{Sealants}

Today was fun, but I felt a little crunched for time.  I got to work with cute Jacque!  She was a dream patient!  We learned how to properly place a sealant.  I did sealants a couple of times in my office, but never really knew the absolute proper way to do it. Clean off the surface with either air/powder polisher or the brush tip prophy angle, rinse, dry, place etch, rinse, dry, place sealant, cure, check the bite.  Not too bad!  It's just a lot easier to work on an easy patient instead of a slobbery child. :)  Jacque had most of her sealants still on her molars and premolars and also a few occlusal fills.  I had the doctor come over and check and he found a small groove on #29 to seal.  I almost didn't have a tooth to seal!  I couldn't pass off my air/powder polish because Jacque had all sealants and fills, so next time!  I did pass off my selective polish and Eaglesoft tx plan.  Overall, it was a good day! 

{Air/powder polisher, selective polish, varnish}

Can I just say "yuck" and "ouch"?!  Today we whipped out the air/powder polisher and I hated it!  It was horrid and my lips are just barely getting back to normal.  I was paired up with Candice, and I was the operator first.  Well, she definitely didn't like it at all, so when it was my turn, I could definitely see why!  I could definitely see why it could be so helpful in removing stain.  We practiced on a penny first and got to see it clean off all the dinginess.  It was pretty cool.  Just not when it's in your mouth!  After that, we did the selective polish, which I've done a couple times when I was an assistant.  Definitely more fun to do and have done!  Then, we did the fluoride varnish which is gross!  It feels like you have a fur coat on every surface of your teeth.  Oh well, at least it is good for my teeth!  Overall, pretty good day!  I'm anxiously awaiting the end of the semester and a nice break!  I am just really really nervous to actually see patients next semester.  Aaaaahhh!!!

{Treatment Planning}

Well, let me begin by saying that I woke up at 7:30.  7:30!!!!  Aaaah!  I need to be in clinic by 7:50 in order to get my unit set up, etc. and it takes me about 25 minutes to get to school.  OH MY GOSH!  I was freaking out, running around my house like crazy and praying my head off to be able to get to school at least right at 8:00.  So, luckily there was a parking spot close across from the tennis courts, so I won't get a ticket, and I RAN my little legs off to get into clinic at 8:02.  Phew!!  Well, everyone was in the instructor pod and I slipped in with only a few noticing me.  I'm just really glad that clinic was so easy going today.  We learned how to do a treatment plan for our patient, and then got to practice.  I practiced OHI, passed it off, and then got to go over the intraoral camera PE again.  Unfortunately there are only a couple of cameras and other pods got them first, so I'll pass it off next time.  I also got some practice on my dental screening PE, and am hoping to be ready by next time to get that passed off and do well on it.  Overall, very nice, laid back day.  I definitely needed it because the last couple of weeks have been crazy!

{Practice}

Today was a pretty good day!  I really like Wednesday clinic so much better than Monday.  I just feel like there are a lot more people to go around that can help us out.  So, today we learned how to enter a pt. into TalEval (super easy), and then we did another practice on OD.  I also had to pass off my Universal Scaling PE and felt good about it!  I definitely have a long way to go still.  Today, I was paired up with Marcy.  She is super cute and way fun to work with.  I was the operator first, and I felt like I did SO much better on the OD this time.  I was able to get everything done, even probe half the mouth, in the time we were given.  Yahoo!  Then Marcy went and did fabulous!  Overall, it was a good day and I liked being able to get some more practice on how an appointment will go.  We are that much closer to real patient day.  Yikes!

{Intraoral camera and OD practice}

So, today was a little tough for me for some reason.  I was just having a really off day.  First off, as soon as we got there, they tell us that we will are paired up with somebody and will be doing HHx, HHRx, and the full OD.  I thought we were just learning about the intraoral camera, and then have tons of time to practice scaling.  NOT!  So, I was paired up with April!  Yay!  I was the patient first.  We just had to check if there were any changes since last time, write the HHxRx, then get a signature.  No biggie.  Then we went over the extra., intra., dental screening, and probing.  Then practice scaling.  Well, the first group went over a little bit because they didn't let us know when we needed to switch.  So, our group was super rushed, which kind of stressed me out.  As soon as I got to where I could practice scaling, we had to learn how to use the intraoral camera.  It seems pretty easy, but it's just one more PE.  Then when it was my turn to pass off, we had 5 minutes left, and I still hadn't transferred what I charted into April's chart.  Gah!  Well, the passing off didn't go so well.  I passed, but barely.  I felt like she had to keep correcting me.  I felt so much better about it last week and this weekend.  Then, when I was under pressure, I choked.  Oh well,  it's a learning experience.  I just have a bad attitude and am in serious need of a break.  Well, hopefully I can be more prepared for my universal scaling on Wednesday. 

{Dental screening}

Today was a pretty good day.  We learned how to chart all the fun things we found in eachother's mouths.  I worked on Mark today and had a hard time seeing composite fillings.  Some of those things look so good you can't even tell!  I know I will get better!  After that we had about an hour to practice scaling.  I took that opportunity to practice my anterior scaling.  I feel like I'm starting to catch on, which feels good.  I know I have a LONG way to go, but it will all eventually click.  When we first started this, I couldn't adapt that instrument to the tooth for the life of me, but I did a much better job this time around and wasn't as scared to get in there and do it.  My biggest problem now is indirect vision.  That stuff is hard!  I'm going to practice a lot this weekend because I have to pass of anterior scaling on Monday.  I feel okay about posterior scaling, but know I still need to practice that too.  Oh I just need lots and lots of practice!  It's just a little nerve racking when you have and instructor and a professor leaning down over your patient watching your every little move in your mirror while you attempt indirect vision.  My stomach was in knots, just a little bit for those couple of minutes.  I'm just grateful they are there to correct you and teach you little tricks.  Well, until next time!

{Disclosing}

Today we got to disclose eachother with some nasty purple ink stuff (disclosing agent) that tasted horrible.  We were able to see where we missed brushing.  My PFI was 86%...not too bad, but could be better.  We paired up with other students besides those in our pods.  I was with Kayla, and she went first.  She did a good job doing the disclosing, giving me OHI, and then scaling.  She passed off her anterior scaling and I was jealous!  I should have done it, but I'm just not quite there yet.  I still need to practice and get more confident. She was a great patient and did help me out a lot! I did get my instrument classification PE passed off today, so that was good! Overall, clinic wasn't bad since we did get a good amount of time to practice scaling.  I still have a long way to go!  I just hope I can catch on quickly because I feel like some of the people in here already know what they are doing!  Oh well, it takes time!  I'm tired and need to study now.  Boo. 
Adios!

{Universal Scaling}

Today was actually a pretty good day.  We learned how to scale the posteriors with the Barnhart and the 204S.  At first it was a little confusing to me on which was the working end, but then it was explained to me that you find it like you would find the explorer end.  Not too bad...just need more practice like everything else.  I was also able to pass of my probing PE and exploring PE.  Let's be honest...I was pretty nervous about passing those off, but once I got going and was using loupes, I was fine!  My time was pretty bad...8.5 minutes :) , but hey, I'll get faster.  I'm not too worried about it.  So...now I get to study for Costley's test, do my module for her class, study for anatomy, and hope I get to sleep at some point tonight! 

{Anterior scaling}

Oh boy...what a day!!  It all started off when I made it to clinic this morning at exactly 8:00 am while everyone was in the instructor pod listening intently to Professor Costley's directions for the day.  Ugh!  I HATE when I am late....especially to clinic.  We were set loose and started practicing anterior scaling on our typodonts and then eachother.  Me and Candice were partners today and she went first.  She did awesome!  She is seriously a natural.  Then it was me....oh man.  I was doing okay until I started working on her maxillary anteriors and for some reason while I was fulcruming, my knuckle of my thumb went right into her little nostril.  Well, she just sweetly sat there and breathed in my knuckle until I realized it.  Ha!  I am pretty talented ya know.  We had a good laugh about that one!!  She is a trooper!  Then, right after that happened, I pretty much rammed my sickle right into her gums...not once, but twice....and probably many more times than that!  I felt so bad!  Sorry buddy!  Hopefully I will get better with time.  I have no problem getting my fulcrum and my instrument started, but then I can't seem to adapt quickly enough.  I was hoping to be able to pass of my Probe and Explorer PEs, but was a big fat chicken and didn't do it.  I still really struggle with those dang linguals.  Well I have to buck up next time and do it because it is due.  Way to go on leaving it till the last minute.  Radiology lab was going oh so fabulously today, until I got a little too confident and didn't remember Instructor Vining saying specifically, "Don't run your ScanX through until you come and talk to me."  Well, I just let that go in one ear and out the other because I marched right over to that drum and starting running those puppies through like I was a pro.  After the last one went through, he came over and laughed at me a little.  I lost ALL of my 8 films except one because we were adding to the other half of the FMX we took last time and you had to run each through one by one, otherwise, you would lose them all.  I felt so stupid!!!  I was able to redo them pretty quickly and really only needed one retake, but he didn't make me do it because he felt bad for me!  Oh man, sometimes I do some pretty amazing things.  Last but not least, we had to stay at school until 8:30 for a CE course and I am BEAT!  Now I have to study for Perry's quiz tomorrow on Embryology.  Kill me.  Well, until next time!