While there is certainly a ton of book learning that must be done in order to become a professional in dentistry, something that can go overlooked by people entering the field is their hand dexterity. Practically every subsection of dentistry requires some amount of fine motor control, and developing that skill takes time and effort. We’ll talk about a few ways to improve your hand skills for dentistry that can increase your effectiveness as a professional.
Artistic Pursuits
Plenty of artistic pursuits go beyond mental stimulation and actually provide a lot of opportunities to practice dexterous skills. These are some of the most common artistic fields that can help improve your dexterity in a way that will be useful as a dentist:
- Drawing
- Sketching
- Painting
- Ceramics
- Sculpting
- Woodcarving
All of these examples require you to develop an understanding and control of the way your hands move. Practicing these things can put you in a better position to be an excellent dentist.
Musical Instrument Practice
Similar to the first option, another method of improving your hand skills for dentistry is to take up a musical instrument. Specifically, you want an instrument that promotes good hand dexterity. Piano, violin, and guitar all require very specific finger movements that help you learn how to move them in exactly the way you want. You don’t have to be a professional, but a musical instrument is an excellent way to develop your dexterity.
Sewing and Knitting
With hobbies such as sewing, knitting, or cross-stitching, you will learn to develop muscle memory in your hands and fingers. The repetitive motions of knitting and sewing will slowly allow you to trust your hands to do the right thing, even if you’re distracted by other things around you. These distractions are common when performing dentistry, so these hobbies are also useful for developing your focus.
Continued Education Courses
What is the most reliable way to develop the dexterity that a dentist needs? Over time, you’ll likely want to turn to extra education courses to learn more specific hand skills unique to dentistry. You may want to look into continued education for dental implants or other surgeries that require a deft hand to complete. These courses don’t just develop dexterity and muscle memory but also help you learn the proper procedures for actual surgeries and operations you’ll likely perform.
Hand dexterity isn’t something that you should neglect over time, as it can degrade if you don’t continue practicing. Using these methods, you can make sure that your hand skills are always up to the task.
