One of the most memorable lessons from my internship came from a patient on a busy morning in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics.
She visited the department with sharp pain in her lower back tooth. After examination, the cause seemed to be a straight case — a carious premolar that required restoration. The procedure was completed, high points checked and I expected the pain to resolve.
But it didn’t.
She returned the very next day with the same complaint. Myself being an intern, her arrival made me anxious.
As I went through her history again and re-examined everything clinically and radiographically, I tried to set aside the previous diagnosis and look at the case with fresh eyes. That’s when I noticed something that had nothing to do with the restoration. It was a supra-erupted upper molar impinging on the gingiva in the affected area.
After a minor occlusal adjustment, I asked her how she felt.
She smiled and said, “The pain is gone,” with happy tears in her eyes.
That moment taught me something I’ll carry throughout my career.
As clinicians, it’s easy for us to anchor ourselves to the first diagnosis that is commonly seen. Sometimes, the biggest difference comes from slowing down, listening carefully, and being willing to question our first impression.
Since that day, I’ve tried to approach every patient as if they’re the first patient I’m seeing—not with assumptions and quick conclusions, but with curiosity.
Have you ever had a case that completely changed the way you think?
MBH/PS
That day actually taught me that the best clinical skill isn’t knowing more but just pausing long enough to see what we almost missed!