Why UX Design & Dentistry are Similar.

Being a great dental assistant (DA) doesn’t mean that you know every procedure like the back of your hand. It means you put your patient first.

Most people fear the dentist, so from the moment a patient comes into the office, I always did my best to make them feel welcomed and at ease. A patient could have past traumas from their childhood, a bad dental experience, or simply have a negative idea of the dentist which might cause some anxiety and fear.​

Empathizing with each patient was key and learning the signs when someone is feeling uncomfortable was important to take action and ease their troubles. I can confidently say that I helped most of my patients have a better experience at the dentist. My methods included shaking their arm as a distraction while the doctor gave them anesthetic, for some, I held their hand throughout an extraction (tooth removal), and for the little ones, I made them laugh while I was brushing their teeth. With time, a lot of them looked forward to their next visit. The goal was to hopefully remove the trauma and turn dental visits into good experiences and get them to come back with less worry.

I learned a lot about myself in my 6 years as a DA. I learned that I love human interaction and I enjoy helping people. I also learned that people sometimes need someone to guide them through a better experience.

Of course, the dental and tech fields differ in many ways.

But I do think if people are given empathetic guidance, then their experiences can change into positive ones. Just like those in the dental field want to change the negative experience of going to the dentist and hopefully get more people to visit more frequently for their health, for most tech companies, the goal is to get people (especially those intimidated by technology) to come back to their app or website with more confidence and have a positive experience.

When I learned about UX Design, I knew this career was something I could and wanted to do. The world is becoming more inclusive and accessible through technological implementation. More companies are looking for ways to help those with limitations to make day-to-day so much easier and I want to be part of that change. I’m confident that I have what it takes to add my grain of sand in UX with my background in dentistry.