This morning I was able to see my peer-pal's mother again. This marks exactly 3 months since her last cleaning. She has impeccable oral hygiene and really probably doesn't need to be seen sooner than 6 months, but it makes her feel good to be checked regularly. She mentioned today that she will have to have 2 of her implants removed because I told her to visit her oral surgeon to have them checked. She said her oral surgeon took a pano and thought everything looked fine. She mentioned that I got a 9mm and 6mm pocket in some area around these implants, so he checked to make sure he was able to get the same readings. Sure enough, he was able to get deep pocket readings that made him concerned. He said the implants need to come out and may not be able to be replaced. She mentioned she has nerve issues on this side of her mouth which may be caused from the implants sitting on the nerve according to her oral surgeon. When she came in today to get her teeth cleaned, my professor checked her and noticed there was no mobility in any direction which made him wonder what the bone levels look like today. I took a PA x-ray and things look similar to what they were in January when the other x-rays were taken. I printed them off for her and told her to take those x-rays with her to her appointment. She was grateful for all the help we were able to give her today during her appointment. I was able to clean her teeth quickly and learn a lot about implants, mobility, and x-rays. This morning was a great learning experience which had nothing really to do with dental hygiene. I love moments like these that help me learn a little beyond my scope of practice to educate my patients with other things.
This afternoon I was able to see a man who was a patient of one of my classmates. She said his wife wanted him to be seen but she didn't have a plan on how to have him in before Christmas. This worked out really well for me and for her. I was able to relieve her of this burden and have a patient in my chair since the one I had scheduled cancelled last minute. It was a really quick appointment. He has been seen here at the clinic many many times so his chart was full, and I just had to review a few things with him and get started. He had great home care so there wasn't much to discuss in the way of oral hygiene instruction. This seems to be that kind of patient I will see as a perio maintenance appointment (I hope!). Things went really smooth for my last day of clinic this semester. I couldn't have asked for a better couple of patients and easy way to end the semester.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Week 14- Thursday November 29, 2012
This morning patient was the best patient I could've asked for MY HUSBAND! He came in today knowing he would miss a duck hunt with my brother but promised me that he would help me out with my requirements and PEs. I was able to use the diagnodent which is a caries finder on some of his teeth. This detected a few cavities in his back molars :( I had him do the Caries Risk Assessment which shows how acidic his saliva is. This test was so gross to watch! He had to spit in a cup, I had to count how long it took to have his lip develop beads of saliva, and I had to test the pH of his saliva. I'm so glad I was able to do this test on my husband instead of a stranger because it is uncomfortable for the patient to do and for me to watch. I was also able to use the Velscope and take a look at his mouth. This is a machine that shows dysplasia of the oral mucosa. Sure enough, the small area that I was looking at had a little dysplasia. My professor encouraged him to see an Oral Surgeon for a biopsy of the tissue to make sure it's benign. Before I even probed or scaled, I already knew so much about things in my husband's mouth. Dentistry is really amazing! My husband asked me if I could pass off my N2O on him today. I asked my professor and he said sure :) What a good husband! that means I was able to pass off 4 PEs and get his mouth cleaned. This morning was a great time to get things done! I have such great support! I love him for it :)
This afternoon I saw a patient I saw at Midtown Dental Clinic for a few sealants. I was able to do all but one and then let one of my friends come in and do one while I did a pano for her. It was nice to do a sealant on such a good kid! He held perfectly still and held his tongue down and out of the way. He was super easy to work with :) Once I was done with his sealants, I dismissed him and saw one more patient. The second patient I was able to see was my neighbor's son. He was very curious and wiggly! I was able to take a pano on him to make sure all of his teeth were coming in properly. He had an anterior cross-bite, so with the help of my professor, I encouraged my friend to take her son to the orthodontist for a consultation. She was thankful for the cleaning and the pano x-ray I took to see how things were developing, so she could take him to the orthodontist before things get bad. Seeing kids is always an adventure. Some are really easy to see and cooperate well. Others are a bit more of a challenge. They are wiggly, curious, and/or nervous and won't cooperate. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to see all types of patients!
This afternoon I saw a patient I saw at Midtown Dental Clinic for a few sealants. I was able to do all but one and then let one of my friends come in and do one while I did a pano for her. It was nice to do a sealant on such a good kid! He held perfectly still and held his tongue down and out of the way. He was super easy to work with :) Once I was done with his sealants, I dismissed him and saw one more patient. The second patient I was able to see was my neighbor's son. He was very curious and wiggly! I was able to take a pano on him to make sure all of his teeth were coming in properly. He had an anterior cross-bite, so with the help of my professor, I encouraged my friend to take her son to the orthodontist for a consultation. She was thankful for the cleaning and the pano x-ray I took to see how things were developing, so she could take him to the orthodontist before things get bad. Seeing kids is always an adventure. Some are really easy to see and cooperate well. Others are a bit more of a challenge. They are wiggly, curious, and/or nervous and won't cooperate. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to see all types of patients!
Week 13- Thursday November 22, 2012
Today is THANKSGIVING! It was a great day to spend with family and friends. Stephen was able to go duck hunting with Josh, my dad, and some friends. He was able to shoot a prize Widgeon duck and plans to mount it for his "Man Cave". We had Thanksgiving dinner with his family at his Mom's house. It was a good day to relax and be with those who matter most. :)
Week 12- Thursday November 15, 2012
Week 12 was very exciting!!
My first patient was a lady I was able to screen at Midtown in May for a Women's Health Clinic. For some reason when I took her information down, I starred her name and wrote "BOARD" next to it. I knew I wanted to see her and remembered her husband was interested in having her come to WSU for a dental cleaning. When I tried scheduling her, I struggled because she speaks only Spanish. I coordinated an appointment with her husband and then they cancelled a couple days prior because she was nervous about the language barrier. I can understand, but it still was very frustrating. Needless to say, I am very thankful that they rescheduled because I probably would have used her for my Mock Board experience. God works in mysterious ways! :) Yep that's right! My patient had enough calculus to be my Board patient! WAHOO!! This was super exciting to me, but I felt bad that I couldn't get anything but x-rays and the PD completed for her today. Her husband responded positively to boards, but really wanted some part of her teeth cleaned that day. I wish I could've done something more, but I just couldn't. I was able to reschedule her in January to see her for half of her mouth and then I will see her for boards. This is a huge relief and a big step for my future! I am so thankful that things really do work out and all is well!
My afternoon patient was my Mock Board patient returning to have the last quad of his mouth cleaned. I scheduled him for an hour and got him all cleaned up and out in time and was able to administer a couple local anesthesia injections. He was very thankful to be seen and know his mouth is clean. I was able to encourage him to continue with the home care that he has been learning each time he comes in for his cleaning. It's exciting to see someone have interest in the education you give them and see it work for them! His wife was very sweet to work with since he speaks on Spanish. They want to brighten their smiles with bleach trays and were inquiring about that at this appointment. I was able to tell them about a fundraiser we will be doing as a program with bleach trays at a discounted price. He seemed interested in this!
My second afternoon patient was a returning Class III patient to have the remaining two quads cleaned. He had some sensitivity that I was able to control with a few local anesthesia injections which was a nice review of how to administer some since it had been a little while since I gave local anesthesia. My patient spoke some English but mostly Spanish. The first time I saw him I was able to provide an interpreter to make him feel comfortable and understand the whole process of the cleaning. The other good part about today was that my peer-pal was able to be involved since it was her Senior Observation day. She got to meet my patients and let them know that would be seeing her after I graduate. This was encouraging for her and comforting for my patients.
Overall, today was a great day for me to practice my scaling and improve my speed and prepare for boards by finding my board patient (WAHOO!). It was a good experience for my peer-pal to see what clinic is like and know she will have reliable patients next year. My patients were able to have their teeth cleaned and get their mouth back to health.
My first patient was a lady I was able to screen at Midtown in May for a Women's Health Clinic. For some reason when I took her information down, I starred her name and wrote "BOARD" next to it. I knew I wanted to see her and remembered her husband was interested in having her come to WSU for a dental cleaning. When I tried scheduling her, I struggled because she speaks only Spanish. I coordinated an appointment with her husband and then they cancelled a couple days prior because she was nervous about the language barrier. I can understand, but it still was very frustrating. Needless to say, I am very thankful that they rescheduled because I probably would have used her for my Mock Board experience. God works in mysterious ways! :) Yep that's right! My patient had enough calculus to be my Board patient! WAHOO!! This was super exciting to me, but I felt bad that I couldn't get anything but x-rays and the PD completed for her today. Her husband responded positively to boards, but really wanted some part of her teeth cleaned that day. I wish I could've done something more, but I just couldn't. I was able to reschedule her in January to see her for half of her mouth and then I will see her for boards. This is a huge relief and a big step for my future! I am so thankful that things really do work out and all is well!
My afternoon patient was my Mock Board patient returning to have the last quad of his mouth cleaned. I scheduled him for an hour and got him all cleaned up and out in time and was able to administer a couple local anesthesia injections. He was very thankful to be seen and know his mouth is clean. I was able to encourage him to continue with the home care that he has been learning each time he comes in for his cleaning. It's exciting to see someone have interest in the education you give them and see it work for them! His wife was very sweet to work with since he speaks on Spanish. They want to brighten their smiles with bleach trays and were inquiring about that at this appointment. I was able to tell them about a fundraiser we will be doing as a program with bleach trays at a discounted price. He seemed interested in this!
My second afternoon patient was a returning Class III patient to have the remaining two quads cleaned. He had some sensitivity that I was able to control with a few local anesthesia injections which was a nice review of how to administer some since it had been a little while since I gave local anesthesia. My patient spoke some English but mostly Spanish. The first time I saw him I was able to provide an interpreter to make him feel comfortable and understand the whole process of the cleaning. The other good part about today was that my peer-pal was able to be involved since it was her Senior Observation day. She got to meet my patients and let them know that would be seeing her after I graduate. This was encouraging for her and comforting for my patients.
Overall, today was a great day for me to practice my scaling and improve my speed and prepare for boards by finding my board patient (WAHOO!). It was a good experience for my peer-pal to see what clinic is like and know she will have reliable patients next year. My patients were able to have their teeth cleaned and get their mouth back to health.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)