Thanks Trev!

Dear Trevor,

Thanks for being patient with me today as I poked a proded your teeth.  You were so good about letting me do what I needed to without any complaints.  I know that you don't really like to have me instruct you on how to take care of your teeth, but you took it like a champ!  Love you lots!

Love,
Sarah

I really felt like I am starting to understand the full flow of how clinic is to work.  I almost and did make some stupid mistakes.  I almost forgot to put the safety glasses on my patient (critical!!!).  I did forget to have my treatment plan created before my instructor came to do the OD check.  I shouldn't have done conventional film.  It took way to long to send them through the developer.  The first x-ray I took didn't turn out at all because it was hurting my hubby.  Next time that happens, I will take it out and put an edge eeze on it before taking the x-ray.  I tried to make it work and it just didn't.  I also failed to walk out my husband after his appointment was complete.  I tried to have him checked out with his treatment plan.  It didn't even occur to me that I hadn't walked him out until Prof. Costley asked why I was walking him out with the treatment plan.  I felt like I could have used my time better.  Probing still is a little hard for me.  I feel like I am struggling with getting the proper angle for seeing the very back of all of the molars.  I felt that this was a good experience.  I learned what not to do and how I can improve.  I can't wait to get him back in and finish the job!

Finish Scaling

Last Wednesday I was able to finish working on Marianne.  It was awesome!  I am still a little uncomfortable with going subgingivally.  I found out that I am holding my instrument wrong as well.  I am leaving too large of a space between my fulcrum finger and my middle finger.  After 14 weeks of class, I have never had anyone tell me I was doing this wrong.  Let's hope that I can fix it.  I placed a sealant on her as well.  I really enjoy placing sealants.  This is something I have done for years, so I am very comfortable with it.  Today is my "real" patient day.  Trevor, Zach and I get to go to school together and I get to do the whole thing, including taking x-rays.  Today will be a good day.  I feel pretty confident that I will be able to do a good job.  Let's hope that Trevor is in a learning mood, because I have to teach him something about OHI.  I can't wait to put the disclosing agent in his mouth and see just how well he does brushing and flossing his teeth.  I will post later about my experience.

Oh What Fun It Is To...

Scale!  I scaled one quadrant today.  Monday, November 15, was my day as the operator.  There are so many little things to remember.  I was rather excited because I actually heard Marianne's heart beat through my sphygnomanometer (?).  I am finally feeling like I am getting the order of how the appointment is supposed to go, the wording on the chart and how to probe without hurting my patient.  I feel like I am doing a good job of probing and hope that I am doing it so that my patient is comfortable.  I started with blood pressure, respiration, and pulse, then went on to and extra and intra oral exam.  I then probed and decided on a perio statement.  From there I had my OD check and started OHI.  I died Marianne's mouth purple and checked her PFI score, demonstrated how to brush and floss.  Once I gave her sufficient instructions on how to care for her teeth, we started on scaling.  I scaled her lower right teeth!  I did it!  I don't feel 100% comfortable with it, but I will get better.  I didn't have any scaling errors though.  That was a good feeling.  I realize how hard it is to get the exact order of how the chart should be written.  What a great day!

Two Operators

I was the patient again on Wednesday.  I rather enjoyed being able to sit back and relax while someone else did the work.  That won't be the case tomorrow, but I will blog about that tomorrow.  On Wednesday, Marianne continued my treatment by scaling all of my teeth and attempting to place a sealant.  Her air/water syringe wasn't working properly, so the surface of my tooth wasn't 100% dry when she placed the sealant.  When Marianne was checking it the whole thing came right off.  Fortunately this could be rectified by having Tanya place two sealants later that same day.  Tanya needed someone to place sealants and I was more than happy to oblige.  In order to pass of her process evaluation, she placed two sealants for me.  I am very happy now to have my two upper right premolars protected from occlusal cavities.

There were several times while Marianne was working on my that it felt like she didn't have the scaler adapted correctly to my tooth.  I hope that I can do that well tomorrow.  I am really nervous about it, but also very excited.  I can't wait to have actual patient and have to go through all of the hoops during an appointment.  Trevor will be my first official guinea pig next Monday.  He is being really good sport about it.  He understands that I am not going to be perfect the first several times that I work on a patient.  He, of course, is hoping that it won't be too horrible.  I am as well.  I don't want to do any serious damage to him.  This will be the first time that all 14 of us students will have our own patient and there won't be as many instructors for one on one teaching.  It will be nice to have scale checks though to make sure that I am understanding what calculus feels like with an explorer and scaler.  This is going to be a great week!  We only have 3 weeks left!  Next week isn't even a full with because of Thanksgiving.

I do have a lot to be thankful for right now.  I have a wonderful husband who loves me, flaws and all.  My boys are healthy and smart kids.  I am so grateful to be a mother.  It comes with its challenges, but it is so rewarding when I see my boys do something that I have taught them.  I am grateful for school.  It has been hard and know that it is only going to get harder, but it really is fun.  I am ready for my Christmas break to rejuvenate me for spring semester.  I am feeling a little burned out right now.  Christmas will be a great time to spend with my children and feel closer to them and my husband.  I am thankful also for my school friends.  They are making this program so enjoyable.  I have such a great group of girls to learn with.  Thank you dental hygiene class of 2012.  You guys all rock!

Being the patient

I rather enjoyed today.  I was able to be the patient all day today, as well as on Wednesday.  I just got to relax in the chair while Marianne worked on me.  Today was our first taste of what it is like to walk step-by-step through the appointment process.  It takes forever.  We didn't even get to scaling today and I was in her chair for over 3 hours.  Probing is my least favorite thing about having my teeth cleaned.  It is so tender to go under the gum line with a pointy instrument.  I will do my best next week to be gentle and walk softly around the tooth surfaces.  I was floored that I had some pocket depths that were 4 mms!  How could someone who is so into teeth have a 4 mm pocket depth?!?!  I don't get it.  I wonder what I have done to cause pockets that deep.  I hope that next week my two operator days will run smoothly.  I hope that I have the chance to do some scaling. I feel bad that next semester most of my patients will have to come back for multiple appointments, because I won't be fast enough to get them done in a 3 hours period of time!  Yikes!

3 Words... Air Powder Polisher

On Wednesday of last week, November 3rd, we used the horrible thing called an air powder polisher.  It was  PE that we had to pass off by practicing on another student.  Its purpose is to remove heavy stain from the tooth surfaces.  It is basically a small sand blaster.  You have to be very careful with where and how you point the instrument at the tooth.  It is not ok to point it at the gum line!  Pain!  Plus, the "sand" tastes horrible.  It is a sodium bicarbonate (?) something or other.  It is supposed to have a mint flavor, but you can't get past the salty taste in your mouth.  I feel terrible having to use this on people.  I did get to experience what it feels like being sprayed at my nose on Monday.  Ouch!  Note to self: never spray at the nose or palate of the mouth.

Sealants and fluoride

Last Monday, Nov. 1st we practiced sealants and fluoride.  I love getting new sealants.  I was able to get two new ones today on a couple of my premolars.  I also enjoy doing sealants.  I feel like I understand how to place them really well, without having to remove much material afterward.  I do have to say that I don't like fluoride varnish very much though.  It tastes nasty and makes my teeth feel like they are coated in gum for several hours until I brush it off.  I would much rather have the tray of gel or foam for four minutes than have that stuff on my teeth for four hours.  It is rather easy to apply though.  All you have to do is quick swipe of the "paint brush" with the varnish on all surfaces of the teeth and presto!  The teeth have fluoride on them.  It's magic!