Last Clinc for Year One!!!

     I have officially survived my first year of clinic!  I'm so relieved that it is over and I was able to get all my requirements done.  Today was pretty laid back.  I had a neighbor come in so I could finish cleaning half of his mouth that I didn't get done when he was here earlier this month.  My goal was to finish him in 1 hour and I was able to get him done in about 45-50 minutes.  After that I just needed to pass off my peer calculus removal PE.  That was super easy cheesy. 
     I have really enjoyed being in the dental hygiene program this year.  I have had a lot of good times and made some great friends.  I am so glad that my class all gets along and helps each other out. 
     Yesterday I took 2 out of the 4 finals that I have this semester.  Now that clinic is done today I can just focus on the 2 other finals I need to take next week.  The end is so close!

Oh What a Day!

     Good thing we only have one more clinic day this semester.  Each day seems to get a little more frustrating and more things seem to go wrong.  Clinic started out good today but quickly started going down hill.  When I tried to lay my patients' chair back the chair wouldn't work.  I went and talked to Professor Costley and she couldn't figure out how to fix it either.  Mr. Saloman came in and found out that somehow the wires for the control had somehow been pulled out. 
     I decided to take my patient to get her x-rays while they tried to fix my chair.  I knew that she didn't like x-rays so I was trying to make it a positive experience.  She couldn't close all the way together on the film so I went and got smaller films.  She still couldn't bite all the way together so I went to Professor Costley and asked her to come help me.  She finally got some good x-rays but unfortunately the computer didn't save one of the good x-rays.  This girl doesn't like x-rays as it is and she was "lucky" enough to get 3 sets of x-rays taken on her. 
     When I took my patient back to the clinic my chair still wasn't fixed.  I then went to the option of setting up another chair that would work and move her there.  The only problem was there were no empty chairs in clinic today.  Luckily, Mr. Saloman was able to get it fixed.  I then started on the OD and cleaning.  That all went pretty well.  Her lower 12 year molars were partly erupted but I didn't think I would be able to do sealants on them because they still had some gum tissue covering the back of them.  When Costley checked everything she said I could do sealants and she wanted me to do them since they were just erupted.  She had so much saliva I was having a really hard time keeping the teeth dry.  I had one of the other girls in clinic come and help me keep the teeth dry.  I got them both placed and checked them and one of the sealants came off.  Costley came over and helped me place that sealant.   
     Thank goodness for Professor Costley today.  She helped me with a lot of things.  I need to get better at doing things by myself because some day I won't have an instructor there to help me with things. 

Tenacious Calculus

     Yesterday in clinic was kind of rough.  I had a patient come back to finish up three quadrants.  I thought for sure I would be done early but I was wrong.  I wasn't done until 30 minutes after all the patients need to be gone for the day.  Oops. 
     My patinet was one quad class 3 and two quads class 2.  I probably really only should have done two quads but I didn't figure that out until it was too late.  This patient was probably the most difficult patient I have seen this semester.  Her calculus was extremely tenacious and she was missing teeth so it was hard for me to get a good fulcrum.  Instructor Hafen really helped me out, thanks to her I was able to finish the patient.
     Only 2 more clinic sessions!!!   

Nothing Seemed to Go Right Today

     I'm glad I made it through today.  This afternoon I had a neighbor come in.  He is an older guy and I knew I would have a hard time finishing everything today because he talks so much.  He started talking as soon as I brought him back to my chair and it took me what seemed like forever to go through his health history because he kept on talking and because he had several medications that I had to look up.  His health history was the most extensive one I have had this semester.  I waited forever to get x-rays on him and when I was getting the x-rays I found out he is a gagger.  I had to go get Professor Costley and have her help me take the posterior bitewings.  I need to just make people tough it out a little bit longer like she did so I can get good x-rays.  I was able to get his lower teeth clean and when I had Professor Costley come check everything I had missed 4 areas of calculus.  I tried again to get those areas and I thought I had them but when Costley came back to check they were all still there.  She removed them for me since it was time to go.
     When I was trying to get him rescheduled to come back and finish the upper teeth I found out he will be out of town next Monday and next Wednesday he has other obligations that he isn't sure he will be able to move around.  I told him it was either next Wednesday morning for about an hour or wait all summer until I come back to school in the fall.  I will call him tomorrow and see what he decided. 
     After clinic I helped set up and decorate for the Welcome Event for the incoming juniors.  It was fun to meet the new students and chat with everyone and eat a yummy dinner.  I'm glad today is over.  I'm going to bed!!!