The Three Prostho-teers: How 3 students got accepted into the same prosthodontics residency

PART 2: Alexis Dudash

1: My name is Alexis DuDash. I am from Portland, Oregon. I am the youngest of the three girls in my family. I enjoy time with my family and playing with my 11 nieces and nephews. My hobbies are cars, food and traveling when I am not knee deep in teeth!

2/3: The first time I worked through a challenging Prosthodontic case at the CU Dental clinic, I remember going home feeling elated and wanting to learn more and do more. I admired the complexity of Prosthodontics and realized that the more cases that I worked the more I wanted. That is the reason I chose Prosthodontics. For it's challenging work, the opportunities for you to think beyond the simple answer, the fact that it involves all realms of dentistry, and the interdisiplnary approach it provides.

4: There is not much I can speak on when it comes to comparing the interview process to other specialties but one thing I can say is that I enjoyed mine. I applied through ADEA and MATCH. I talked to my fellow classmates who have applied to other specialties and the process seems about the same. I think the main difference I noticed was that each individual I talked to expressed what they wanted from their residency; knowing what you want is important. How the application process goes is what you make of it, yes you fill out a lot of paperwork but the main thing that helps is how prepared a student can be. Keeping an up to date CE/resume is key.

5: The thing that I am most excited about for Prosthodontic Residency, is the amount of learning that I will be doing. The fact that I will be able to eat, breath, and sleep Pros, sounds like a dream come true!

6: My advice to dental students interested in residency is to really take the time and immerse themself in their education and learn what their likes and dislikes are. This will allow them to have a better understanding of what they want out of a residency and will make applying a little simpler. I also think that it is important to get to know your peers and faculty. Dentistry is a small community and we can all learn from each other!