It's been a while since I have posted on my blog. I was told to post my thoughts regarding clinic on a new facebook group blog, so I've been trying to do that with the intentions of continuing to blog here, so I can publish my dental hygiene experience in a book and have it as a dental hygiene memories keepsake. Since the change, of course life happens and I got really busy with class and life in general so I missed getting on here to blog. I plan to make it through my last few weeks to catch up and write about all the fun memories!
During Clinic for Week 11, I was able to be a Clinic assistant again. I was clinic assistant during Week 5 and didn't blog about it because it's boring. Since I plan to make this a memory book, I figured I should blog about being a CA just in case I wonder what the tasks were (I don't think I could ever forget! HA!).
As a Clinic Assistant, I had to check in patients for the morning and then go around clinic making sure supplies are stocked and things are running smoothly. I also had to set up the radiology room developers and stock the supplies there as well. It seems like a pretty laid back time to rest and regenerate for the next week of clinic; although, I was sorely wrong my first time being a CA. Mr. Salomon had me running around with my head cut off. I never did anything right (or so it seemed). He is a very bossy man which made it hard to work with him. He would fret about the little things, and let the things that matter (like replacing the old Cavitrons with the new one that were ordered in September, so we could actually use our inserts we paid for in August!) go by the way side. Anyway, when it's my turn to be CA I cringe. I don't enjoy it. I love seeing patients during clinic way better! I guess this is a good thing since I am planning on doing "clinic" for a really really long time :)
During the Afternoon, we had a lab day. We discussed new topics such as the Velscope, relearning the CPR routine, Wheelchair transfers, desensitization, and irrigation. The Velscope seemed like a silly tool to look for intraoral dysplasia. The machine is very expensive and seems like a waste of money because it doesn't actually tell you if the lesion is cancer. You still need a biopsy. Just another gadget invented for some dentist to get roped into buying. Going over CPR situations (durinf school they called them STAT situations) was a great review. It was nice to remember things I was taught and try to really remember them like I should. The wheelchair transfers were a fun change! I felt silly to be picked up and moved by my classmates like a was a handicap, but it was definitely a good experience. The last rotation was for densensitization and irrigation. I watched the hygienists that I worked with irrigate, so I understood the reasoning behind it and how they do it. The desensitization was a new thing I learned. It seemed simple like polishing a patient, but it is supposed to occlude the dentin tubules to avoid hypersensitivity. Since this was a new thing I was taught, I don't know how I feel about it. I plan to use it a few times on patients to see how it really works.
Week 11 was a low key clinic week. Nothing too exciting happened, but I did learn a lot as usual! :)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
I found my Class IV patient!!!- Tuesday November 6, 2012
I was at Midtown Dental Clinic today for my Tuesday clinic rotation. I was expecting an uneventful regular Midtown day. I was hoping today wouldn't be much different than the other days...
Even though we got word that Midtown quads now count toward regular clinic requirements, I wasn't expecting much. I'll be honest when I got word that quads counted I had mixed emotions. I felt like the students (of which I am a part of) who go to Midtown this semester got the crappy hand because we worked all the kinks and difficulties out while being there. The students going to the VA this semester will walk into Midtown with the first day seeing patients and having all work smoothly. I'm trying not to harbor hard feelings about this because, let's be honest, no one has control over this. Someone has to be the first one. I am trying to go with the flow and not let it bother me. For the most part, I don't worry about it because I know everything will work out, and I know I will graduate like the other thousand of people who graduated from WSU Dental Hygiene program. The only time that it bothers me is when someone asks for my opinion. I try to be short and sweet because it does raise my blood pressure a bit but then I get over it and move on with my day. Thank goodness I was raised by my mom and married someone just like her! Water on a duck's back ;)
Tangent over. Back to the topic...
This morning I was given a child to see first thing. She was very sweet and timid. She came with her mother for a dental cleaning. She did well for the most part but struggled when I had to wait for my instructor, the dentist, etc. I was able to clean her teeth and did x-rays in less than an hour. The next hour took the longest! I was waiting most of the time, but then I was able to get one sealant done for her and let her be on her way. She was very patient and didn't give me a bit of problems.
My next morning patient was the big BANG! I brought him back and immediately smelled his breath just from talking to him. This isn't abnormal, and I have noticed it before so that wasn't something that made me think too hard. In talking he mentioned it had been years since he had his teeth cleaned (again, not a shocker being at Midtown Dental Clinic). This is the answer I get with most patients. Since he was young, I didn't think anything of it. I just made note of it and continued with the appointment. It was when he agreed to take x-rays and the first one popped up on the computer....
WOW! Look at that bone loss! Is that even possible? "My teeth are a little loose." Thinking to myself, " A little? Jeez! That looks painful!"
My face was composed, and he didn't noticed that I was totally shocked at what I saw.
One of my classmates offered to help me chart the probing. Thank goodness! I knew this was going to be rough. My heart was racing because I was nervous to work on such a periodontally involved patient.
First tooth...
Of course this patient had all of his teeth. Wisdom teeth included which are impossible to probe around. Tooth #1 8-18-15.... oh jeez! I was in for it! Thankfully, this was the wiggly tooth that he was talking about. Although the probe depths were deep compared to the average patient, they weren't this deep generalized in his mouth!
Well, I got through the probing and knew without a doubt that my patient was a Class IV. Everyone was pretty excited for me, and so was I but deep inside I was terrified to start scaling. It seemed as though my instructor had complete confidence in me (I'm glad she did!). I got started. We agreed to get started on one quad and go from there. My instructor insisted that my patient get half of the mouth cleaned today, so that would limit dental office appointments. This meant that I would work through my lunch break, then have one of my classmates clean a quad so I could eat and then reschedule him. I wasn't super happy about sharing him because he was such a good experience, but I went with it for the same reason I went with the Midtown quads counting. I couldn't control the situation so there is no reason to get upset about it. I am able to clean 3 of the 4 quads, and I just deal with it.
I was able to administer 3 injections which was a great experience, and scale 1 quad only missing 1 area of calculus! GO me! This ended my day at Midtown. I am grateful for the experiences I get at Midtown. They have such a variety of patients that I am able to see. From Class IA to Class IV. I feel like with this experience I will become a better dental hygienist for the real world and have the ability to stay on schedule and do a great job!
Today was a great experience. I'm grateful for the things I learn at Midtown and for the people who help me succeed in dental hygiene.
Even though we got word that Midtown quads now count toward regular clinic requirements, I wasn't expecting much. I'll be honest when I got word that quads counted I had mixed emotions. I felt like the students (of which I am a part of) who go to Midtown this semester got the crappy hand because we worked all the kinks and difficulties out while being there. The students going to the VA this semester will walk into Midtown with the first day seeing patients and having all work smoothly. I'm trying not to harbor hard feelings about this because, let's be honest, no one has control over this. Someone has to be the first one. I am trying to go with the flow and not let it bother me. For the most part, I don't worry about it because I know everything will work out, and I know I will graduate like the other thousand of people who graduated from WSU Dental Hygiene program. The only time that it bothers me is when someone asks for my opinion. I try to be short and sweet because it does raise my blood pressure a bit but then I get over it and move on with my day. Thank goodness I was raised by my mom and married someone just like her! Water on a duck's back ;)
Tangent over. Back to the topic...
This morning I was given a child to see first thing. She was very sweet and timid. She came with her mother for a dental cleaning. She did well for the most part but struggled when I had to wait for my instructor, the dentist, etc. I was able to clean her teeth and did x-rays in less than an hour. The next hour took the longest! I was waiting most of the time, but then I was able to get one sealant done for her and let her be on her way. She was very patient and didn't give me a bit of problems.
My next morning patient was the big BANG! I brought him back and immediately smelled his breath just from talking to him. This isn't abnormal, and I have noticed it before so that wasn't something that made me think too hard. In talking he mentioned it had been years since he had his teeth cleaned (again, not a shocker being at Midtown Dental Clinic). This is the answer I get with most patients. Since he was young, I didn't think anything of it. I just made note of it and continued with the appointment. It was when he agreed to take x-rays and the first one popped up on the computer....
WOW! Look at that bone loss! Is that even possible? "My teeth are a little loose." Thinking to myself, " A little? Jeez! That looks painful!"
My face was composed, and he didn't noticed that I was totally shocked at what I saw.
One of my classmates offered to help me chart the probing. Thank goodness! I knew this was going to be rough. My heart was racing because I was nervous to work on such a periodontally involved patient.
First tooth...
Of course this patient had all of his teeth. Wisdom teeth included which are impossible to probe around. Tooth #1 8-18-15.... oh jeez! I was in for it! Thankfully, this was the wiggly tooth that he was talking about. Although the probe depths were deep compared to the average patient, they weren't this deep generalized in his mouth!
Well, I got through the probing and knew without a doubt that my patient was a Class IV. Everyone was pretty excited for me, and so was I but deep inside I was terrified to start scaling. It seemed as though my instructor had complete confidence in me (I'm glad she did!). I got started. We agreed to get started on one quad and go from there. My instructor insisted that my patient get half of the mouth cleaned today, so that would limit dental office appointments. This meant that I would work through my lunch break, then have one of my classmates clean a quad so I could eat and then reschedule him. I wasn't super happy about sharing him because he was such a good experience, but I went with it for the same reason I went with the Midtown quads counting. I couldn't control the situation so there is no reason to get upset about it. I am able to clean 3 of the 4 quads, and I just deal with it.
I was able to administer 3 injections which was a great experience, and scale 1 quad only missing 1 area of calculus! GO me! This ended my day at Midtown. I am grateful for the experiences I get at Midtown. They have such a variety of patients that I am able to see. From Class IA to Class IV. I feel like with this experience I will become a better dental hygienist for the real world and have the ability to stay on schedule and do a great job!
Today was a great experience. I'm grateful for the things I learn at Midtown and for the people who help me succeed in dental hygiene.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Week 10- Thursday November 1, 2012
This morning I was able to see a patient I screened for my Junior requirements. I forgot I saw him, and let him fall through the cracks.. oops! He ended up calling the clinic who then emailed me to get him scheduled. This was nice because I knew who he was and what his classification was, so there was no guessing! When I confirmed his appointment with him, he was really weird on the phone. He said he couldn't afford anything but the cleaning like I was a used car sales man trying to gear him up for a sales pitch during his appointment trying to get him to sign up for some unnecessary things. It kind of bugged me. Oh well! He came on time, and I was able to complete his whole cleaning. I'm not sure where my skills have gone, but they haven't been with me the last week because I've been missing a lot of areas and my brain has taken a hike. I missed five areas of calculus! I've been kind of discouraged with scaling this last week at Midtown Dental Clinic, so it must've carried with me to WSU dental hygiene clinic. I need to figure out what is going on before too long because I'm supposed to know what I'm doing!
This afternoon, I was able to see my mother-in-law for her cleaning. Since I cleaned her teeth last semester, I knew what I was getting myself into unlike with some of my other patients. I was able to administer Nitrous Oxide to calm her down a little more than last time, and it really seemed to help. This was a good experience too because not only was I able to complete a PE, I was able to experience what it is like cleaning around a Nitrous nose piece. It actually wasn't too bad; although, I wasn't scaling a periodontally involved patient. She also allowed me to check her Blood Glucose level for my PE, and it came back normal. This is great information for her and a good experience for me! Overall, this appointment went well. I need to figure out what is going on when I see a perio patient. I used to do really well with them until this week (well actually Mock Boards wasn't good either). I feel like when I slow down I over-analyze things, but if I'm too quick and confident, I missed areas too. Ahh.... I don't know what the problem is.
Just keep swimming!
This afternoon, I was able to see my mother-in-law for her cleaning. Since I cleaned her teeth last semester, I knew what I was getting myself into unlike with some of my other patients. I was able to administer Nitrous Oxide to calm her down a little more than last time, and it really seemed to help. This was a good experience too because not only was I able to complete a PE, I was able to experience what it is like cleaning around a Nitrous nose piece. It actually wasn't too bad; although, I wasn't scaling a periodontally involved patient. She also allowed me to check her Blood Glucose level for my PE, and it came back normal. This is great information for her and a good experience for me! Overall, this appointment went well. I need to figure out what is going on when I see a perio patient. I used to do really well with them until this week (well actually Mock Boards wasn't good either). I feel like when I slow down I over-analyze things, but if I'm too quick and confident, I missed areas too. Ahh.... I don't know what the problem is.
Just keep swimming!
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