniors were helping you more, or your teachers, whom would you uh uh say helped you the most during that first six months of your time there?

SPEAKER_02 27:01

I think when I came, there were many students from Mumbai itself. Okay, so and uh because it was a hostel, so you connect very uh easily with people. There are people around you. So I think everyone was in the same boat, they understood each other. So we all used to give like it's okay, you will go home, don't worry, just a few more months, you will get holiday. But then eventually it was much more, I would say, my friends, which were there in the first six months. Uh, and because we understood each other's uh difficult times, so it bonded us really well. So I think they were the like stepping stones into my emotional journey. So that's what I feel like friends were like uh firstly, because when you're away from your parents, you are more close to your friends who people around you uh when you're away from them. So I think those were the most uh person, like people who actually made me understand, and then of course the teachers really uh helpful, and seniors as well. So everyone was really helpful.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

Agreed. Okay, but then see one thing I have always believed in is that every profession has a moment, right? When actually theory suddenly becomes real. Okay, so for you, when did you first feel that I am no longer just a student? Now I am becoming a doctor. Dr. Atang Shah Mishra. So can you tell us about that experience when you first realized yes, doctor of Agya as a prefix to your name?

SPEAKER_02 29:00

I think that was the graduation ceremony when we were taking the oath. I think seeing my parents in front of me, seeing my friends around me, and we we have to take an oath wherein it's for the patients. Let me take the oath that uh no discriminating any patients with everything, like we have oaths to take. And I think even before that, when I entered the clinics in my third year, where I was given the freedom to do the patient, and you can enter your clinic, you enter your clinics into third year. Before that, it's all about your theoretical knowledge building blocks for your theoretical knowledge, and then you do the pre-clinical work. Pre-clinical work is basically you do the uh before clinical, you have to do pre-clinical work, which you have to do on the models which are there. So, on the models you work, you make teeth, you know, and then you do it on the patient. So we have quota also for that. So you do your pre-clinical work for one year, you have to do quotas, you have different quotas for different different things. So I think when I entered my third year, when I was given the freedom to do the patient, to actually make a diagnosis for the patient according to my those two years of knowledge. Uh, that time I felt, yeah, that uh actually now I'm able to diagnose it, I'm able to use my knowledge uh for the patient's treatment planning, and then of course, under the supervision of the teachers. And after that, what hit me really uh that okay, now I am a doctor, now I have made it. That was the graduation ceremony, seeing my parents happily smiling and my degree in my hands, the oath I was taking in my mind and in my heart. So I think that changed and that made me feel now I am a doctor.

SPEAKER_00 31:03

Awesome, awesome. Okay, see, eventually every student reaches a crossroads, and of course, choosing a specialization, right? And you chose periodontology for your MDS. Now for me, I would say BDS dentistry, bachelor of dentistry. I have known uh specializations in M BBS or multiple specializations, but even for me, dentistry was only dentistry, right? But you are doing periodontology now. That means there is a branch of dentistry. So, first of all, I would want you to tell us what are these specializations, and of course, why you weren't attracted to this speciality.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Okay, uh, so I think uh people often ask me like why I chose paleontology, but before that, coming to paleontology, uh, I will like to mention that BDS and MDS are two different uh paths.

SPEAKER_03 32:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Firstly, BDS you do, there's a four years of your academic, one year of your internship, so totally five years of your BDS accounts for it. So after doing your five years, you are a doctor, you are a dental surgeon, you can perform all the uh uh surgeries, but limited to BDS.

SPEAKER_03 32:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 32:41

What you can do, you can do the surgeries, but you can do the root canals, you can do the very much uh common things, what all dentistry can do. But I think for me, uh I wanted to go into academic. I want I love teaching, I love explaining what I have the knowledge, and I also love gaining knowledge from all around people around me. I'm very curious. I have always been curious about it, and I love learning and teaching. So for me, it was very much clear that I want to go into academics. So, for academics, when you are planning, you are ought to have an MDS degree. So for me, it was very simple that I want to do MDS. So, because I think uh even before that, people don't know about the nine branches of the dentistry.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

Nine. Okay. That is news to me.

SPEAKER_02 33:43

Yeah, so uh if I start with something like oh, there is first branch is oral medicine and radiology. So basically, OMDR, we say it was it's it's much more of diagnosis of the oral disease using your clinical examination and your radiographic technique. Okay, this is OMDR, so it deals with all your diagnosis, but then it is your oral and maxillofacial surgery. It is much more of surgical, uh, where uh it's involved with your head and neck. So you perform the surgeries of your head and as well as of neck with uh just jaw-related surgeries as well, trauma, cyst, cancer patients, oral cancer patients, and it's a thing. Then you have uh orthodontics that is your correction of uh mall align, mal align to like all of your alignment adjustments. If your teeth is forward, it has to be done by the orthodontic department and the jaws with the jaws with the braces, aligners, and all the other applines. Then you have something called as endodontics, it is much more of your uh root canal specialist, you can say, which performs your all the root canal specialist procedures, and then you have your prostorontics, that is your restoration, and replacing the missing teeth, you can say, with the dentures, bridges, what we which we see in the patient. Then you have your pedontology, which I am doing. It is much more of a branch which deals with the surgeries with the your foundation of your teeth, basically your gums and the bone of your jaws. Uh, so it is much more surgical, so uh it deals with surgical again, and then you have pediatric, it is a comprehensive like dental care for the patients of uh under the age of 15, so children and adolescent patients, and then you have public health dentistry, it is much more like community-level uh dentistry, education, prevention, and public health initiatives, which we do, and then we have the oral pathology and the microbiology because it studies the diagnosis of the diseases of your oral nerve. So I think each branch has its own uh lot of things involved, and uh people don't know about it, and I see still people don't know about it, they just know it's BDS and MDS, but MDS nabi kya so important.

SPEAKER_00 36:15

Thank you for answering this because uh this is real good knowledge for us. But see, out of these nine branches, why did you choose this one? What attracted you? Why especially this?

SPEAKER_02 36:32

Okay, uh firstly, I will say that I was very much clear in the mind that I want to go into surgery, I want to perform surgery, and I'm much more uh gloves, blood surgery, okay. So, I didn't mind surgical, but contact branch I was not clear after my BDS. I was more into the oral surgery here, uh oral and maxilloficial surgery. That is into surgery, you have your pedonculargy in the surgery. So these two branches it's much more surgical. But in oral and oral and maxillo facial surgery, you perform your head and your from head and neck, you do the surgery. You can do the surgery related to your dental oral cavity only. So uh oral surgery demands a lot of uh beauty work, like uh there is much more, uh, you have to work with a hospital, you have to give your hours of duties, you perform very much long surgeries, and you have to be working with a hospital every time. So, even in the long run, you have to be with a hospital and you have to get it uh touch with hospital, or you have to have your own hospital, so it will demand you for that. Like in a setup, you have to uh bit more uh connect it with a good hospital. So I was that I want a very much flexible uh my uh timings. Like I was like, I want something where I can do surgeries also, and I can also have my own uh research and academic part also. I can balance those. So oral surgery demands a lot of uh hectic schedules, like just like uh an MD MDS. So even they have their long night duty hours. Same in oral surgery, you have your night duty hours. So I was full now because I want to go into paleontology. I can do the aesthetic surgeries, I can do something which actually uplips your smile and smile makeovers, your cosmetic dentistry, the implantology, everything is dealing with paleontology. So it was much more like a flexible yet surgical branch.

SPEAKER_00 38:54

Okay, awesome, awesome. And if any misconceptions students usually have about it, are there any uh in my branch or my branch?

SPEAKER_02 39:09

Yeah, I think uh there are certain uh I think uh things which are overlapping for pedontology is that firstly people think that it's just your gums, right? It's just gums, and uh they are more like in my like the people who know about MDS, they know that pedontology deals with certain things. It is much we are called Lily soft tissue specialists because we are the only branch who deals with gums, the soft tissue of your oral cavity. Other branches are much more like your uh teeth and your jaw. So I think uh uh the misconception in my branch, with what only one misconception, what I have observed till now, is that uh they are much more like it's just your uh gums part, like we say ginghaiva. Jinjaiba is your gums, what we say in a dental language. So uh people have a bit of misconception that it's just your gums. But I see for any building to be strong, your foundation has to be strong. So, just like that, the oral cavities foundation is your gums, your teeth is into your gum, your bone is covered by your gums. So everything happens to your gums, it eventually leads to the disease into your bone, in your jawbone, right? So I think that is something, but now of course, uh we uh my branch people and other branch people also they know that this particular thing has to be dealt with by a predontist only, they can handle it very well. So if there is a soft tissue surgery or any very precise decision involving surgery, then those surgeries come to us, and uh and we work with interdepartment also. Like uh, if we are performing a particular surgery and we want that uh tooth has to be get RCT treated, so we have to connect with the endodontist. First, they do the RCT, then they get us the patient for further treatment. So it's a very interdepartmental um work in our field. So two or three departments work together for one patient, so everything is very much connected, and I feel the misconception still is not that much right now, uh, not there, I think. But yeah, some misconception is there that it's just the gingiva, it's just your gums. But we make people aware that it's not just your gums, it's actually the foundation of your oral cavity.

SPEAKER_00 41:51

Okay, okay. So moving further, see, times are changing, right? Every profession is changing, and of course, the healthcare profession is you know changing rapidly too. And it's all happening because of technology as a result, patient expectations are also changing. But of course, competition is increasing. India is a competition to bathe. So, according to you, what skills do you think every future dentist should start developing from day one? Of course, apart from academic knowledge.

SPEAKER_02 42:36

Okay, uh a dental student has to firstly have the confidence, the self-confidence, they should be very much confident. And I think confident comes from knowledge. If you have the right knowledge, you will be confident. And uh, the real transformation, if I have to say, in my opinion, it will not just pass your exam. It happens when you when you actually trust yourself first, that whatever decision you are taking, you are taking from your thorough knowledge, and uh that's how I feel personally you have to be self-confident, and eventually, when you are a clinician, it happens when your patients trust you. You know, the trust is a very important uh factor for a clinician, and that's where it transforms you into a confident clinician. Confidence like isn't something that you gain overnight, it develops one patient, one procedure, one experience at a time.

SPEAKER_00 43:40

Okay, and see when I was actually uh going through your profile that you shared with me, and I was trying to understand your journey. So, what I noticed that you've actively participated in conferences, post-presentations, research, workshops. So that actually made me curious, and I don't want to stop myself from asking. And how important are these activities in shaping a successful dentist? And would you recommend every dental student step beyond the classroom?

SPEAKER_02 44:20

Uh yeah, actually, initially, also I was someone like it's just academics, and I should focus on academics. These things are not important. This was in my mindset in my BBS then. And I feel your college plays a very important role. So your college some colleges don't have that uh uh you know, they don't have that kind of exposure because of any reason. They do have, but not to extend that could change your mind and your point of view. So I strongly believe that learning shouldn't be confined to the classroom. Uh it should be much more of communicating. You should have your communication skills, you should be able to talk public speaking and your presentation, your networking, confidence, everything. So from the start, I was much more like uh I should just focus on academics, and that's what it is. But then when I did, I went back, I actually applied for a transfer of my internship. And uh I applied to my uh MUHS uh Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. So I applied for an internship transfer because I actually wanted to get more exposure and more curious, want to explore what actually dentistry is uh more up to a more better level. That was I wanted to go back to my Mumbai city. So I applied there, and uh even that's a procedure. So you have to apply there, and according to your final year marks, you get your uh particular college. So I went there, and uh, when I went to that particular college, uh MG College, uh, there I met people who were actually doing these researches, public speaking, all of these conferences from that BDA stand. So I was very grateful that the people I met there, they actually helped me out and um transformed the introverted introvertness in me to extrovert. So I was much more into public speaking. I gained that confidence, and uh, I went into uh research and that actually gained a lot of confidence in me, and I was like, okay, this is also a third dentistry, what I can actually do. I can also put in my things and my ideas into actually uh real-time things, like if I have an idea in my mind, like if I'm using an instrument, and because I'm using this conventional instrument which has been in use since many years, 1990s, what invention has been done. So if I'm doing this particular surgery, now if I see that if this instrument could have this one feature in this, it could have been more better. Uh, it would be more convenient for me. Because I am as a clinician, I am working, so I know that this particular instrument can be no better if I had this put a uh you know an ultrasonic sensor into this, something sensor, biosensor, yeah. So I was like, okay, even this thing I can do, even in these things I can work into. So I got to know this into my internship days, and it gained me interest into research and uh teachers there, and then I went and participated in many conferences, in the college conferences, state level conferences, national conferences. And also, when you go to the conferences, I would recommend people, students to actually talk, network with the people in and around you because all are having different experiences and you should uh learn things from everyone, and uh that's what shaped me and built the confidence.

SPEAKER_00 48:24

So, can we say that your current college played an important role in shaping you who you are today? Am I right? Right?

SPEAKER_03 48:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 48:36

So, can you just tell us something more about your college, what its name, where is it situated, and what exactly helped you there?

SPEAKER_02 48:51

Right now I'm pursuing my mind from Inver Plus Pedro College in Hospital, so uh I think here uh the more exposure is here towards the research as well. We have like a different uh set of uh committee which actually deals with your research and innovation. You have your teachers with you. If you have any idea, you can pitch your ideas and you can actually uh work with them because they are the ones who are having the 20 plus years of experience with them. And they have many publications and innovative research under their name. So you actually work with them to gain the exact uh ground level experience with them from the scratch to the idea at a bigger level. So I think uh it's very much helped me to shape what I'm today, also. And today, also I'm working on different things. And if I have an idea, I can actually share it with my teachers and I can uh actually work with them on this. I think this helps heal a lot because then you can actually uh think conventional things everyone is doing right now, but the main competition is about what different skill you have, what different you difference you have in yourself, what actually you can offer to the patient differently from others.

SPEAKER_03 50:11

Right.

SPEAKER_02 50:12

So right now it's much more of uh things because everything right now is going into AI, and AI is everywhere. So even in dentistry, AI is there, and AI is actually working really well. But I feel still you need a clinician, you need a dental surgeon to perform, but AI coughs are there which can actually help in diagnosing more better precision and more faster uh diagnosing of your particular treatment plan. Um, so still it is in research, so you can actually work on that, and there are many opportunities that you can work on, which actually I'm helpful. I'm really grateful for my teachers also for building such like giving me ideas also, and you also work on your ideas also, so you can work on that.

SPEAKER_00 51:01

So, can we say because as you mentioned that your college gives importance to research a lot? So it upgrades its curriculum also as per the prevailing times or it lags behind there. If like curriculum, as in like uh because uh new techniques, new tools come in, so do they introduce uh students to them at an early stage?

SPEAKER_02 51:33

Yeah, uh what I have seen here because uh now coming again from Maharashtra to Delhi. So it was something uh I can see that here also uh there are different uh instruments. If a new instrument comes to into our department, if I talk about my department, we are introduced to that particular instrument, they're working and how it works, and what knowledge like we should have about that particular instrument, and uh then we are introduced to that instrument, or we are made to work on that instrument, and then eventually I think uh you should be really updated with your new technologies as well. So there is CADCAM right now, there is 3D printing, there is a lot of uh CBCP, different AI software which we use. So I think uh yes, they do introduce to us and they make sure that we are comfortable and we are actually, you know, uh with the different uh technologies who are working on it, and uh we should be having the knowledge about that particularly.

SPEAKER_00 52:35

That's perfect. That means your college is actually doing wonderful work in this field, right? And now let's talk about something that students rarely hear, honestly. That after completing BDS, what are the biggest realities young dentists face, whether it's career opportunities, higher studies, private practice, financial expectations, or even building patient trust. So, what should students prepare themselves for? What do you have to say to that?

SPEAKER_02 53:13

I feel uh you should be prepared that uh firstly it can feel overwhelming because there are so many uh different experiences by different people. So you have to be first very much uh have the confidence in you that uh okay, things uh will be there, tough times will be there. They will there will be times that your teacher will out of nowhere will try to connect you with different uh you know things they can say you think. So I think you should not be uh taking everything to your heart. You should uh be able to recognize what's useful for you, what is actually useful for you, and then accordingly you should be very much uh uh let go things which are not important to you. So I think you should build yourself such that you have self-confidence in you and uh just keep on learning. And I think uh learning should never stop and uh it will make you a really good person and the mission. So I think that's important.

SPEAKER_00 54:24

Okay, and finally, I would like you to speak directly to every neat aspirant listening today, right? Just let's imagine a student sitting with their parents and trying to decide whether dentistry is the right career. So, what advice would you give them before they make that decision?

SPEAKER_01 54:49

Uh, so firstly, I would like to say that there is a lot of myth about it right now. Like, so I want that particular kid to have considering this degree, not just like a second option, but a keen, interested kid who actually uh is passionate about this field, and uh eventually I think they should know and understand this uh degree more and before entering into BTS, and because this will have uh expectations from you, this degree will have a lot of expectations from you.

SPEAKER_02 55:29

They will want it this to be more of your uh communicative skills, your uh confidence, you should be passionate about it.

SPEAKER_01 55:38

Because here you are using your hand skills, you are using your creativity. So that is why dentistry is also called like creative, plus precision, plus science, plus artist.

SPEAKER_02 55:50

So there is a lot of what you think in your mind you are actually doing it, and you are making that person uh feel confident, you are incorporating confidence into that person's life. So you play a very vital role for that person.

SPEAKER_01 56:04

So you have to build in that confident clinician first or a confident person first, and that only comes from knowledge, from the right knowledge you gain, and uh that's what I want to tell a person, like a kid who has actually just passed out uh and applying for Neek.

SPEAKER_00 56:24

Okay, perfect, perfect. No, that's very much true. That it definitely the kind of opportunities this profession gives. So it should definitely be the first choice of people who are passionate about this career. No wonder, and I fully agree with you on this. So, uh, Dr. Akangsha, thank you so much for sharing your journey so honestly. And today's conversation reminds us that behind every successful dentist, there are years of learning, practice, patience, self-doubt, discipline, and of course, an unwavering commitment to improving people's lives. So, dentistry is not simply about treating teeth, it's also about restoring confidence and restoring that smile, the beautiful smile, relieving pain, improving health, and sometimes bringing back a smile that changes someone's life forever. So, thank you. Thank you, Dr. Kangsha, for joining us. Thank you. And to every student listening today, remember this never choose a career because it looks prestigious. Choose it because you understand the journey, you respect the profession, and you can imagine yourself doing that work with passion for years to come. And that is what creates lasting success. So if today's conversation helped you, share this episode with every neat aspirant, every parent, and every student who is confused about MVBS and BDS. Because one honest conversation can save years of confusion. And if you're looking for personalized career guidance to choose the right profession based on your aptitude, personality, interest, and long-term goals, my team and I would be delighted to help you. Until next time, this is Kabil Gupta signing off from the Kabil Gupta career for show. Take care of your dreams because your career is one of the biggest decisions of your life. See you in the next episode. Thank you.