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.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Week 11- Thursday November 8, 2012
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! :)
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! :)
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!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Week 9- Thursday October 25, 2012
The patients I was able to see today were compliments of 2 of my classmates for doing so research and allowing me to see them! Thank you Sierra and Hailey!
Morning: I was able to see two children during this appointment. They were both boys ages 9 and 10 from a family who's father was beign seen originally by Mark, but since he didn't realize he was CA for the day, he was able to help Ashton out and give him a morning patient. My patients' father spoke Spanish and broken English, so I was very thankful Mark was able to set up the appointments for me and him even though it didn't work out for him. The two boys spoke English very well and soke Spanish to their mother when I wasn't seeing them. They were both very energetic and curious abotu EVERYTHING! Hands were every where! I was trying to help keep them under control with very little help of their mother. I managed to get through :) I saw the youngest first. We were able to do BWX with a little education to the parents and a full cleaning. He did very well and didn't complain much other than when I used the Shick sensor for the second x-ray and when I was scaling. The poor boy had many cavities and didn't have good OH. I felt bad but knew I was doing the best I could for him.
When it was his brother's turn, I found that he had ADHD (which was no surprise to me!). He literally started touching every instrument I had on the tray, the mouse and keyboard for the computer, the safety glasses, other instruments, etc! I tried hard to keep him under control with no success. I speedily got him to the x-ray room thinking this would keep him contained... boy was I wrong! He started pumping the chair, laying it back, opening drawers, etc! AHH! I got his x-rays completed and got him back to the chair. I really had to hurry keeping my hands in his mouth and hid body in the chair or he would be on to the next thing. I was able to complete all the charting and scaling with many bumps along the way but still proud I got that far! I noted a couple sealants and to my surprise mom and dad approved them, and I was able to get that done for him and meet some requirements. When the boy heard he needed sealants, he immediately started crying (not having any idea what sealants were and how they were placed). Oh boy! I really needed to take a step back and help him understand each and every step. I showed him all of them on a 2x2 gauze. I think this actually helped! I was so shocked. He did very well, and I didn't have to repeat any of the steps! He ended up being my friend at the end and said he would come back to get his teeth cleaned again! SUCCESS! :)
Afternoon: My patient was found in a list the Hailey printed, and just by chance, he was able to come in and was happy that I called! I didn't have any success with patients on that list before him and still haven't since him. He spoke very broken English, so I had Wade confirm the appointment for him to make sure he understood everything. I was trying to find my own interpreter to help my patient feel at ease but struggled. Wednesday evening, I received an email from the Spanish department's student who said she would be able to help me! I thought it would be too good to be true, but I asked her if she could help me.... and she said YES! AMAZING! I actually had a reliable interpreter who I could count on to be there for me with my Spanish speaking patients. She said she would be there and she showed up early! My patient was very thankful and didn't know I had an interpreter for him (he didn't ask and I didn't say I would because I had trouble finding one). I was able to do 4 BWX,4 PAX ,and complete 2 quads of Class III scaling today! I am so thankful for wonderful people who are willing to help me succeed! My patient was very sweet to allow me to pass of several PEs (Local Anesthesia of which I gave 5 injecitons, Ultrasonic #2, and Root Debridement). He did very well in the dental chair and plans to come back to complete the other half of his mouth! What a great day to fulfill many of my requirements!
Morning: I was able to see two children during this appointment. They were both boys ages 9 and 10 from a family who's father was beign seen originally by Mark, but since he didn't realize he was CA for the day, he was able to help Ashton out and give him a morning patient. My patients' father spoke Spanish and broken English, so I was very thankful Mark was able to set up the appointments for me and him even though it didn't work out for him. The two boys spoke English very well and soke Spanish to their mother when I wasn't seeing them. They were both very energetic and curious abotu EVERYTHING! Hands were every where! I was trying to help keep them under control with very little help of their mother. I managed to get through :) I saw the youngest first. We were able to do BWX with a little education to the parents and a full cleaning. He did very well and didn't complain much other than when I used the Shick sensor for the second x-ray and when I was scaling. The poor boy had many cavities and didn't have good OH. I felt bad but knew I was doing the best I could for him.
When it was his brother's turn, I found that he had ADHD (which was no surprise to me!). He literally started touching every instrument I had on the tray, the mouse and keyboard for the computer, the safety glasses, other instruments, etc! I tried hard to keep him under control with no success. I speedily got him to the x-ray room thinking this would keep him contained... boy was I wrong! He started pumping the chair, laying it back, opening drawers, etc! AHH! I got his x-rays completed and got him back to the chair. I really had to hurry keeping my hands in his mouth and hid body in the chair or he would be on to the next thing. I was able to complete all the charting and scaling with many bumps along the way but still proud I got that far! I noted a couple sealants and to my surprise mom and dad approved them, and I was able to get that done for him and meet some requirements. When the boy heard he needed sealants, he immediately started crying (not having any idea what sealants were and how they were placed). Oh boy! I really needed to take a step back and help him understand each and every step. I showed him all of them on a 2x2 gauze. I think this actually helped! I was so shocked. He did very well, and I didn't have to repeat any of the steps! He ended up being my friend at the end and said he would come back to get his teeth cleaned again! SUCCESS! :)
Afternoon: My patient was found in a list the Hailey printed, and just by chance, he was able to come in and was happy that I called! I didn't have any success with patients on that list before him and still haven't since him. He spoke very broken English, so I had Wade confirm the appointment for him to make sure he understood everything. I was trying to find my own interpreter to help my patient feel at ease but struggled. Wednesday evening, I received an email from the Spanish department's student who said she would be able to help me! I thought it would be too good to be true, but I asked her if she could help me.... and she said YES! AMAZING! I actually had a reliable interpreter who I could count on to be there for me with my Spanish speaking patients. She said she would be there and she showed up early! My patient was very thankful and didn't know I had an interpreter for him (he didn't ask and I didn't say I would because I had trouble finding one). I was able to do 4 BWX,4 PAX ,and complete 2 quads of Class III scaling today! I am so thankful for wonderful people who are willing to help me succeed! My patient was very sweet to allow me to pass of several PEs (Local Anesthesia of which I gave 5 injecitons, Ultrasonic #2, and Root Debridement). He did very well in the dental chair and plans to come back to complete the other half of his mouth! What a great day to fulfill many of my requirements!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Week 8 - Mock Boards - Thursday October 18, 2012
Last Thursday was my first Mock Board experience. I found my Mock Board patient Tuesday the week before the week of Mock Boards. I was so nervous that I wasn't going to find one, but a miracle happened and I found one! He was very nice to come in and help me out! I was able to have him pay for all the x-rays necessary and the cost of the one quad of scaling. Some people actually had to pay for these things to get their patient to come. I guess I would too if I had to, but I am so grateful I didn't have to! Any way, enough of the background info...
My Mock Board time was 12:30pm, so I was able to be a student examiner first. This was a great experience to really feel what calculus feels like... and A LOT of it! I had to do a little studying while the patients were being scaled, but once the time was up, it was interesting to see the same patients back without the calculus... well some. There were quite a few who missed a lot of pieces of calculus which really surprised me because I would have complete confidence in all of them. My professor said that this is typical because we don't have added guidance throughout the treatment like we do normally. Makes perfect sense! Obviously, after seeing some patients, I felt a bit nervous for my time to do it. I wanted to do well, and thought I would but I also thought my fellow classmates would do better than they did. Soo 12:30pm comes around... My patient showed up early like I had asked, so there was less stress. I was able to go through all of the paperwork one more time, but since he spoke Spanish, it made it a little difficult.
I was the first student to submit my patient to the student examiners like I thought I would since I had experience being the Clinic Assistant during WREB last March. I was still nervous waiting to see if my patient qualified even though I knew there was no doubt. I guess the nerves still get to you! Once my patient came back, I got right to it. I started with my ultrasonic, then went to my Graceys, then to my regular posterior and anterior scalers, back to my ultrasonic, charted, and then explored, scaled, explored, scaled, explored, scaled, etc etc! I felt pretty confident with my submission other than tooth #3. I couldn't seem to get that tooth smooth. I knew I needed to just submit because I did the best I could, so I did!
Results... well, I didn't do horrible, but I didn't do super great either. I missed 2 clicks of calculus, 1 probe reading (really 3, but they only recorded certain ones), and 1 recession point (which I knew I should've marked!). Not too bad for my first time. The probing area seemed a little weird to me though. I got a 5mm and the examiner got 3mm. I'm not really sure how that works. Oh well! It was a great experience, and I am so glad I had a patient who was able to help me learn and actually go through the process before the actual exam.
My Mock Board time was 12:30pm, so I was able to be a student examiner first. This was a great experience to really feel what calculus feels like... and A LOT of it! I had to do a little studying while the patients were being scaled, but once the time was up, it was interesting to see the same patients back without the calculus... well some. There were quite a few who missed a lot of pieces of calculus which really surprised me because I would have complete confidence in all of them. My professor said that this is typical because we don't have added guidance throughout the treatment like we do normally. Makes perfect sense! Obviously, after seeing some patients, I felt a bit nervous for my time to do it. I wanted to do well, and thought I would but I also thought my fellow classmates would do better than they did. Soo 12:30pm comes around... My patient showed up early like I had asked, so there was less stress. I was able to go through all of the paperwork one more time, but since he spoke Spanish, it made it a little difficult.
I was the first student to submit my patient to the student examiners like I thought I would since I had experience being the Clinic Assistant during WREB last March. I was still nervous waiting to see if my patient qualified even though I knew there was no doubt. I guess the nerves still get to you! Once my patient came back, I got right to it. I started with my ultrasonic, then went to my Graceys, then to my regular posterior and anterior scalers, back to my ultrasonic, charted, and then explored, scaled, explored, scaled, explored, scaled, etc etc! I felt pretty confident with my submission other than tooth #3. I couldn't seem to get that tooth smooth. I knew I needed to just submit because I did the best I could, so I did!
Results... well, I didn't do horrible, but I didn't do super great either. I missed 2 clicks of calculus, 1 probe reading (really 3, but they only recorded certain ones), and 1 recession point (which I knew I should've marked!). Not too bad for my first time. The probing area seemed a little weird to me though. I got a 5mm and the examiner got 3mm. I'm not really sure how that works. Oh well! It was a great experience, and I am so glad I had a patient who was able to help me learn and actually go through the process before the actual exam.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Week 7- Thursday October 11, 2012
I can't believe my 8:00am patients that I schedule! Another cancellation! I was frantically trying to find a patient to schedule when I remembered my herpic lesion patient wanted to be bumped if I had a cancellation. I called him and my IA patient and they were both able to come this morning! YAY! Today ended up being very productive which was nice to have considering yesterday was emotionally exhausting after a funeral of my husband's dear friend.
Morning: I was able to see my Class III 2 quads and complete him quickly. I was also able to see my Class IA patient during the same session which was nice to double book. My Class III patient was so sweet. I connected with him instantly during the last appointment. He was so sweet to always ask about my dad and give me pointers to help him quit his battle of smoking since he was able to quit a couple of years ago. He was so genuine when my instructor came to check him. He definitely gave me the boost I needed. My Class IA was a little difficult. I know her from my ward, so I thought it would go smoother than it did. It took a lot of bribing and finally dinosaur stickers did the trick! Who would've thought? She opened wide and let me do what I needed to do :)
Afternoon: I was able to see a patient that was seen by a previous dental hygiene student that I worked with over the summer. She knows this patient personally, so it was very nice to have her come! She showed up a little late because she got lost but I was glad she actually came. She, too, was a sweetheart. She did so well in my chair and complimented me every chance she could. I am so grateful for wonderful people in this world to help build me up and change my day into a great one and to help me on my road to becoming a dental hygienist!
Morning: I was able to see my Class III 2 quads and complete him quickly. I was also able to see my Class IA patient during the same session which was nice to double book. My Class III patient was so sweet. I connected with him instantly during the last appointment. He was so sweet to always ask about my dad and give me pointers to help him quit his battle of smoking since he was able to quit a couple of years ago. He was so genuine when my instructor came to check him. He definitely gave me the boost I needed. My Class IA was a little difficult. I know her from my ward, so I thought it would go smoother than it did. It took a lot of bribing and finally dinosaur stickers did the trick! Who would've thought? She opened wide and let me do what I needed to do :)
Afternoon: I was able to see a patient that was seen by a previous dental hygiene student that I worked with over the summer. She knows this patient personally, so it was very nice to have her come! She showed up a little late because she got lost but I was glad she actually came. She, too, was a sweetheart. She did so well in my chair and complimented me every chance she could. I am so grateful for wonderful people in this world to help build me up and change my day into a great one and to help me on my road to becoming a dental hygienist!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Week 6- Thursday October 4, 2012
Today was the first day I actually had no issues with patients cancelling or no-showing! YAY! I am exhausted though....
Morning:
I was able to see a patient that my peer pal saw as her board patient! I wasn't sure what I thought I would get as far as classifications go, but I knew it shouldn't be too bad since it had only been 7 months. Boy was I wrong! He definitely wasn't as bad as he was for boards, but it was still tough for me to remove some of the calculus. In fact, I missed some areas :( This appointment made me question if I really know what calculus feels like because I couldn't feel it when I was told to try. Bummer..
Afternoon:
I found this patient on the recall list when I was trying to fill a different day. I made this appointment and was a little nervous she wouldn't show up because she was concerned about missing her lunch time at the home she lives in. To my surprise, she confirmed her appointment and showed up... late of course. The juniors were observing the clinic this afternoon, and lucky for me, the one in my pod followed me through the whole appointment and helped throughout the whole thing! My patient had many medications which took a long time. She agreed to have a full mouth x-ray, but gagged, cried, and sweat during the whole thing. She didn't have a bad attitude, and she tried to be compliant during the whole thing, but her mouth was small. I struggled! The junior observing me knew it too. My instructor ended up giving my patient 4 of the 14 PAs for free. My patient, to my astonishment, felt very bad about it and was willing to try yet again. She really was such a trooper but very difficult to work on. When I started probing, I was hoping she would be a mock board patient. Although she hasn't been seen at the clinic for 8 years, she didn't have enough calculus to qualify. I started scaling right away and noticed she had a lot of calculus and it was going to be a struggle to get it all off. I was grateful to have a good patient for my observer to see! I ended up missing 2 areas of calculus, but given how much she had, I was very proud I only missed that much.
One day, I will be able to see a patient like I did today and actually complete them without any missed areas. That is one of my goals. . . one day!
Morning:
I was able to see a patient that my peer pal saw as her board patient! I wasn't sure what I thought I would get as far as classifications go, but I knew it shouldn't be too bad since it had only been 7 months. Boy was I wrong! He definitely wasn't as bad as he was for boards, but it was still tough for me to remove some of the calculus. In fact, I missed some areas :( This appointment made me question if I really know what calculus feels like because I couldn't feel it when I was told to try. Bummer..
Afternoon:
I found this patient on the recall list when I was trying to fill a different day. I made this appointment and was a little nervous she wouldn't show up because she was concerned about missing her lunch time at the home she lives in. To my surprise, she confirmed her appointment and showed up... late of course. The juniors were observing the clinic this afternoon, and lucky for me, the one in my pod followed me through the whole appointment and helped throughout the whole thing! My patient had many medications which took a long time. She agreed to have a full mouth x-ray, but gagged, cried, and sweat during the whole thing. She didn't have a bad attitude, and she tried to be compliant during the whole thing, but her mouth was small. I struggled! The junior observing me knew it too. My instructor ended up giving my patient 4 of the 14 PAs for free. My patient, to my astonishment, felt very bad about it and was willing to try yet again. She really was such a trooper but very difficult to work on. When I started probing, I was hoping she would be a mock board patient. Although she hasn't been seen at the clinic for 8 years, she didn't have enough calculus to qualify. I started scaling right away and noticed she had a lot of calculus and it was going to be a struggle to get it all off. I was grateful to have a good patient for my observer to see! I ended up missing 2 areas of calculus, but given how much she had, I was very proud I only missed that much.
One day, I will be able to see a patient like I did today and actually complete them without any missed areas. That is one of my goals. . . one day!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Week 4- Thursday September 20, 2012
Morning:
Again, I had a patient cancel. This makes my life so much more stressful when I am scrambling for a patient last minute. I was able to fill the appointment with a patient who just had teeth on the lower arch. Since I knew this, I scheduled a Class 1A patient together to make up the difference in time. Well.. my Class 1A patient came down with a fever and started throwing up last night, so her mom (my friend) text me and told me she didn't think she would be able to come. Trying to be positive and knowing I wouldn't be able to fill the time slot, I told her to let me know in the morning with hopes that she would get better over night... wishful thinking! She is still sick and not doing well :( Bummer! Anyway, my other patient came in. I got through the whole OD and 7 PAX. I got my instructor for an OD check and she noticed.... HERPES! AHHH!!! I can't believe it! I was so embarrassed. I'm supposed to know what this looks like and diagnose it myself. I should've excused him myself. Dang it! I felt like such an idiot. I felt bad for my patient. It was definitely a humbling learning experience for sure.
Afternoon:
This appointment went much better. I was ready for whatever was going to be thrown at me, but it went really smooth. I was able to see a Class V patient who was very sweet during the whole appointment. I am grateful for reliable easy-going patients. I was also able to do 1 set of BWX on her which was nice to be able to check off some things on my requirement list! Today was a day full of learning experiences to make me a better clinician.
Again, I had a patient cancel. This makes my life so much more stressful when I am scrambling for a patient last minute. I was able to fill the appointment with a patient who just had teeth on the lower arch. Since I knew this, I scheduled a Class 1A patient together to make up the difference in time. Well.. my Class 1A patient came down with a fever and started throwing up last night, so her mom (my friend) text me and told me she didn't think she would be able to come. Trying to be positive and knowing I wouldn't be able to fill the time slot, I told her to let me know in the morning with hopes that she would get better over night... wishful thinking! She is still sick and not doing well :( Bummer! Anyway, my other patient came in. I got through the whole OD and 7 PAX. I got my instructor for an OD check and she noticed.... HERPES! AHHH!!! I can't believe it! I was so embarrassed. I'm supposed to know what this looks like and diagnose it myself. I should've excused him myself. Dang it! I felt like such an idiot. I felt bad for my patient. It was definitely a humbling learning experience for sure.
Afternoon:
This appointment went much better. I was ready for whatever was going to be thrown at me, but it went really smooth. I was able to see a Class V patient who was very sweet during the whole appointment. I am grateful for reliable easy-going patients. I was also able to do 1 set of BWX on her which was nice to be able to check off some things on my requirement list! Today was a day full of learning experiences to make me a better clinician.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Week 3- Thursday September 13, 2012
Week 3 Clinic
Morning:
4 quads Class II, 4 BWX Shick. PEs Ultrasonic #1 and Calculus Removal #1
This particular appointment (not the patient) was a killer! I had such a hard time yesterday. The patient I was supposed to see this morning was a Class III I saw at Midtown. I was able to complete 1 quad at Midtown so I could see him here at the clinic for credit. He was scheduled from last weeks Midtown experience. He speaks Spanish so it was difficult to explain the importance of his mouth to my clinical experience. One thing lead to another, he canceled last night at 4 o'clock and rescheduled at Midtown. My blood pressure was through the roof frantically trying to find someone to fill this appointment. I was able to have a lady I contacted earlier this week come in. She was so sweet to come in on last minute notice. I was worried this whole experience was going to throw me off today with a bad attitude. For some reason, when I saw my patient this morning, it made me happy. She was so sweet and knew Great Grandma Steed, so we hit it off right away. I was on a roll! I was able to complete so much and only miss 1 spot of calculus on her. It was definitely a confidence booster!
Afternoon:
4 quads Class V. PEs Selective Polish and Diagnodent
My patient from last semester came back today. She was easy to schedule and showed up on time with no issues. I was so grateful for such a compliant patient. I worked hard and got her completed early. This was a benefit to her and to me since I had to see her twice last semester. I didn't miss any calculus on her which was an added bonus. I feel good about seeing patients. Now, if only they would keep their appointments and show up on time! :)
Morning:
4 quads Class II, 4 BWX Shick. PEs Ultrasonic #1 and Calculus Removal #1
This particular appointment (not the patient) was a killer! I had such a hard time yesterday. The patient I was supposed to see this morning was a Class III I saw at Midtown. I was able to complete 1 quad at Midtown so I could see him here at the clinic for credit. He was scheduled from last weeks Midtown experience. He speaks Spanish so it was difficult to explain the importance of his mouth to my clinical experience. One thing lead to another, he canceled last night at 4 o'clock and rescheduled at Midtown. My blood pressure was through the roof frantically trying to find someone to fill this appointment. I was able to have a lady I contacted earlier this week come in. She was so sweet to come in on last minute notice. I was worried this whole experience was going to throw me off today with a bad attitude. For some reason, when I saw my patient this morning, it made me happy. She was so sweet and knew Great Grandma Steed, so we hit it off right away. I was on a roll! I was able to complete so much and only miss 1 spot of calculus on her. It was definitely a confidence booster!
Afternoon:
4 quads Class V. PEs Selective Polish and Diagnodent
My patient from last semester came back today. She was easy to schedule and showed up on time with no issues. I was so grateful for such a compliant patient. I worked hard and got her completed early. This was a benefit to her and to me since I had to see her twice last semester. I didn't miss any calculus on her which was an added bonus. I feel good about seeing patients. Now, if only they would keep their appointments and show up on time! :)
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Week 2- Thursday September 6, 2012
1st Day of seeing patients for Senior Clinic
I can't believe I am actually in Senior Clinic. I couldn't sleep the night before because I kept waking up thinking about things I needed to remember for clinic that day. Needless to say, I was exhausted when I finally woke up in the morning. I was doing okay on time to get to school with enough time to review and setup for my patients until.... the truck wouldn't start. No lights were on and my heart started pounding. I was panicking! I called my friend down the road, Kim, and asked her if she was available. Thank goodness, she was!! Since my night and morning were thrown off, I was a little unorganized and all over the place. Oh and I forgot to mention, I came down with a head cold Tuesday which made focusing that much harder! I was able to see 2 patients one was a Class V (my peer pal's mom) and the other was a Class IB (my father-in-law). I am so thankful I made it through my first clinic day and completed everything I needed to. I have a lot to work on for the semester to get back with it, but I am excited for the next clinic session because I plan to get better and better with each!
I can't believe I am actually in Senior Clinic. I couldn't sleep the night before because I kept waking up thinking about things I needed to remember for clinic that day. Needless to say, I was exhausted when I finally woke up in the morning. I was doing okay on time to get to school with enough time to review and setup for my patients until.... the truck wouldn't start. No lights were on and my heart started pounding. I was panicking! I called my friend down the road, Kim, and asked her if she was available. Thank goodness, she was!! Since my night and morning were thrown off, I was a little unorganized and all over the place. Oh and I forgot to mention, I came down with a head cold Tuesday which made focusing that much harder! I was able to see 2 patients one was a Class V (my peer pal's mom) and the other was a Class IB (my father-in-law). I am so thankful I made it through my first clinic day and completed everything I needed to. I have a lot to work on for the semester to get back with it, but I am excited for the next clinic session because I plan to get better and better with each!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
April 11, 2012 Patient #17
GOAL: Complete a full Class IB appointment from start to finish today
ACTUAL: Completed 4 quads Class IB with no missed calculus, took 4 BWX
Today was just an extra day and a feather in my cap. It didn't mean extra points just extra experience. My patient showed up 10 minutes late, so I was worried I wasn't going to make my goal. Although, I was a little stressed about this, I still was able to maintain my composure and get through it. She took 3 different kinds of medication and had to fill out her HHx when she got there. I was able to get through all of this and take her x-rays within the first hour.
I had a couple of hours to scale and complete the cleaning. I was able to give her adequate OHI and demonstrate and give her OH aids that will help her maintain her great homecare. Overall, I felt like today was a great learning experience and I was able to complete it. My patient thanked me for my service and complimented me for the way I treated her. I was grateful I was able to make her happy and give her another reason to come back to the hygiene clinic.
I was so glad today was the last day of clinic for the stress that requirements give, but I will really miss the opportunity and growth I had during this semester. I look forward to Senior Clinic and all I will learn within the next year. I wish I could continue to hone my skills through the summer.
ACTUAL: Completed 4 quads Class IB with no missed calculus, took 4 BWX
Today was just an extra day and a feather in my cap. It didn't mean extra points just extra experience. My patient showed up 10 minutes late, so I was worried I wasn't going to make my goal. Although, I was a little stressed about this, I still was able to maintain my composure and get through it. She took 3 different kinds of medication and had to fill out her HHx when she got there. I was able to get through all of this and take her x-rays within the first hour.
I had a couple of hours to scale and complete the cleaning. I was able to give her adequate OHI and demonstrate and give her OH aids that will help her maintain her great homecare. Overall, I felt like today was a great learning experience and I was able to complete it. My patient thanked me for my service and complimented me for the way I treated her. I was grateful I was able to make her happy and give her another reason to come back to the hygiene clinic.
I was so glad today was the last day of clinic for the stress that requirements give, but I will really miss the opportunity and growth I had during this semester. I look forward to Senior Clinic and all I will learn within the next year. I wish I could continue to hone my skills through the summer.
April 9, 2012 patient #16
GOAL: Complete 4 quads Class IBACTUAL: Completed 4 quads Class IB
Today was going to be a pretty laid back day. This patient was another of Kelsi's patients who she couldn't see, so I planned to see him. She did everything beside the quad scale which is the best part! It went really smooth and very quickly. The patient was dropped off by his mother, and she left and didn't come back until well after I completed the cleaning. The patient seemed happy with the appointment and his mother was glad it didn't take too much longer. She was happy that her whole family was able to be seen this semester and plans to bring them all back for their next cleanings.
The exciting part about this appointment for me was the once I completed it, I was able to have 62 quads complete thus far in the class which fulfilled my requirements for full credit! I love clinic! I was so excited about my accomplishment!
Today was going to be a pretty laid back day. This patient was another of Kelsi's patients who she couldn't see, so I planned to see him. She did everything beside the quad scale which is the best part! It went really smooth and very quickly. The patient was dropped off by his mother, and she left and didn't come back until well after I completed the cleaning. The patient seemed happy with the appointment and his mother was glad it didn't take too much longer. She was happy that her whole family was able to be seen this semester and plans to bring them all back for their next cleanings.
The exciting part about this appointment for me was the once I completed it, I was able to have 62 quads complete thus far in the class which fulfilled my requirements for full credit! I love clinic! I was so excited about my accomplishment!
April 4, 2012 Patient #15
GOAL: Finish 2 quads Class IIACTUAL: Finished 2 quads Class II
I was able to get this patient from Kelsi. She was able to clean half of her mouth but didn't need the other 2 quads to fulfill her experience in clinic and didn't have room to see her. I was garteful for this because I knew this patient wanted to be completed, and I didn't have to work really hard to find her.
Unfortunately, this patient was really jumpy today and sturggled with the slow speed suction. She got water , literally, all over her face, head, hair, chest, neck, etc. I tried to explain how to use it to avoid this, but I don't know if she was just anxious today and couldn't comprehend what I was saying or if she has a hard time controlling her tongue. Either way, this made the appointment very difficult. When I would ask her if she was okay, she would always respond yes but still jump. I am so glad I only had to do this for 2 quads instead of a whole mouth because by the end I was getting very frustrated!
When I got done, I talked to Kelsi about it, and she said her experience with this patient wasn't like mine at all. This didn't amke me feel good about it. I hope the patient knew I was trying to be kind. I did the best I could.
I was able to get this patient from Kelsi. She was able to clean half of her mouth but didn't need the other 2 quads to fulfill her experience in clinic and didn't have room to see her. I was garteful for this because I knew this patient wanted to be completed, and I didn't have to work really hard to find her.
Unfortunately, this patient was really jumpy today and sturggled with the slow speed suction. She got water , literally, all over her face, head, hair, chest, neck, etc. I tried to explain how to use it to avoid this, but I don't know if she was just anxious today and couldn't comprehend what I was saying or if she has a hard time controlling her tongue. Either way, this made the appointment very difficult. When I would ask her if she was okay, she would always respond yes but still jump. I am so glad I only had to do this for 2 quads instead of a whole mouth because by the end I was getting very frustrated!
When I got done, I talked to Kelsi about it, and she said her experience with this patient wasn't like mine at all. This didn't amke me feel good about it. I hope the patient knew I was trying to be kind. I did the best I could.
April 2, 2012 14th patient
GOAL: Complete IB patient in one clinic sessionACTUAL: Completed Class II patient
At this point in my clinic class, I knew I was going to get through the quads I needed to complete with full credit. I wasn't sure what kind of patient this lady would be, but it didn't matter to me. I was hopeful for a Class IB just for selfish reasons. I didn't want to miss on something so dumb to hurt my grade. Although my patient ended up being a Class II, I wasn't upset about it at all. I decided to use this as a learning lesson for me to continue to hone my skills and really understand what calculus is and what it feels like.
This was definitely a confidence boost for me in my clinic experience. I am understanding what it's like to clean a whole mouth and coming up with my own routine to make sure I cover every surface. I can't wait to actually be able to use the exploratory stroke with a scaler and feel for calculus. I'm getting pretty good with the explorer, but it is such a time waster.
At this point in my clinic class, I knew I was going to get through the quads I needed to complete with full credit. I wasn't sure what kind of patient this lady would be, but it didn't matter to me. I was hopeful for a Class IB just for selfish reasons. I didn't want to miss on something so dumb to hurt my grade. Although my patient ended up being a Class II, I wasn't upset about it at all. I decided to use this as a learning lesson for me to continue to hone my skills and really understand what calculus is and what it feels like.
This was definitely a confidence boost for me in my clinic experience. I am understanding what it's like to clean a whole mouth and coming up with my own routine to make sure I cover every surface. I can't wait to actually be able to use the exploratory stroke with a scaler and feel for calculus. I'm getting pretty good with the explorer, but it is such a time waster.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
First cancellation that I couldn't fill
My patient cancelled her appointment yesterday while I was in class. She said she had a school meeting she couldn't get out of. I have all of my requirements met plus some so I wasn't too worried about that just that I need a patient in my chair so I get experience. I got her message when I got home. I decided to call around and got nothing. I went to school today and told Prof. Costley about it asap and she just said to try hard to find one. After multiple attempts to find a patient, I didn't find one. I knew my instruments were so dull from Monday's appointment, so I decided to sharpen all of my instruments. This was good practice! I was able to get them all sharpened again and help a few of my classmates with charting and cleaning up.
12th Patient 2nd appointment (March 26, 2012)
Goal: Finish my Class III patient, take 1 PAX on Kelsi's patient, 2 PEs for my Class III (Universal #2 and Area specific)
Actual: Completed 2 quads Class III, 1 PAX
My patient was 15 minutes late which made my heart race because I needed to finish her whole mouth to fulfill my Class III requirements. I left her a message on her phone to call me right as she walked in the clinic. I was so relieved she showed up. Cancelled and no show patients make my life so stressed. I wish people knew what they do to us students when they don't show up for their appointments. Anyway, I am so thankful she finally came!
Based on x-rays, I knew the maxillary quads were going to be harder to complete than the mandibular teeth because of bone loss and calculus that show on the x-rays so I chose to do the maxillary teeth last so she would show up! :) I know most people don't like the dentist so the chance of her coming back if I really beat her up wouldn't be likely so I was kind to her last week ;) Boy, is she in for a treat today! I had no idea how hard it was going to be, but sheesh! I'm pretty sure every one of my instruments are dull and she was bleeding like a stuck pig! HA! I guess that's what happens in deep perio pockets full of calculus. She was a real trooper though. Most patients need L.A. for what I did and she stuck through the whole thing flinching a little, but for the most part she was great!
I was able to complete the rest of the cleaning and do the PAX before she showed up for her appointment. Really truly, it went very well if only I knew she was coming just running a bit late! Oh well! I was so exhausted after that. I just wanted to go home and sleep! Thank goodness the weather was so crappy Monday so I was able to skip my run and not feel so bad about it :)
Actual: Completed 2 quads Class III, 1 PAX
My patient was 15 minutes late which made my heart race because I needed to finish her whole mouth to fulfill my Class III requirements. I left her a message on her phone to call me right as she walked in the clinic. I was so relieved she showed up. Cancelled and no show patients make my life so stressed. I wish people knew what they do to us students when they don't show up for their appointments. Anyway, I am so thankful she finally came!
Based on x-rays, I knew the maxillary quads were going to be harder to complete than the mandibular teeth because of bone loss and calculus that show on the x-rays so I chose to do the maxillary teeth last so she would show up! :) I know most people don't like the dentist so the chance of her coming back if I really beat her up wouldn't be likely so I was kind to her last week ;) Boy, is she in for a treat today! I had no idea how hard it was going to be, but sheesh! I'm pretty sure every one of my instruments are dull and she was bleeding like a stuck pig! HA! I guess that's what happens in deep perio pockets full of calculus. She was a real trooper though. Most patients need L.A. for what I did and she stuck through the whole thing flinching a little, but for the most part she was great!
I was able to complete the rest of the cleaning and do the PAX before she showed up for her appointment. Really truly, it went very well if only I knew she was coming just running a bit late! Oh well! I was so exhausted after that. I just wanted to go home and sleep! Thank goodness the weather was so crappy Monday so I was able to skip my run and not feel so bad about it :)
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