Today I was able to be in clinic for the morning and the afternoon session. My brother-in-law, Bryce, is getting married on Wednesday so I had to do a full day in clinic today to be able to miss clinic Wednesday. I am so glad the instructors allowed me to do that so I can be at the wedding and not miss a clinic day and opportunities to pass off my requirements.
This morning I started off with the cutest 6 year old. She was so easy to work with. I was able to get x-rays, finish the cleaning and pass off the expolorer PE. I feel like I am getting a little bit faster and can get more done in one appointment than I used to be able to. After my patient left I was able to pass off the instrument sharpening PE. I failed that one last week but was able to do it perfectly today.
The afternoon session didn't go so smoothly. I had an older gentleman come back in to do the scaling. He was a class 2 with localized class 3. Before the appointment started I was thinking I would only be able to do half of his mouth. I was able to finish the first quadrant pretty quickly and when I had my instructor check my work I hadn't left any deposit in that quadrant. HORRAY! I moved on to the next quadrant and I thought that went pretty quickly also so I decided to move on and finish his whole mouth. I really felt like I had given him a good cleaning and that the deposits were removed. When my instructor came over to check she was finding spots that I had missed all over the place. I was thinking, "Well there goes my grade." She decided to choose one quadrant that was pretty close to being finished and stayed with me and helped me use the ultrasonic scaler and the hand scalers. In the end she decided to just count the two quadrants that I had completed and told me she wouldn't penalize me for the deposits that I had missed in the other two quadrants of his mouth. That was good news but I was still feeling bad. Thank goodness my patient was very easy going and agreed to come back for one more appointment to finish everything up.
All in all the all day clinic routine went pretty smoothly and quickly. I am glad it is over though...until next year when that is what I will do every week.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Productive Day
This morning one of my patients that I did x-rays and an OD on earlier in the month came back. I was a little bit nervous about this appointment because she was a class 2 patient with localized class 3. I've only really scaled 1B patients so far so I wasn't sure if I was ready for a harder patient. The best way to learn is to do it though right? RIGHT!!! I learned a lot today. My instructor was also very helpful and patient with me. I learned new tricks for scaling malpositioned anterior teeth and learned how to use a new instrument today that I really liked. I might have to look in to buying one for myself.
When my patient came in earlier this month she had soft and hard deposit all over. It was really a shocker when she opened her mouth for the first time. At the last appointment I gave her a mirror and showed her how to properly brush and floss her teeth. Today there was a huge difference in the way her gums and teeth looked. I didn't have to deal with nearly as much soft deposit today as I did earlier this month with her. YEA, a patient listened to me and I made a difference!
Today I was able to scale 2 quadrants of her mouth. She had a ton of calculus buildup on her lower anteriors and I was so excited to start getting that off. It was awesome and a little gross. Hopefully she will keep up her better oral hygiene techniques and keep that side of her mouth healthy and clean until she comes back in two weeks for me to finish the other half of her mouth.
I was also able to pass off my Subgingival Calculus Explorer PE and my Subgingival Calculus Anterior Instrumentation PE today. It feels good to keep crossing requirements off my list.
This week I had four tests scheduled for my classes. I was able to get 2 of them done yesterday, both with an A, and now just have 2 more to finish studying for and then get them taken. Wish me luck!
When my patient came in earlier this month she had soft and hard deposit all over. It was really a shocker when she opened her mouth for the first time. At the last appointment I gave her a mirror and showed her how to properly brush and floss her teeth. Today there was a huge difference in the way her gums and teeth looked. I didn't have to deal with nearly as much soft deposit today as I did earlier this month with her. YEA, a patient listened to me and I made a difference!
Today I was able to scale 2 quadrants of her mouth. She had a ton of calculus buildup on her lower anteriors and I was so excited to start getting that off. It was awesome and a little gross. Hopefully she will keep up her better oral hygiene techniques and keep that side of her mouth healthy and clean until she comes back in two weeks for me to finish the other half of her mouth.
I was also able to pass off my Subgingival Calculus Explorer PE and my Subgingival Calculus Anterior Instrumentation PE today. It feels good to keep crossing requirements off my list.
This week I had four tests scheduled for my classes. I was able to get 2 of them done yesterday, both with an A, and now just have 2 more to finish studying for and then get them taken. Wish me luck!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Today I had the cutest older gentleman as my patient. I was kind of worried since he was older because I didn't know if he would understand what I was doing. He was very alert and knew exactly what was going on. He was pretty funny too. I was surprised at how far I was able to get on him because he had a lot of medications that I had to look up and quite a bit of dental restorations that had to be charted. I almost had time to scale one quadrant. I am getting faster at everything!!! Today gave me hope that some day I will be able to finish an adult patient in one appointment.
On Wednesday I have a tough patient coming back and my goal is to finish at least 2 quadrants of her mouth and get help from the instructors if I am having a hard time in an area.
On Wednesday I have a tough patient coming back and my goal is to finish at least 2 quadrants of her mouth and get help from the instructors if I am having a hard time in an area.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
One More Child Requirement Complete
This morning I was able to see another child. This means that I only have to see one more child before my minimum requirments for a class 1A patient is complete! I was able to get a lot done on her and I even had extra time at the end to do a few house keeping tasks that I have needed to do for a few weeks but never had the time for. I was also able to pass off the selective polishing PE. It feels good to be getting requirements out of the way.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
First Child Patient
Today was a great day! I completed a patient in one appointment. My patient today was an 11 year old girl that was so cute and quiet. She was so cooperative and helped me out a lot. I did have her younger sister scheduled for this morning also and I was hoping to at least get started on her but I ran out of time.
I was able to get a lot done this morning. I took 2 BWX, 2 PAs, perio charted, scaled 4 quads, placed 4 sealants, and passed off my sealant PE! It feels great to have one PE done and out of the way and one of my 1A requirements done. Next Wednesday her younger sister is coming back and hopefully her mom will bring in her other younger sister. That will complete my minimum requirements for 1A patients.
Next time I need to be more prepared for sealants. I felt like I had all of my sealant materials and supplies spread out everywhere and I didn't have enough supplies out. It's better to have too much supplies out and ready than not enough in the middle of placing sealants.
I was able to get a lot done this morning. I took 2 BWX, 2 PAs, perio charted, scaled 4 quads, placed 4 sealants, and passed off my sealant PE! It feels great to have one PE done and out of the way and one of my 1A requirements done. Next Wednesday her younger sister is coming back and hopefully her mom will bring in her other younger sister. That will complete my minimum requirements for 1A patients.
Next time I need to be more prepared for sealants. I felt like I had all of my sealant materials and supplies spread out everywhere and I didn't have enough supplies out. It's better to have too much supplies out and ready than not enough in the middle of placing sealants.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Class II Patient with Localized Class III
Today was my first day with a patient that I had never met before. I have to say it went pretty well. I really wasn't nervous at all. I think that I did a pretty good job at making my patient think that I knew what I was doing, even if I forgot something and had to go back and complete it. I'm surprised that I was able to keep my cool like that because usually I panic and then really start messing up and making mistakes. I DID IT!!!
I scheduled todays patient from the resource list at the beginning of December. I was so nervous that she wouldn't show up so I called her a few times during the last week just to make sure she was still going to come. I was so relieved when I saw on the computer schedule that she had arrived. That was my biggest stress.
I was hoping to be able to get some x-rays today on my patient since she was a new patient but just last month she had 4 BWX and 2 ant. PAs taken by Midtown Clinic. I was kind of bummed about that but I was able to get 1 PA on the lower left because of massive decay. When I laid my patient back to do an intra oral exam I was amazed at how much buildup was on her teeth. It didn't look like she had brushed in at least a week. Yummy! At first I was totally grossed out by it and wondered how I could be in her mouth for the next two hours but I just had to tell myself not to think about it. Once I got past the initial shock I was fine. She didn't have deep periodontal pockets like I expected her to have. I might have been a little too gentle and timid. When Professor Costley came over to do my OD Check she told me that my patient was a class II with localized class III on the lower anteriors. I was pretty excited about that. That will help me fulfill some of my hardest requirements.
When I was going over oral hygiene she told me that she brushes twice a day and flosses at least once a day. I DON'T THINK SO GIRL! If you brush and floss that much you shouldn't have this much crap in your mouth. Sometimes I wish I could tell patients this. I was nice about it and showed her the proper way to brush and floss. She is coming back at the end of January so we will see if her brushing and flossing is any better.
For clinic Wednesday I need to try to have all my paper work organized a little better. I have two pedo patients scheduled for Wednesday morning so my goal is to completely finish one patient and start on the other patient.
I scheduled todays patient from the resource list at the beginning of December. I was so nervous that she wouldn't show up so I called her a few times during the last week just to make sure she was still going to come. I was so relieved when I saw on the computer schedule that she had arrived. That was my biggest stress.
I was hoping to be able to get some x-rays today on my patient since she was a new patient but just last month she had 4 BWX and 2 ant. PAs taken by Midtown Clinic. I was kind of bummed about that but I was able to get 1 PA on the lower left because of massive decay. When I laid my patient back to do an intra oral exam I was amazed at how much buildup was on her teeth. It didn't look like she had brushed in at least a week. Yummy! At first I was totally grossed out by it and wondered how I could be in her mouth for the next two hours but I just had to tell myself not to think about it. Once I got past the initial shock I was fine. She didn't have deep periodontal pockets like I expected her to have. I might have been a little too gentle and timid. When Professor Costley came over to do my OD Check she told me that my patient was a class II with localized class III on the lower anteriors. I was pretty excited about that. That will help me fulfill some of my hardest requirements.
When I was going over oral hygiene she told me that she brushes twice a day and flosses at least once a day. I DON'T THINK SO GIRL! If you brush and floss that much you shouldn't have this much crap in your mouth. Sometimes I wish I could tell patients this. I was nice about it and showed her the proper way to brush and floss. She is coming back at the end of January so we will see if her brushing and flossing is any better.
For clinic Wednesday I need to try to have all my paper work organized a little better. I have two pedo patients scheduled for Wednesday morning so my goal is to completely finish one patient and start on the other patient.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
One Patient COMPLETE!!!
Today David came back to the clinic for me to finish up his treatment. He is a great sport and I am so greateful that he agreed to come back and let me play in his mouth again. The appointmnet went pretty well overall. I was able to get quite a bit done today especially since this is the first patient I have had the opportunity to scale and make sure everything was clean. I was able to scale all of his mouth, place 3 sealants, and polish, floss, and flouride. It was kind of stressful at the end but I finished!
One thing that I found that I need to work on is adaptation with my instrument. I poked David several times but he was tough and encouraged me to keep going, no matter how frustrated I got. Placing the sealants went a lot smoother than I thought they would, I didn't even have to redo any of them!
This weekend I am going to practice scaling on my typodont so I feel more comfortable and ready to see a new patient Monday. I'm on my way to becoming a dental hygienist!!!
One thing that I found that I need to work on is adaptation with my instrument. I poked David several times but he was tough and encouraged me to keep going, no matter how frustrated I got. Placing the sealants went a lot smoother than I thought they would, I didn't even have to redo any of them!
This weekend I am going to practice scaling on my typodont so I feel more comfortable and ready to see a new patient Monday. I'm on my way to becoming a dental hygienist!!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Back to School
Today was back to school after the nice Christmas Break. It was hard to go back but good knowing that I am getting closer and closer to graduation. This semester I don't have radiology class Monday mornings so I had the morning to run some errands and get things ready for school. Clinic doesn't start for me on Mondays until 12:20 so it will be nice to have the morning to study and get things done before going to school.
In clinic today we reviewed how to use the ultrasonic scaler and we learned about area specific instruments. I'm glad we used our typodonts today to practice. It seemed like forever since I instrumented so it was nice not to have the pressure of working in a live patient's mouth today. I need to get my mind ready for Wednesday though when David comes back in to finish having his teeth cleaned.
I am really looking forward to all the material and information that will be taught this semester. I love learning about teeth and the mouth. I guess I choose the right profession. Just a couple weeks ago I found out that I had received a scholarship from Weber State for my good grades last semester. I was so excited! Having that money that I don't have to pay for tuition lifts such a burden off David and I. I need to keep up the enthusiam for the material and get good grades again to continue to get the scholarship because who doesn't like free money for school!
In clinic today we reviewed how to use the ultrasonic scaler and we learned about area specific instruments. I'm glad we used our typodonts today to practice. It seemed like forever since I instrumented so it was nice not to have the pressure of working in a live patient's mouth today. I need to get my mind ready for Wednesday though when David comes back in to finish having his teeth cleaned.
I am really looking forward to all the material and information that will be taught this semester. I love learning about teeth and the mouth. I guess I choose the right profession. Just a couple weeks ago I found out that I had received a scholarship from Weber State for my good grades last semester. I was so excited! Having that money that I don't have to pay for tuition lifts such a burden off David and I. I need to keep up the enthusiam for the material and get good grades again to continue to get the scholarship because who doesn't like free money for school!
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