Calculus is REALLY Hard

     What a day!  Lets start out yesterday evening, I called my afternoon patient for today and they cancelled.  I was in Kamas so I didn't have any patient's names or phone numbers with me.  When I got to school this morning I asked the CA to schedule anyone if they called in.  About half hour later she told me she had found someone.  Yes!  About an hour after that she came back to me and said the lady had changed her mind and couldn't come today.  I finished my morning patient 15 minutes early and then headed into the office to start calling patients.  Tori found someone that was willing to come in for an appointment in short notice.  Thanks Tori, you're great! 
     My patient this afternoon was a really easy going, nice guy.  He only had 9 teeth in his mouth and is in the process of getting partials.  He had a lot of calculus on his lower anteriors that would have came off so easily with the ultrasonic scaler but I couldn't use that because he has hepatitis C.  Today I found out how hard calculus really can be.  My hand was cramping and it hurt so bad.  I was getting really frustrated because I felt like I wasn't removing very much of the calculus.  My instructor came and helped me use the Gracey instruments and the mini Gracey instruments.  I need to remember that the Gracey instruments already have the correct angle so I don't need to open the instrument up to the tooth like other instruments.  My instructor also helped me with correct instrumentation on the lower anterior teeth.  I need to remember to keep my hand right over the patient's nose and pull the instrument up towards the tooth, not roll it away from the tooth.  My patient had to leave early so I have him scheduled to come back in a few weeks to finish him.  My goal for instrumenting lower anterior teeth between now and then is to always keep my hand over my patient's nose and pull the instrument up towards the tooth.  I hope that will feel more natural when he comes back so I can get all the calculus removed.