Resident Spotlight: Dr. Priscilla L. Carpenter

Compiled by Dr. Austyn Grissom                                                    

Dr. Priscilla L. Carpenter is a second-year resident at the University of Florida College of Dentistry where she serves as the Chief Resident. The Paper Point’s Dr. Austyn Grissom caught up with her to learn more about her journey to endo.

The Paper Point: Thank you so much for taking time to do this interview and sharing your journey with us, Priscilla. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Dr. Priscilla L. Carpenter: Thank you for having me! I am a proud double Bison, attending Howard University for both my undergraduate and dental education. Now, I’m also a proud Gator (Gooo Gators!). My husband and I got married at a destination wedding in Mexico, right before the pandemic, and have been married for three years. Together, we have an almost two year old dog, whom we love and spoil dearly. I am a Southern girl at heart. I’m originally from Charlotte, NC, but it’s been 10 years since I’ve lived there. We’re both excited to move to the Charlotte area after residency!

I come from a big family and I am a proud middle child, being one out of six total children. Before I was born, my mom felt led to homeschool us. So I was homeschooled from pre-K to 12th grade. Growing up in a close-knit family quickly instilled in me a strong sense of community, teamwork, a desire to help others, and a whole lot of patience. I have been fortunate to be able to carry these elements into the different aspects of my life, including dentistry.

The Paper Point: I love that! How was your transition from homeschool to your time in undergraduate at Howard University?

Dr. Carpenter: Being homeschooled is unique in that you are in an environment in which you are not in a classroom setting and everyone is in a different grade, with one teacher (mom); meaning there are many segments of time where you are given instruction and then time to work on your own.

Since you are not in a classroom setting, you have to learn how to self motivate and learn how to focus when there is potentially a (very) busy environment going on around you. You have to learn how to study on your own and you have to figure out how you efficiently individually study and best receive/obtain information. As an adult, I am grateful for all of these skills because they’ve helped me along my educational journey to get me to where I am today.

Looking back, my mom did a great job at making sure we had a well-rounded education by getting us involved in extracurricular activities such as sports, debate, public speaking (Toastmasters Club), field trips, and several others.

Additionally, I’m blessed to have been able to participate in dual-enrollment while I was in high school, meaning that I was able to take college courses alongside my high school courses in order to earn college credits prior to beginning undergrad. Due to that, I started off being classified as a sophomore and jumped right into the academic and research aspects of college. The culture shock for me came from being in a new city (Washington, DC vs. Charlotte), being away from my family for an extended period of time the first time, and being around a group of people within my age group exclusively for the first time – something that most people experience throughout their entire life on a daily basis.

The Paper Point: One of my favorite things on your impressive list of accomplishments is the “Veneer Award” which, for our readers, is an award given out by the Howard University College of Dentistry to a student who consistently has a smile on their face and exudes positive energy. I believe that this describes you perfectly! For our readers who are still in dental school and residency, do you have any advice for keeping a positive mindset during difficult times?

Dr. Carpenter: Difficult times are going to happen, unfortunately, that’s a given. It’s how you respond that is going to ultimately determine the outcome. It’s easy to give up, but it’s so much harder to keep going!

In order to ground and center yourself during those times, I urge you to remember your why. Why you’re here, why you’re doing this, why you want this. Remember your why and hold on to that – and don’t be afraid if it changes over time.

Even on the hard days, I’m grateful because I remember my why and I remember how far I’ve come and how much more I want to accomplish; not only for myself but for my patients, my family, my specialty, my community – and I keep going. Remember your why!

The Paper Point: What led you to endodontics? Is this something that you always knew that you wanted to do?

Dr. Carpenter: When I entered dental school, I had no idea I was going to specialize; I was honestly sure that I wasn’t going to. I was the person who grew up disliking the dentist, due to fear and anxiety. As an adult (in undergrad), one positive experience changed my entire perspective and, ultimately, the trajectory of my life. It was my AHA! Moment and I decided I wanted to do that for others. Since this played such a large part in my own personal journey to dentistry, the experience that each patient has is extremely important to me. I understand how one’s approach and demeanor towards a patient is just as important as the actual treatment itself.

When people ask me why I chose endodontics, I say that endodontics chose me. I was first exposed to endodontics my second year of dental school. I was immediately drawn to the meticulousness, the calm, and the peace that washed over me during SIM lab, and the excitement that I felt learning about the bio-physiology behind the pulpal and periapical diseases that cause the need for root canal therapy. Endodontics was tugging at me, even then, but I tried to be stubborn and remind myself that my plan was not to specialize. Looking back now, I know that my own fear was trying to get in my way.

As I continued my matriculation through dental school, I discovered a love for difficult cases allowing for pain management, patient care, and diagnosis, and quickly realized that endodontics is the epitome of that. Patients come to us with an emergency situation and/or in pain and get to leave with a solution. We have to be systematic, meticulous, we have to be thinking four steps ahead. Endodontics involves so many elements I love and situations I thrive in. I honestly feel like it combines the best parts of dentistry and the best parts of me. It also offers patients a chance to save their natural teeth, which can help change their perspective and improve their overall oral health, giving them a renewed sense of the importance of their dental care.

The Paper Point: What do you most enjoy about endodontics?

Dr. Carpenter: I love being able to put my patients at ease and limit their fear and anxiety associated with endodontic treatment. Patients come to us on their worst day and it is our job to make them feel comfortable and create a space where they feel as though they can trust us. Regardless of the patients’ age, gender, background, etc.; at the end of the day, it’s all about reassuring the patient and letting them know that you are there and that you care.

I also love how intricate the inside of a tooth can be! It truly is fascinating what we do, how we do it, and how successful it can be. I never cease to be amazed by anatomical variations, lateral canals, apical deltas, additional roots, dens cases, the list goes on and on and I am excited to see it all.

The Paper Point: What has been your favorite part of your endodontic residency?

Dr. Carpenter: I love that every day is different. There is always something new to gain from every situation. In dental school, I had a faculty member who often told us, “every tooth, in every mouth, is different!” and the further I go along in my journey, the truer that statement becomes. No two teeth are the same, because no two people are the same.

I’ve been blessed to be able to experience a vast amount in my program, from procedures, to rotations, to a wide range of patients. Each day brings a new opportunity and I am extremely grateful for that. We also get a chance to have a wide variety of courtesy faculty cover our clinic, in addition to our full and part-time faculty, meaning that we get different viewpoints and perspectives on how to approach cases; from both an academic and private practice standpoint. It definitely helps us to be more well-rounded in how we are able to approach cases.

So all in all, my favorite part of residency has been the exposure that we get, the vast amount of clinic experience we receive, and our talented faculty!

The Paper Point: What do you like to do for fun?

Dr. Carpenter: When I’m not reading the JOE; I enjoy cooking, traveling, and spending time with my amazing husband, our dog, Zola, family, and friends. I also enjoy curling up with a great book!

The Paper Point: What is your favorite dish to cook and share with others?

Dr. Carpenter: Cooking a great meal is such a labor of love and can be a source of comfort, at times. Growing up in a big family often meant that we worked as a team and shared the load – divvying up chores. One of which was making dinner. As I got older, what started as a “chore” blossomed into a passion as I was able to experiment, by trying different recipes and making new dishes. The more they enjoyed it, the more I did as well.

That being said, who doesn’t enjoy a good, comforting pasta dish? One of my favorite meals to share are Italian stuffed shells with a side salad and freshly made garlic bread (read: garlic butter; I’m from the south, what can I say?)

The Paper Point: What is your dream travel destination?

Dr. Carpenter: The world is so vast, that it’s so hard to pick just one place! There are so many destinations that I have on my “bucket list,” both locally and globally, and the list is constantly growing.

My next local dream travel destination would have to be Hawaii. I’d love to carve out enough time to fly over and island hop in order to explore the beauty, culture, and adventures that await on each of the Hawaiian Islands.

Globally? Bali is definitely high up on my list. Everyone I know who has been has had such an incredible time, from the food to the accommodations to the lushness of the land, it honestly looks like paradise. Plus, I’d get to cross both another country and a continent off the list of places I’ve been, so it’s a win-win.

The Paper Point: Any final words for our readers?

Dr. Carpenter: If you are afraid, just do it anyway. No one ever grows in their comfort zone. What’s meant for you will always be for you!!!