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.