PreDents.com | Page 4 of 12 | Pre-Dental Resource for Pre-Dental Students

I can’t believe it is already two years later! When I started this project, I had no idea how ambitious the idea of an all encompassing pre-dental resource was. I expected to run out of content 20-30 posts in, but two years and 44 posts later, I am not even half way through the material I plan to cover. This project has been something that has reshaped my passion for pre-dental mentoring. I plan to continue providing information to the community for years to come as I am nearing the transition into dental school. In dental school, I hope to be part of a pre-dental committee focused on helping students in high school and college achieve their dreams of becoming a dentist. Getting into dental school is a long and challenging process, but in the end it is worth it, trust me!

With that said, our community has grown tremendously over the past year. Here are some stats from the website!

Visits: 10,320
Unique Visitors: 8,884
Pageviews: 25,751
Reach: 111 Countries (See below)

I am absolutely amazed at the response and love receiving messages from all of you. Please continue to send me messages through Ask Elias.

SmileTrain recently partnered with BioDigital Human to create a free of charge Virtual Surgery Simulator for dental/medical professionals. For those that do not know already, SmileTrain is an organization focused on finding children in developing countries who are suffering from either cleft lip or cleft palate disorders. Living with one of these disorders can be very difficult as many of these kids have trouble eating, sleeping, and living without public ridicule and isolation. SmileTrain along with their partners worldwide have worked to make cleft lip and left palate disorders a thing of the past so that these children can grow up and be part of society. To date, SmileTrain has provided 975 THOUSAND smiles and have managed to achieve these life changing surgeries for a mere $250 dollars. If you would like to learn more about the organization and how to donate, visit their website.

The primary goal of the SmileTrain Virtual Surgery Simulator is to provide professionals word wide with a tool for proper cleft lip and cleft palate surgery. In the developing world, cleft surgeons often do not have access to the latest techniques and updated protocols for cleft surgery. Lacking access to such knowledge and materials can be a barrier to continuing education and quality improvement. A free online resource easily accessible to anyone with a computer allows for an effective distribution of knowledge.

This tool is also a great resource for pre-dental students who are interested in complicated cases such as cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. You can follow along with the interactive animated 3D procedures as a surgeon narrates each step. It is an eye opening experience to see the technicality of the procedure and the importance of doing it properly to minimize facial deformity and maximize functionality. This free resource also includes highly detailed 3D models for facial anatomy as well as live surgery footage as you follow along.