TA Experiences...

I have been fortunate enough to be able to be a TA in clinic this semester. We have reached mid-semester and it has been a great experience so far. I am glad I have had this opportunity because I have learned so much by trying to help teach. Being a TA has really helped challenge my knowledge base and has shown me how much I really know! Not only has this experience been a great review to help me "fine-tune" my skills, it has also helped me realize how much I enjoy teaching. I might not be the best teacher, but I have truly enjoyed helping these first-year students understand these foreign concepts and skills. It has been fun getting to know them and helping them get through the battles of their first year. I can't believe how far along I've come in one year. This is REALLY starting to become real... there IS a light at the end of the tunnel!

MOCKBOARDS and LA! :)

Tuesday I had my first mockboards... and I survived! It was quite nerve-racking but I am so glad we have these opportunities so we can be completely prepared for the REAL DEAL. I was able to give 3 shots - PSA (I did the left side which is SO hard for me to get the angle...more practice needed!), MSA, Infiltration. I was proud of myself because I finally wasn't shaky - yay for a steady hand! :) I was at the VA today and I saw three patients for the first time today. I could not believe how tired I was after! It made me somewhat nervous for private practice but I just have to remind myself that it is all a PROCESS and I'm not quite there BUT I will be there someday! ENJOY THE JOURNEY :)

Dear Mock Board Patient... I'm Happy to Treat You?

Yesterday afternoon in clinic I saw my mock board patient. This should be a good thing right? See your mock board right before the test, get a feel for their anatomy, calculus, etc... sounds great - I know, but boy was I wrong! Let me start out by stating that I am very grateful I have a mock board patient that is reliable...I am just not so thrilled about his tenacious calculus. :) Before yesterday, I never truly understood the term "tenacious calculus"... but, don't you worry - yesterday I sure learned QUICK. My patient had the most tenacious calculus I have EVER felt. I swear I could have scaled ONE tooth for an hour at a time and still would have missed spots - no kidding! I have never been so discouraged before... I could feel the calculus but NO MATTER what instrument, lateral pressure, chair position I used it just was not givin' in! I finally had to cut my losses and call it a day because I felt like I wasn't making ANY improvements. On top of the evil embedded calculus, my patient's gums bled like there was NO tomorrow - I couldn't catch a break. After instrumenting ONE surface of a tooth I'd have to hold a 2x2 on the gums for a minute just to get the bleeding under control. So, to make a long story short, I left feeling discouraged about taking my first mock board. Even though I felt discouraged about my efforts yesterday, I am grateful for the great learning opportunities it presented. I learned a lot of new "tricks" to help defeat evil tenacious calculus so I am excited to bust out these new approaches for mock boards and see what kind of results I get. WISH ME LUCK -- SERIOUSLY! ;)

IMPLANTS!!

Last Thursday at the VA, I had quite the patient! I saw a man who had a FULL dentition of implants EXCEPT for THREE molars... for me, this was a remarkable site! I literally scaled his three remaining teeth and then polished and flossed. It was probably my quickest scale time EVER! ;) However, I was very grateful for the experience. This appointment truly portrayed the significance of providing effective and INDIVIDUALIZED OHI to each patient. I spent the majority of the appointment reviewing OHI with this patient and identifying/demonstrating the use of specific aids that would be beneficial to his homecare regimen. All in all, it was a great experience that helped remind me of the importance of determining and providing PATIENT SPECIFIC OHI. Hopefully through this experience I will be able to better focus my oral hygiene instruction to each patient.

You Win Some... You Lose Some!

Today I was at the WSU clinic and, let's just say I haven't had the best of luck there so far! 8 o'clock came and went and my patient did not show. I tried calling her multiple times and could not get a hold of her so I went straight to the resource list. I found someone to come in at 9:30 and, just as I had them confirmed, my patient called and said she was lost on campus trying to find the clinic. So, I ended up doing a screening on my original patient and an OD on the patient I found of the resource list. At first, I was a little flustered. But, I was determined not to let this get the best of me. I just had to tell myself that I was doing the best I could do and the rest was out of my control! I was hoping that my first patient would qualify for mock boards, but she did not have adequate calculus. I was feeling discouraged that I would not find a mock board patient, but my second patient (off the resource list) qualified - this made my hectic morning totally worth it! This was the first day of second year clinic that I did not clean any quads and it was somewhat weird to be in clinic all morning and not clean any teeth! However, I was able to get two sets of BWX and 2 PAX. So, some progress was made. I have really tried to focus on keeping my emotions in check this year and "controlling the controllable" and letting the rest be. Through focusing on this, I have found myself learning and enjoying clinic a lot more because I allowing myself to be comfortable within this setting. Can't wait to get some teeth clean Thursday at the VA! :)

There is ALWAYS something you can do... You can ALWAYS make a difference!

Last Thursday at the VA I saw a severely disabled patient who had several health complications. He only had two fingers on his left hand. He discussed the extreme difficulty he had with brushing his teeth due to this disability. Due to his numerous meds, he had severe xerostomia. Along with his xerostomia, he had a geographic tongue. The combination of these two conditions made it impossible for this patient to use toothpaste as it burned his mouth and tongue. After hearing all of the complications my patient was fighting, I was determined to do what I could to help! As he opened his mouth, I discovered severe plaque accumulation and bright red, raw tissues. To make a long story short, I decided to use a toothbrush and the rc polish with water to debride the teeth. After, I then hand scaled. Upon reflecting on the experience, I was grateful for the challenge to think "outside the box". I think it is very easy to get into 'routine' and forget to PERSONALIZE pt. treatment - today, however, I was forced to do so. It really opened my eyes and made me more aware of the need to find ways to personalize each patients treatment - not just severe cases. Everyone needs something a little different to be successful! All in all, lesson learned - there is ALWAYS something you can do to improve a patient's health. Some patient's baby steps are just as important as major goals of others.

CALCULUS B.R.I.D.G.E...!

This afternoon I saw a CL III pt. with a calculus bridge on her mand. ant. linguals. I decided to tackle it with my triple bend ultrasonic tip first. I was having a little bit of trouble making progress at initially. I felt like I was going to be scaling JUST the lower linguals for the whole appointment at the rate the calculus was coming off! BUT, then I learned a GREAT trick. Well, maybe it's not a trick, maybe it's common sense - but today is the day I learned this wonderful lesson. I learned to use LATERAL PRESSURE when instrumenting with my ultrasonic. I know this may sound like a basic concept, but when I have used my ultrasonic in the past, I haven't had to use much lateral pressure to get the calculus off. However, with the amount/tenacity of the calculus I was dealing with today, it was basically IMPOSSIBLE to remove without using lateral pressure. As soon as I used some lateral pressure, the calculus starting breaking right off... coolest. thing. ever. Today I also focused on using more of an exploratory stroke with my ultrasonic to feel the calculus before activating it. This was very beneficial in helping me both detect/remove calculus effectively instead of just "going through the motions." I also noticed I was able to use my time more effectively by using an exploratory stroke before engaging my ultrasonic/hand instrument. I think sometimes I forget to actually detect the calculus BEFORE I use a working stroke - I'm just so excited to scale! :) However, as I have tried to focus more on this important aspect of instrumentation, I feel like my time management as well as my calculus detection/removal skills improved.

Sept. 13, 2012 Tight tissues...sometimes a BIG problem

Today I was at the VA and I was fortunate enough to see a CL III and gain some more experience with this specific patient treatment. As I started patient treatment, I discovered that my patient has VERY tight tissues. When radiographic calculus is present, this can be quite the dilemma. I would use my explorer to detect (deep) subgingival calculus and then pick of my Gracey's to instrument and I couldn't even instrument HALF as far down the pocket as I could with my explorer - the thickness of the Gracey's were too large to insert subgingivally. I have never wished for inflamed, bloody, loose tissues so bad in MY LIFE! ;) Luckily, Prof M was able to show me a few tricks to help me remove these deep areas of subgingival calculus efficiently. One trick was through the use of perio files, and after seeing the significant effect they made, I can't wait to learn how to properly use them so I can implement them into my instrumentation. Also, I learned that it is OK to be a bit more aggressive with these harder classifications - as being more aggressive with patient treatment is different them being too rough/harmful to the patient. I am excited for all the opportunities I have to grow as a clinician and professional this year - BRING IT ON! :)

Sept. 11, 2012 Mock Board Patient? Maybe?

This afternoon I had an interesting experience with my patient. I saw another Spanish-speaking patient, and that language-barrier was definitely evident. My patient was a new patient at WSU who had never been to the dentist before. I took 4 BWX and a pano and scaled 1 quad. When my patient went to check-out, I discovered she had only brought $20 dollars for her $41 dollar treatment...somewhat of a problem. I had to pay for the remaining balance of my patients treatment which was not the funnest thing in the world. No, it didn't break my bank - but, any financial surprises for a college student are always somewhat of a heartbreak! I had mixed feelings about paying for my patient today. Part of me felt good for this good deed I had done as it was evident she did not have the means for much of the services she needed. However, Mr. Salomon made a very substantial point as he saw me dealing with this dilemma. He said, "your patient's treatment cannot be more important to you than it is to them". This comment put things into a better perspective for me. Not only was this good advice in this context, but it can be applied to all situations when dealing with patients and the services/education provided to them. Aside from the "incidence", the appointment went very smooth. My patient might possibly qualify as my Mock Board patient and will be returning next Tues. afternoon to determine her qualification status. So, cross your fingers! Also, my patient had the coolest (for lack of a better term) calculus bridge on her mand. ant. linguals that I have ever seen clinically. I am excited to use the intra-oral camera at her next appointment for a REAL pt. education experience. I think, because of that language-barrier, the intra-oral camera will be a great resource to utilize.

Sept. 6, 2012 ... Why I Do This...

Today I had one of THE MOST satisfying/memorable experiences I have had in the program thus far. I was at the VA today and had an elderly gentlemen scheduled as my afternoon appointment. As I walked up to the waiting room to bring my patient back, I was a little intimated at first as he presented in a wheelchair. He seemed very fragile and his darling wife informed me that he had been ill and was not looking forward to this appointment. As soon as I heard this, I was bound and determined to make his experience a positive one. Because of his health, he had to sit almost straight up in the chair, but I tried to make his cleaning as comfortable as possible. The majority of the appointment was devoted to OHI, as I demonstrated the use of certain aids to help both him and his wife clean his teeth and mouth effectively. I was also able to give him a few samples of Biotene for his severely dry mouth - the look on his face after I sprayed a few drops in his mouth was priceless...I could have been mistaken for a magician for all he knew. To make a long story short, by the time I finished the appointment, he couldn't stop telling me how this was the BEST cleaning he had ever received in his life - "and I've had a few cleanings in my life time". As I handed him a mirror to view the finished product, his face instantly lit up... he literally couldn't stop smiling as he said, "look how good my teeth look, I look so good". That moment for me was priceless, I gained so much satisfaction from that single moment. As I walked him and his wife to the front, this wonderful gentlemen nudged his wife and said "ask her". She asked for my information and wondered if it would be OK if she gave me a call as soon as I graduated so that they could come visit me in private practice. My heart melted. It is so easy to get caught up in completing requirements, missing spots, etc. that I think I tend forget the "bigger picture". Today I was reminded of the true reason why I chose to make this my profession - to make some small difference in the health/wellness of each of my patients, each and every day. I will never forget this memory. What a fulfilling day! :)

Sept. 4, 2012 - First Day at WSU... First No Show :/

Well, you have to have your first "no-show" sometime right? Why not your first day of clinic? ;) I am convinced I jinxed myself this morning. In my pod, me and the other girls were talking about not looking forward to dealing with "no-shows", and I HAD to make the comment that I had NEVER had a "no-show" thus far. Well, joke was on me! 8:00, 8:10, 8:15 rolled by and my patient still hadn't showed up so I called my Mom and, being the AWESOME lady that she is, she came in so I'd have a patient. I was proud of myself for not panicking and keeping my emotions in check. Because I was able to keep a level head, I successfully completed 4 PAs and all 4 quads. I tried to take my own advice and focus on the positives today and it seemed to help. I know I still have a long way to go, but at least I am taking steps in the right direction! My afternoon pt. showed up (yay) and I was able to classify her as a CL II. A lot of my patients this year are Spanish-speaking, including my afternoon patient today. Having this language barrier and realizing the issues it presented, I became very motivated to learn at least some Spanish to be able to communicate with all of my patients effectively. One of my top priorities in clinic has been to make sure all of my patients have a positive experience at their appointment. I think this speaks volumes as it pertains to their future OH behavior and likelihood to continue care. Through my afternoon appointment, I learned the necessity of effective communication. So, looks like "Learn Spanish ASAP" just got added to the "To Do" list. :)

August 30, 2012 - First VA Day!

For some reason, my blog would not let me sign in - every time I tried it would kick me out. So, I am going to have A LOT of posts on Sep. 15th (today), but keep in mind they are all from previous days/experiences - hence the date in the title! ;) Today was my first day at the VA and I sure had my fair share of emotions! We had orientation in the morning and then saw our first patient this afternoon. I guess there is no easy way to "ease" back into clinic...but I was quite flustered to say the least. I saw a CL V patient who needed 4 BWX, pano, perio charting, an exam, and a cleaning. As unprepared as I felt and as flustered as I was after finishing the appointment, I was proud of myself for completely finishing my patient and properly addressing all of her needs. I was a little nervous to start clinic as a senior because I didn't where my skill level would be at, but after today I feel more confident. I think the biggest thing I need to work on is focusing on the positives. It is easy to get discouraged, but I know that if I continually focus on the positives I will be more confident in my abilities and ultimately succeed in clinic. I CAN DO THIS! :)

OHI and Disclosing...Yikes! ;)

Today in clinic we played with disclosing agents. It was fun but also scary- and very shocking/enlightening to see where I 'really' brush. Through use of the disclosing agents, we learned the Plaque Free Index (PFI) as well as OHI. Through practicing both of these tasks today, I truly learned the importance of patient education. It is one of the MOST significant keys to our success as hygienists. If we cannot properly educate our patients, we are doing them a great disservice.

Marie was my partner today. It was great to be able to work with someone in a different pod and get some different views/ideas/critiques. She was great and helped me pass off my anterior instrumentation PE as well and my adaptation, angulation, activation PE. I am feeling more and more comfortable/confident with instrumentation everyday. It's been SO much fun. Thanks Marie! :)

Finished Requirements?... CHECK!

Today I finished my requirements for clinic...wahoo! I finished my class 3 today and it was such a GREAT feeling! Looking back over this semester, I can't believe how far I have come. I remember receiving the requirements for this semester and thinking... how in the WORLD will I finish all of this?! It feels so great to be able to say that I actually did it! The skills and confidence I have gained over this semester have surpassed every expectation I have set for myself. I feel so blessed to be in this amazing program. ONE YEAR DOWN!... One more to go! :)

Class III Patient... Halfway Done = A GOOD DAY! :)

Today in clinic I saw my Class III patient again for a continuing care appointment. At his last appointment, I only got through OHI so today I started right in with scaling. Going in to those deep pockets were quite intimidating! But, after scaling the first few teeth I got the hang of it. I used the triple bend ultrasonic tip and my gracey's for the majority of pt. treatment today. I had a lot of success with the combo of the two. I definitely am starting to understand the importance of using both the ultrasonic and hand instrumentation. I was able to get off a significant amount of calculus with the ultrasonic. However, I was loving my gracey's for that tenacious calculus way down deep in the bottoms of those pockets!

I scaled two quads today and only missed one TINY spot. If I ever needed a confidence booster I got one today. Some days I feel like I'm never going to become a clinician worthy of practicing. But today gave me great amounts of hope! I know there are going to be days in the future that I miss more areas, but right now I am just going to enjoy my success! :)

One thing I can focus on for next clinic session is my time management. I am being effective in my instrumentation, however I am taking a TAD bit too long. I think I tend to doubt myself and keep going over areas that I am unsure of. Partly because I know I have enough time to do so and partly because I am still trying to decipher the difference between calculus and... other stuff! :) However, I do need to set "mini goals" for myself throughout the appointment to work on getting a little faster. But I know it will come with time so I just need to be patient with myself...easier said than done!

Started My Class III Patient Today - Exciting! :)

Today in clinic I saw my Class III patient. It was my first appointment and probing was quite the experience! It was so cool to actually probe a DEEP pocket! I felt like my probe was never going to stop - kinda scary. Even though I was a LITTLE apprehensive when I first started probing, it was a great learning experience! I can truly say I know what sub-gingival calculus feels like! When I was probing, I began to discern when I was hitting calculus and when I was at the junctional epithelium. I tried my best to try to go around the sub-gingival calculus and get the correct pocket depth. However, it will be interesting to re-probe after I scale and see how accurate I was.

I only got through OHI today. But my patient also had a partial denture so I was able to clean that and pass of my removable appliance PE also. I am done with all my other requirements and this is my last patient. I have three more clinic days left so I feel very confident that I will be able to get my Class III patient done with PLENTY of time. I am glad I am not feeling rushed as we are at the end of the semester...it is a nice feeling! :)

Class II Patient Finished!

This past Wed in clinic I finished my class II patient and passed off two PEs. Wednesday's clinic was a MUCH better day than Monday's - what a relief! I wasn't feeling very confident after Monday so it was REALLY GREAT to have a good day in clinic and regain my confidence.

My patient spoke Spanish and only a little bit of English and that was probably the hardest part of pt. treatment for me. Having a language barrier puts a whole new twist on things. I am determined to have Austin teach my how to teach OHI in Spanish. I think that will help A LOT. The rest is manageable but to be effective with OHI I am going to have to change my lingo! :)

What a Frustrating Day... Many Lessons Can Be Learned!

Yesterday in clinic I had an AWFUL day...probably my worst! I saw a pt. with special needs and that really made me really nervous because I didn't want to offend my patient or make him feel uncomfortable. My patient was blind and it makes sense but I didn't realize how apprehensive he would be throughout the appointment. I really had to shift how I approached the whole appointment - especially pt. education regarding OHI.

During scaling, my pt. fought me the whole time. This was really hard for me and made me really timid because I was afraid of my pt being uncomfortable. I definitely let me patient take control of the appointment and it kind of bit me in the behind! I missed eight spots and became really discouraged and somewhat questioned my skills. But I need to put this behind me and let it "roll of my back". I need to take the great learning experiences from this appointment and leave the rest behind!

Tomorrow is a new day and it is going to be great - I CAN DO THIS!!

REAL class II patient!

Today in clinic I saw my first REAL class II patient to meet my class II requirements. It was SO much different than cleaning a 1B patient (obviously) but it was a lot of fun! Today I began to truly understood the need for good OHI and patient treatment. OHI has a completely different meaning and approach when dealing with a perio patient as apposed to a healthy patient.

I also had the opportunity of using my ultrasonic slim line and it was AWESOME! Although I loved using the slim line, I now know the importance of using a combination of ultrasonic/hand instrumentation. The ultrasonic definitely helps but I am glad that I relied on my hand instruments as I feel that they are the most effective!

Today was a great day! I now feel like I can actually clean perio patients and do a good job. I know that I have a long way to go...but I am glad I'm on the right track! :)

Another 1B Finished in One Appointment - ALWAYS a GOOD Feeling!

Yesterday in clinic I saw my second to last 1B patient. I had to take 4 BWX and a pano using conventional film. This was a challenge for me! Now that we don't have a dark room in the radiology lab we have to load the film for the pano in the daylight loader. As the daylight loader box is maybe a inch or two wider than the size of the pano sleeve/film, you can only imagine how this can become frustrating! I was getting somewhat flustered because I was afraid of running out of time. However, I was still able to finish my patient in one appointment - great feeling! :)

I learned some valuable lessons in clinic. FIRST, BE PATIENT! The more impatient you are, the more flustered you are...the more mistakes you will make than if you were patient and in control - I think that one is pretty self explanatory. SECOND, it is OK to miss calculus! I had the BEST learning experience today as I learned a new trick to make sure I am accurately and efficiently scaling line angles. BUT, had I not missed these areas, who knows IF and WHEN I would have learned these valuable skills. Time and time again I am finding that sometimes the BEST way to learn is by mistake! I know it is not the most FUN way to learn... but I can tell you the things I have learned through my mistakes I will NEVER forget! :)

I learned a new trick! :)

Today in clinic I finished 3 quads of a class V patient and passed off 2 PE's. I missed 2 spots on my scale check and was a little disappointed in myself when I found I had missed these two areas (OK I was REALLY upset). However, after talking to my Instructor, I found that I need to look at the positive in missing areas instead of the negative...my Instructor helped me to change my positioning so that I was better able to see the tooth and how I was adapting to it. Although it is never fun to miss areas, sometimes it is the BEST way to learn. If I had never missed those spots, who knows when or even IF I would had learned the different positions I did today. Plus, learning these new chair positioning means I am that much closer to refining/solidifying my skills as a DH - and that I am OK with! :)

I Love Pedo Patients!

On Monday I saw two patients. I finished 3 quads of a 1B with 3 sealants, and then I saw a 1A patient. I had such a great time seeing my pedo patient. I saw a little girl who is from a divorced home and is taken care of most of the time by her 21 year old Aunt. She is 5 yrs old and this was the first time she had been seen in a dental office/clinic. Being from a split home and never being seen before, she had a few problem areas. However, it was great to have the opportunity to make her first experience a positive one! I felt like she was one of the few patients I have seen this year that I felt like I could REALLY make a difference in. I gave her an extra toothbrush and toothpaste - one for Mom's house and one for Dad's. I know I didn't do a lot, but hopefully having fun at the dentist office and learning how to brush and floss her teeth will at least get her a step in the right direction. I truly learned how crucial OHI was today as I had to attempt to educate this little girl because no one helps her brush her teeth. Hopefully I make some sort of difference...

One and Done!

Today I finished a 1B in ONE appointment!! I was so THRILLED. :) Today I approached clinic with a different attitude and mentality. First, I decided to not compare myself against anyone else but only against myself and the circumstances I face for the day. Second, I decided to set "mini" goals for myself throughout the appointment to ensure that I stay on task. I found that by doing this I was not only a lot more calm and relaxed, but I was able to get a LOT more done! I think it is easy sometimes to get discouraged and feel like you aren't doing as well or getting behind when other students around you are finishing patients, passing off PEs, etc. However, I found that when I continually compared myself to others I was getting more and more discouraged. Today I found how unrealistic it was to compare myself to others. As we are all in different places with our requirements, there is NO way to even make comparisons - it is like comparing apples to oranges to peaches to pineapples!

I am glad I was finally able to get to this place and feel good about myself. I am excited to keep progressing further and continue solidifying my skills as a hygienist! :)

Dad's Rock!

On Monday 2/25, my patient was my Dad. It was really fun for me to be able to bring him in and show him what I have been doing with my time thus far in the program! :) My Dad's opinion is something that has always been very important to me. So, being able to bring him in as my patient on Monday and have him express how proud and impressed he was with how I was doing really made me feel great! Also, being able to clean his teeth made me really excited about one day being in private practice and being able to make sure my ALL of my family is well taken care of in regards to making sure they stay on top of coming in for their regular cleanings. Lately I have really found how passionate I have become about bringing patients to a "healthy status". I think it is important to keep this passion alive throughout my years of practicing as a Hygienist. I need to make a commitment now to ALWAYS remember to treat EACH patient as a INDIVIDUAL and not a "mouth"!! I am going to be a hygienist who strives to make a difference each and every day and NOT get into a "routine".

I LOVE HYGIENE!!

Two CUTEST Girls!

Yesterday in clinic I saw two 1A patients. They were the cutest little girls. I was a little nervous at first because they were younger so I was afraid of them being nervous to be seen since they didn't know me. But, it ended up being a really good appointment. They were both very responsive and actually had fun!

I have really found that I really enjoy treating children. I have always believed in the importance of making each experience a child has at the dentist a positive one. I truly believe that the more positive the experience is for a pedo patient, the more likely that patient is to establish and continue good OH throughout their life. I think one of the biggest reasons why patients don't regularly see the dentist is because they have had negative experiences in the office.

I think I have improved a lot since the first of the year. However, I think it is important that I remember to focus on quality not quantity. Sometimes I feel like I am running out of time or am afraid I will get behind so I rush through things faster than I should. I think I need to remember that each appointment is ultimately about EDUCATING the patient and the ensuring that they have a POSITIVE experience. If I make these things my first priority, I think I will be in good shape! :)

Husbands are great patients!

Today I finished my husband. 4 more quads down... Wahoo! :)

Today's appointment was really fun. It was nice to be able to treat my husband, I felt more comfortable and less pressure than when I treat strangers. This was great but also made me aware that I am more stressed when treating strangers! I am excited to get to the point where I feel THAT comfortable with strangers! :)

I finally got my loupes and today was the first day I was able to use them. I LOVE LOUPES !! :) I never realized how beneficial they could be. They were a great learning tool and helped me to really see how effective my instrumentation was and how I can improve. I'm excited to use them more!!

Wed 2/8... Another patient finished!

I keep forgetting to post my blogs! Oops!

Today I finished another 1B patient. I missed an area on the distal line angle and even thought I was a little discouraged at first, I was grateful for the great learning experience. Missing this area really helped me to become more concious of my instrumentation. It helped me to really focus and pay attention to how and where I am instrumenting. See.... Missing calculus can be a good thing! :/

Last Wednesday's Patient

I forgot to blog about my patient last Wednesday! My patient came about 20 minutes late... Yikes!! When my patient finally showed up, I surprised myself. I stayed calm and collected and was even able to get 1 quad scaled in 15 minutes - made my day! It's been exciting to see my skills become more refined and my demeanor more confident as the semester progresses. I have found that i am truly enjoying what I do - it has been very fulfilling!

After I got my OD check, I was somewhat discouraged because I missed some areas when charting dent. I realized it will just take more experience to be able to identify restorations. I need to not get discouraged and just realize that this is a learning experience and sometimes the best way to learn is by mistake!!

Bitewings and Panos :)

Today in clinic I took 4 BWX and a pano. I was excited because I didn't have to take any retakes. Saturday we had a children's clinic and some of the second years let me help take bitewings on some of the children, I think it really helped me to become more comfortable taking x-rays. I also got a lot of good feedback from the second years and that was also very beneficial.

I also got to scale one quad and didn't miss any areas. Scale checks are always so nerve racking for me! I was grateful i did not miss any areas but I would have been OK if I did. i know that missing areas is sometimes the BEST way to learn and refine your skills. i need to keep this in mind and not beat myself up WHEN I miss areas in the future.

I'm on my way to becoming a hygienist... Yay!

Monday Clinic... 4 more quads down - a LOT more to go! :)

In clinic on Monday I finished a 1B. It ended up being a really good clinic day! I didn't miss any areas and passed off 3 PEs! YAY :) It has been fun getting into pt. treatment.... the more days of clinic we have the more comfortable I seem to get with my instrumentation and patient skills. I am excited to be on this journey and can't wait for the FUN days ahead! I LOVE HYGIENE!! :)

FMX!!

Today I did a FMX 14 PAX on my patient. Luckily my patient was one of my very good friends and was very patient with me. :) I was a little nervous to take a FMX since the last time I had taken one was in radiology last semester. However, I was able to quickly re-orient myself. One very beneficial lesson I learned from taking x-rays today was to quickly EVALUATE the size of the patient's mouth/dentition before taking films. My patient had a VERY small mouth. I started with size 2 films and quickly realized there was NO possible way they were going to fit in her mouth - especially with using the ORA. However, instead of actually looking in her mouth and SEEING that it was TINY, I tried putting Edge Ez on the size 2 film. This was unsuccessful and I finally switched to the size 1 films. Although it worked out OK, I could have saved time and kept my patient out of a little bit of unnecessary pain.

I was very grateful for the experience and the lesson I learned! All in all, the x-rays turned out great. I only had to take 1 retake and was very pleased to see that my x-rays were diagnostic. I think I am off to a good start! :)

Stranger... No Danger! :)

Today in Clinic I saw my first "stranger" or non-family member/friend. Prior to Clinic, I was anxious because I was afraid that I would get really nervous and timid around my patient. However, to my surprise, I was very calm, cool, and collected. This gave me great confidence and the majority of the patients I will be seeing out of school will be complete strangers. I was able to establish rapor with my patient and was grateful for the experience.

My patient had a VERY EXTENSIVE health history. At first I was a little "flustered" as I began to look over the health history form. BUT, once again, I am grateful for the experience! I was reminded of how to chart complications, medications, etc. properly and gained confidence as I was rewarded a "job well done" by my professor.

I only got through an OD Check today but I was happy with my efforts. When I was probing I was able to find some deeper pockets and furcas -- HOW EXCITING! :) It was such a great learning experience for me. I truly was able to understand the difference between a class 1,2,3,4 furcation. All in all today was a great day. I find myself becoming more comfortable, confident, and excited to treat patients with each Clinic session. HOORAY FOR TREATING PATIENTS! :)

Second Day of Clinic = 2 Patients.... What Did I Do?!

Today was our "second day of clinic" as far as seeing patients go. It turned out really good BUT it definitely had its moments of stress! I decided to see two patients today. At first, I just had a 1A patient scheduled for the full three hours. I later learned that this patient was only 3 yrs old and realized it wouldn't take me three hours to treat this patient nor would a 3 yr old sit in my chair for three hours willingly! So, I scheduled my 1A patient for 1 1/2 hrs and scheduled my Husband, Austin, for the remainder of the clinic session.

In my mind, I imagined 1A patients to be SO easy. You don't have to probe, you MIGHT have to scale. Piece of cake - right? Well I was in for a treat! My 1A patient was great but loved playing with all my instruments, telling me stories, and taking the chair on rides! I was SO happy this patient was comfortable in the dental setting because I truly believe it makes the BIGGEST difference on oral health behavior BUT...I was truly exhausted by the end of that first appointment. However, I am grateful I had the opportunity early on to treat a 1A patient, it helped me to TRULY UNDERSTAND how different it is to treat a child vs. an adult. I am glad I have come to this realization so that I can better plan for and treat my 1A patients. I want to be able to provide them with the best experience possible to reinforce good OH habits. Hopefully I did so today.

All in all, I was happy with my efforts. I gained some great experience and can't wait to apply it to my next patient. LET THE FUN BEGIN! :)

First Pt. Day in Spring Clinic!

Today we saw our first patient of the Spring Semester. It was a little nerve racking at first (of course) but once I got going with treatment things went really smoothly! I was really excited because I only missed one area of calculus - #5 mesial surface. I was grateful I missed an area though because it was a great learning experience. Prof. Wold also reminded me of the deep grooves present in the anatomy of the premolars. This helped me visualize the premolars as I was scaling and allowed me to make sure that I got deep enough into the col area so that I could make sure there was no calculus present within those grooves.

I also was reminded to keep my middle finger on the lower on the shank of the explorer so that I can have more tactile sensitivity - it totally made the biggest difference. I am excited to be back at school and in clinic. I realized that I need to brush up on some areas, but all in all I am beginning to feel more confident with my abilities and the skills I have gained thus far. I am excited to keep moving forward in this journey to becoming a successful hygienist! :)

First Day Back! :/

Clinic was really great today! I was nervous about coming back and being discouraged because I had lost so many of the skills I had gained in Fall semester. But, to my surprise, I got right back on track! We learned how to use our Gracey's and our Ultrasonic Tips. I LOVE THE TRIPLE BEND!! :) I am excited that we have learned how to use the rest of our instruments so that we can start to use them on REAL patients and apply the knowledge we have learned today. I need to learn to not doubt myself as much and have CONFIDENCE in myself. I CAN DO THIS!!