Finally Finished!!!

I am finally finished with my class 3 minimum requirements!! I am so excited, I realize that next semester is going to be heck because I only have my minimum done but oh well, I did all that I could possibly do. My morning patient today said she was going to be late but I wasn't sure how late so I was trying to be optimistic and the optomism worked because she was only 25 minutes late. She was already ODed but it was last semester in April. So I had to go through and probe each quad before I scaled it. It wasn't too bad though. So I got 2 quads scaled so that actually puts me over my minimum requirements by one quad. I have her rescheduled for the first clinic day back in January. My afternoon patient was only a class 2 but he let me take a full mouth series of x-rays!! I was so happy. My last day of clinic and I finally took a full mouth! I haven't taken a full mouth yet so I am in dier need of PAs so today I made a huge dent in those. I was hoping to find a mockboard or a board patient but that's okay I still got a lot done. I was very proud of myself because it took my 45 minutes to take the x-rays and I didn't have to take any retakes, YAHOO!!!! Well, finally done with clinic this semester!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

This week is Thanksgiving and I am loving the break. I never complain about a 5 day weekend. It's going to be hard to come back for only one week.

Not any further along

Today we had another lab day in the morning. We practiced emergency situations, wheelchair transfers, desensitization, and using the Velscope cancer detector/finder. It was alright but these lab days always feel like a waste of my precious clinic time. In the afternoon I had another new patient and suprise she was a class 5. Nothing new, although I did get my caries analysis PE passed off. She was a really sweet lady and put up with chewing on wax and spitting in a cup for 5 minutes. It was a pretty uneventful day and guess what, I still need class 3's! I was lucky enough to get 3 quads of a class 3 on tuesday at the VA so I only need one more quad so hopefully I can get it soon.

Drama

Last night there was major drama. I had a class 3 scheduled for the afternoon which I really really needed and my bro-in-law called to confrim the appointment and he said he was not going to be able to make it to the appointment tomorrow or next week. I had a nervous breakdown right there. He also said my morning patient couldn't come either, wich wasn't that big of a deal because I only had one quad left to complete on her and she's a class 2, and I have 2 kids scheduled to come in. Anyway so I was able to find a patient for the afternoon and then more drama. Kelsie called me and said the kids I had scheduled can't come in until the afternoon because they have school and her mom and dad are both coming in at 12:30. Well I broke down again. Luckily the patient I just scheduled for 12:30 was able to come in at 8 so everything seems as though it was going to work out except for my class 3 patient that I desparatley need. Anyway, so my patient did come in the morning but she ended up being a class 2 and she didn't have enough money to pay for the entire cleaning and xrays so we just cleaned 3 quads and took some bitewings. My afternoon patients did come as well, they were 2 little kids, Luis and Lizette Rodriguez. They were very cute and I felt really bad for them. They had tons of cavities and bombed out teeth. I could tell that they were not getting any help at home with their OH. So I taught them how to brush and how important it is and asked them to ask their mom and dad for help. And after I was done with them Kelsie let me finish her patient who was a class 3 and so I got one quad there. So I finally have 4 quads of a 3 done now I only need 4 more! I really wish I could get my two other class 3's in then I would have it made. But I had Mr. Salomon call and one of them is now in Mexico and "will call when he gets back" and the other one will not return phone calls. I am really worried but hopefully everything will work out.

Another not so good day

Today did not go as planned at all. My first patient showed up and she was only a 1B, but I did get the diagnodent PE done so that was something. Then in the afternoon, one of my class 3 patients was suppose to come back and I was going to clean 3 quads, well she didn't show. Luckily Alyse had 2 patients and she shared with me. this patient was a class 2 and needed 3 more quads scaled. Well, I really didn't need class 2but I was able to do 4 injections and pass off 2 more PE's so it turned out okay.

Crazy Day

Today I had two patients scheduled and my 8:00 said she would be here yesterday and guess what, she did not show up!! I was so mad, she was probably a classification I did not need and I made time for her and she did not show. So while I was looking for someone to come in like right now, Mr. Saloman called my afternoon patient and she said she was sick so she didn't want to come in. So all of the sudden I am looking not only for a morning patient but an afternoon patient as well. I was frantically searching, people and I finally found someone for the afternoon and could not find someone for the morning. Well luckily there was someone in the waiting area for Midtown that came in for me. He was only a class 2 but I was able to pass off three Pe's on him so it turned out to be a good day, a crazy but good day.

Another class 3

Today in the morning we had a lab, I wish we would have done the lab during class time or something so we didn't have to waste precious clinic time. Oh well, in the lab we went over subgingival irrigation, accessory fulcrums, curved ultrasonics, peizo ultrasonics, caries risk assessment and blood glucose testing. It wasnice to relax and learn for a change. For the caries risk assessment I go to be the one who chewed on wax and got to spit in a cup for 5 minutes. It was interesting. Then no one else in my group wanted their finger pricked for the blood glucose testing, so I did that too. I am glad to report that my saliva was at a great pH and the flow was also in the normal range. My blood glucose was an amazing 100. In the afternoon I had another spanish speaking patient, and I'm pretty sure she was illiterate. It was very sad, she needed help filling out her health history form ,she could not read it or write on it. Luckily one of the first year students, Karina, was there to observe me that day. She was sent from heaven, she spoke spanish and was able to help translate everything on the HHx and fill it out. She help me throughout the entire appointment, she was amazing. Anyway, so it turned out that this patient was also a class 3!! I was so excited and I was able to get one quad scaled and I did anesthetic on a real live patient for the first time! I did and IA and a mental on the lower right! The IA was a little difficult because first of all her anatomy was not very definite so it was hard to see, then I hit bone twice before getting to the proper depostion site! It was a great experience though. I got one quad of a 3 done she will come back and I'll do the other 3.

MOCKBOARDS!!!

Today was our first mockboard day. I was not very nervous until I got to clinic in the morning and started setting up my stuff and trying to figure out all the paperwork. My brother-in-la called my patient (Cesar) last night and he said he would for sure be there, so I was really confident that he would show up. Cesar was told to be there 10 minutes early so we could get going right at 8:00. Well, 8:05, 8:10, 8:15 and no Cesar. I was starting to panic. We only had until 8:30 to check our patient in until we would get minutes taken off our scale time. So I called him and he said he was almost there and that he lost his keys so he had to borrow someone else's car. Anyway, at 8:20 he finally showed up, we got his parking pass and I told him to run to put it in his car and we finally got started. Luckily I had all the paperwork ready all I needed to do was have him sign them and take his blood pressure. I did all that and I got him checked in at 8:25! So then it was sit and wait until the examiners exam him and record calculus. He finally came back to me and I was able to start scaling. I thought I had plenty of time and I was going to do 2 quads so I would not have to bring him back for a 3rd apppointment. Anyway, I scaled for about and hour and 45 minutes on the two quads, then did the probing and recession. I got him checked out with 5 minutes to spare. Then I had to play the waitng game again, which was torture. it took about 30 minutes for them to bring him back to me and tell me that I missed 2 spots, I was okay with that. I scaled those spots, polished and gave him fluoride and then he was finally done. So, it turned out that I passed my first mockboard with an 87. I missed a few other points on small dumb things like occlusion and the boards dumb classificaiton of perio. I felt like this was a great experience and with every following mockboard I know I will be more confident.
Being a student examiner was also really helpful. I really liked feeling for calculus and then feeling if it got removed. It was an awesome experience and I now know what they are feeling for and what I need to feel for.

I Found a Class 3!!!!!!

Today was a pretty good day. My first patient was the lady that was there the day the power went out, so I didn't even have an OD check to see what she was. So I got her back and I had to take a PA of an area to see if there was an abcess, but there was not. I really need to get cracking on my PA's I think I only have 7, only 63 more to go! Anyway, she ended up being a class 2 which was alright. She was very sesitive to even probing so she definitly needed to be numb. So, I had Prf. Alexander come do the anesthesia and I started. I guess when you do anesthesia you only do one quad at a time. So this process took a lot longer than I thought it would so I was in a tiem crunch but I had just enough time to finish the last quad but Prof Alexander would not let me have her entire mouth(and entire tongue) so I had to reschedule her back for one measly quad. Oh well, I totally can see why we don't want our patients entire mouth numb. It was just frusrating to have to bring her back for a third time. She was very nice though and I think she really appreciated it.
So my afternoon paient came and I took x-rays and did the OD and he was a class 3!! I was so excited. but then he told me he didn't want me to start on the cleaning today because he had a meeting to go to and he was going to speak at it so he did not want to be numb and/or bloody. I was really upset because I had plenty of time to get at least a quad done. So now I am bringing him back for 2 more appointments. Oh well, I found a three and I am not complaining.

I Found My MOCKBOARD!!!!

Today I finally found a mockboard patient. I have been worried sick that I would not find one and today I did. His name is Cesar he is a class 2 and he couldn't be a better patient. He is spanish speaking but is learning how to speak english and speaks it quite well. He was very patient and his schedule is very flexible and he said he could come in anytime. I was able to get the OD done and 2 quads of scaling with zero mistakes!! I was on cloud nine after clinic today. I still have not seen any class 3's so I am still worried about that but I guess I should be happy I have a mockboard. I cannot believe that we are almost halfway through the semester already. It is kind of bitter sweet because I want this all to be over with so I can quit worrying, but I feel like I need more time to get all my requirements done. I just need to take it one day at a time and take deep breaths.

More class 5's

Today in clinic I had 2 more Class 5 patients. My first patient was 20 minutes late and so my heart was just a pumping because I thought she wasn't going to show up. She finally came though and I was able to take x-rays and get 4 quads sclaed. My second patient didn't show up! I was so mad. She was hispanic and only spoke spanish so I had my brother-in-law call her just last night to see if she could come in because my other patient cancelled. Anyway so he talked to her at 5:00 and then she didn't sho up today. So I was way ticked. Luckily, Ashley had double booked patients because her planner got stolen and I was able to see her other patient. So I did get 8 quads of a 5 done today, not a complete loss. The only good thing about that is I am already almost done with my class 2/5 requirements. The bad thing is that I do not have a mockboard patient yet!!!! I am so worried about it. I just can't stop thinking about it. Everyone says it will work out and I will find one but I am not so sure it will. I still feel like I am really slow also. I should be able to get a class 5 done pretty quick but I still take up the whole appointment. I guess both my patients were late today though so I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself.

Week four is over

At the end of week four I am not feeling any better about my situation. I feel like I suck and am the worst student here. Today in clinic guess what I got another 1B, lucky me. Oh and in the afternoon the power went out and I didn't even get to my OD check so I didn't get any scaling. My instructor made me send my patient away and as soon as she left the power came back on and there were a lot of people that got to continue working but unlucky me my patient was already gone. So she could possibly be a 2 but knowing my luck she will be a 1B, but I guess I won't find out until she comes back on October 8. What a waist of a day.

Worried sick!!

This week has been frustrating. I am feeling like I am never going to get all my requirements done. I feel like it is just the luck of the draw, and I am not lucky. I have had no class 3 or 4 patients and only like 2 quads of a two. I don't know what I am suppose to do, I am doing eveything I can but my patients are just healthy. I am worried about not getting a mockboard patient. I feel like everyone else is having great learning experiences with these class 3 and 4 patients and I do not have any experience like that. Today in clinic I had a class2/5 in the morning and in the afternoon I had the easiest 1B patient ever. She was so healthy there was hardly anything to get off. All I have to say is I hope I start getting better luck or my peers start sharing the wealth!

Two Weeks Down

After the second week and the first day of clinic at WSU I am feeling like I am back in the swing of things already. It actually feels like I never left. We had class on Monday and it was a short day so that was neat, we only had our first class because we went to the library and learned how to use the search engines to find articles for our research class. So that is why we did not have our second class. Tuesday and Wednesday were my favorite days of the week because I did not have VA, clinic, or class so I just stayed home and played. Well I really didn't play I worked a lot but I didn't have to drive to Ogden for school so it was fun, but it was really hard to get ready to go back to school after such a long break during the week. Then on Thursday I was pretty nervous to see my first patients of the year at WSU clinic. I had a class 5 and a class 1B, I was able to get both of them done OD and all. Neither of them needed x-rays though so I didn't get any of those done. I was kind of frustrated at the end of the day though because there were several people that found mock board patients already!! I am already feeling like I am behind!! Oh well, it was a good first clinic and I got 8 quads doen so I guess I can't complain. Oh and Friday was my ultimate favorite day of the week, we got our syringes out for the first time and put them to use. We got to practice on CHICKEN LEGS!!! It was super fun. we practiced aspirating in "bloody water" okay it was just water that was colored red but it was actually really great to be able to see how little we had to pull back to get the positive aspiration. We then stabbed the chicken legs, practiced aspirating on them and then injected them with lidocaine. I'm pretty sure if my chicken were alive his leg would probably still be numb, I think I gave him 4 carps!!!! I had a great time and it was very educational as well, double bonus! Anyway, now I am at the end of week two and this weekend is Labor Day weekend so I am looking forward to a long fun weekend.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Back to school., back to school. So we started school up again this week. And let me say that the only positive thing about it is the sooner we get started the sooner we will be done. No just kidding, I am not looking forward to all the stress, tests, finding patients, projects, and not to mention boards. I am really excited however to be back with all my friends in my class and all the super fun faculty. My week started out a little on the scary side. Well Monday we had class and that actually went really well. We had our first quiz and I didn't do too terrible. It was Tuesday that was scary. I hadn't picked up and instrument all summer long and I had VA clinic starting on Tuesday!!! I was scared to death. We showed up to the VA and had our orientation and then at 9:30 we saw our first patient. I was sure that I would get an ornery old man that needed security with him at all times so he wouldn't hurt anyone. Well, as it turned out, I had two patients and they were both fantastic patients, I was able to take a set a of bitewings, a pano, and I got 4 quads scaled. It turned out to be an awesome day. Diane Rosner was so helpful and nice, she made it a really great experience. Professor McConaughy was also there and what can I say about her, she is amazing. She makes me feel so much better about myself and about my skills. I just love her. So the day was really productive and I can tell already I'm going to love the days I go there. It was so nice just to show up and have patients there, I loved it. After the VA on Wednesday I had the day off and it was quite nice to have a break in the middle of the week. Then Thursday was a fun filled day at WSU clinic. We had orientation all day long. It was quite a long day. We organized our instruments, went over emergency preparedness and first aid stuff, got to get the feel of the chair again by practicing on our partners(probing, exploring, etc), got to watch some super fun videos on HIPPA, Infection control and sharpening, then got to pass off our first PE of the year, instrument sharpening. It was a long day but it was nice to ease back in the saddle again. Today is Friday and I am so happy. We had our Dental Med class and we didn't have the lab so Dr Naylor started our Dental Materials class early so we got out early and no one was complainig about that. Our first week is now over!!!!

BABY KEITH BRUSHING HIS TEETH

This is my super cute nephew, Keith, brushing his teeth. He is using the toothbrush I gave him, I am so proud. He is only 9 months old and doing so good already, it must be because of is aunt!!!

FINALLY DONE!!!!

Today in clinic I finally got my requirements done! I was so worried that my patient was not going to show up because I tried calling him the day before several times and his phone number would not work. I was not able to get ahold of him to remind him so I was worried sick. This morning I was so relieved when the CA called over the intercom and said my patient was there. I shouted for joy. I then was able to start scaling away. I got a scale check on the first quad and I did miss a few spots. After those were finished I moved on to the lower quads. It was a great experience because I have never seen so much calculus. There was a ton! It extended subgingivally and it turned dark green/black under the gingiva. It was really cool to be able to just pop it all right off. I did miss several spots on tne lower anteriors but I know for a fact that I got a TON off. I was really proud of myself. It was a long appointment partly because my patient was kind of mean and ornery and was not into small talk at all. He was there for business only no talking. He also started coughing evertime I tried to use the ultrasonic sclaer so I had to stop using that and only use my hand scalers. That made me realize how valuable the ultrasonic is to me. It helps tremendously! Well, anyway I was able to get him done and not a moment too soon. I think my patient was about to leave whether I was finished or not because he said "I can't take much more of laying like this". Like I said, he was an not a very pleasant person. Well I am finally done and that is all that matters. I have been waiting for summer break for a long time, I am finally free for a few months!

Almost there

Today I just had a class 1B come in just so I could get my quad numbers up. My patient was a 21 year old and didn't have much calculus.I still used the entire appointment to finish him. I am not very fast still. I think I overscale, I spend too much time on easy patients. I need to start being more confident in myself and start getting a little faster with each patient. I was super excited to get done and have three more quads to add to my numbers. Now I only have my class 3 patient to finish on wednesday then I will finally be finished with my clinic requirements! HOORAY!!

Closer and Closer Everyday

Today I had a patient that was two quads of a class 3. I was so excited when I found out he showed up for the appointment. I have had no luck with class 3's, I have had 2 patient's that were class 3's cancell on me two times each!!! I was worried that I would never get my class 3 completed. After today, I am one step closer, I now have two quads done. My patient today was so good, he just sat there the entire time, listening to his i-pod and he didn't complain one bit. He was awesome. Now all I have left to complete for my requirements is two more quads of a 3, and I have that patient scheduled for the last day of clinic(YIKES!!!!) I hope he shows up, if not I will be screwed!! Anyway, I am not out of the woods yet, I still have two PE's to pass off and several projects and and tests left in the semester. I hope I make it, if I do it will be a miracle!

Eight Quads done today!

I had me niece and nephew come in today and it was really fun. I really enjoyed talking to them about taking care of their teeth. I was able to take bitewings on my niece Baylee, who is 6. I had the hardest time getting the bitewing tabs to stick to the x-ray packet. I tried and tried and tried several bitewing tabs but they would not stay stuck long enough to have her bite down! I finally got creative and stuck two edge-eeze on there and that held it down good. So, if you ever have this same problem with size 1 film, just cover it with edge-eeze and it works like a charm. After Baylee, I saw my nephew Mavrik. He is 4 years old and is super cute. He was so good to sit in the chair with his mouth open for a long time. I was suprised because he actually had some calculus buid-up on his lower anteriors and his sister didn't and she is almost three years older than he is. That jsut goes to show that some people really build up calculus and onther not so much. Overall it was a great, fun experience and I had a good time, not to mention I got eight quads done today!!!

Another Class 2

SO, today was pretty productive I guess. First of all my patient cancelled on me but I least it was 3 hours before the appointment began. I was able to get another patient in and all was well. My patient was a class 2 so I was able to get all 4 quads scaled in one appointment. I did a screening on him last week so I alreaday had the entire OD done which was so helpful. All I had to do before scaling was do some OHI and then I went to town. I used the ultrasonic scaler first then went throuhg with my hand scalers and finished. I was very glad to get him done because that is one more patient down. I am still in need of a class 3 patient so I am still going to stress and worry until I have that done.

Not a good week

This week was NOT good. First of all on Monday my patient did not show up. I finally called her and she said she had to cancell but she " didn't have my phone number". Right! Anyway so I was frantically calling anyone I could think of to come in but no one would answer their phone. When I was about to give up hope, my sister's roommate called me back and she just happen to be done with class and still on campus. I told her my predicament and she so willingly came in to my rescue. I was so thrilled, she let me take a pano and a set of BWX, which I was in desperate need of. So after starting an hour late, it turned out to be an okay day. She was only a 1B but that was okay with me because I still need to get my quad numbers up. Anyway so then comes Wednesday clinic. I was excited because I knew my patient was going to be there because I was bringing him in myself. My patient was my brother-in-law, he is Tongan, was a class 2 and, he has never had his teeth cleaned before. I got started on him and it was taking me forever to get just one quad done. And then when I was done with that, I got a scale check and I missed a ton of spots!! I was really frustrated. As you can imagine, his calculus was very tenacious and very hard to get off. It was a good experience for me I guess but I was really upset at the end of clinic because I only got three quads done. I felt so bad that he now has to come back and take another day off of work. I am also upset because now that is another clinic day that I needed for my other patients to get all of my requirements done. I am really feeling the pressure now, I am crying a lot lately because I feel like I am not going to be able to fulfill all my requirements(especially my class 3). I am going to be so glad when this semester is over, but then I have two more to worry about!! I hope that someday I can look back on this and laugh because right now I am stressed to the max and I don't think Ican take anymore or last much longer!!!!

Frist Class 3

Today I had a patient come in and I am so excoted because he had 2 quads of a class 3! You jnow you are a dental hygiene student when that excites you!!! Anyway, today went well. I was able to take a set of bitewings, get through the OD and get one quad scaled! I am feeling more comfortable with everything. I still need a lot of work on scaling, I know as soon as I get into this class three in the really heavily calculus areas I will probably feel like I don't know what I am doing. I got some more expereince on the ultrasonic scaler today. I was able to really see it work well, and I am excited to see it used on more calulus. I am still stressed about meeting all of my requirements but one way or another I am sure everything will fall into place (I hope!!) and it will soon all be over!

A Good Day

Today was one of those good clinic days. I was a little upset because my class 5 patient is only going to count as 4 quads of a 1B, but that's okay. I was able to scale 4 quads today, it took me awhile(1 hour 35 minutes to be exact) but I got it done. I felt pretty good scaling today, I really felt like I knew what I was doing for the most part. My patient had a fair amount of calculus but he had ton of biofilm today. I felt like I spent a lot of time digging out and scraping off biofilm. Kara mentioned that she toothbrush polished her patient before scaling and that worked great so next time I am going to try that. I also was able to pass off two more PE's!! YEAH!! I am finally feeling like I am a little ahead on my PE's so I won't be stuck at the end of the semester passing off PE's. I am still worried about getting all of my radiograph requirements and my quadrants, but it is only midsemester so I still have a lot of time!

Patient Cancelled

Yesterday my patient called and cancelled on me. I tired to find someone else to come in but had no such luck, STUPID SNOW!! I hate the snow, I hate to drive in it and so do our patients! Luckily I have wonderful friends in this program and they were willing to help. I was able to do sealants on Alyse and Sarah. I did five on Alyse and just one on Sarah. It was really good practice being able to do so many. I was also able to pass off three PE's today so I feel like I was really able to accomplish some things and made it a productive day, even though my patient cancelled. I am so glad I have such great friends in this program that are willing to help me out and spend there time to come in. THANKS A LOT FRIENDS!!!

First Child Patient

Today, I had my first child patient. I was really worried at first because he was only 4 yrs old and he had never been to the dentist before so this was his first time in a dental setting. I also worried about x-rays. So they were a little late to the appointment which always makes me even more nervous and frustrated. They showed up and filled out a HHx and then we got started. I started off by explaining all of my instruments and I let him feel and hold them. He was very skeptical at first but after her saw that none of the instruments were going to hurt him he warmed right up and did very well. We tried to take x-rays but they were really big for his small mouth and he wasn't able to control his tongue enough to keep it out of the way. So we ended up not taking x-rays and but it still ended up being a positive experience and that is what I wanted.

Feeling a little better

Today I did my first 1B exam. I think it went pretty well. This was my patient's second appointment so I was able to get all the scaling done. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes but I got it all done and I had no missed areas!!! I couldn't believe it, I am always so worried that I am going to miss something but obviously I must know what I am doing enough to get everything off. I also feel like I am still not using correct positioning, I was not able to pass any PE's off today and that was kind of frustrating to me, but I guess I have plenty of time to pass them off. My back really hurts after this appointment. I have got to do something about that because it is miserable. I feel a little better today than I did last week but I am still stressed to the max. I am so worried about getting all my requirements met, my PE's passed off, finding patients, and not to mention studying for the three tests I have in classes this week. Some day I will feel even better I hope.

Feeling Lousy!

Today I had another new patient, he was not new to the clinic though. He has been in several times. So the appointment started out good. My patient did not want me to take x-rays though so I was a little bummed about that. I got started with the OD and that went well except I didn't even check existing restorations to what the last hygienist had recorded. Well after having my OD check I wasn't feeling too hot about everything. I feel like I am still so slow and there is no way I will be able to ever get a patient done in one appointment. I am stressed out everyday because first of all I am worried about finding patients and second I feel that even if I get enough patients in here I am too slow to get all my requirements done. Today is just one of those crappy days. I feel like everyone is ahead of me and doing so much better than me with their requirements and their skill level. Hopefully I will start to feel a little better about myself but not today.

Another new patient

Today started off bad. First of all yesterday I called my patient to remind her of her appointment and she said she had to leave early. That was enough to make me want to cry. I knew I would have to hurry and do as much as I possibly could. Well, I got to clinic this morning, set up my unit, and was all ready for her to be early to fill out her HHx. Well, I waited and waited and waited. Finally she got here at 8:10 and she filled out her HHx. Waiting for here made me even more nervous and afraid that I wouldn't be ablr to get anything done. Well, I got her seated and I was grateful that she even showed up at all. Luckily she did not have a difficult HHx so that went really fast, her vitals were good to I got a signature and I was on my way. We decided to take 4 BWX, I was going to do digital but there was a long wait so I decided to try phosphor plates. I was way nervous to do these because I have no practice on them. Luckily Emily the TA was back there and she was tons of help. I was able to get through it without any retakes and it went really smooth. I was really impressed at the ease of the phosphor plates and I really like them and will definitely be using them in the future. So our appointment went on and I was able to get through the OD before my patient had to leave so I was happy about that. I was also able to get 2 sealants done on Kim's patient. She was so nice and offered to let me do a couple on her brother because she had already done some. So what started out to be a bad day ended up pretty good.

Second Patient

Today I saw my second patient, my sister. Overall it went really well, I was able to take 4 BWX and 1 pano. I did not get to do any scaling though. I got everything else done, so next appt I will be able to pick up where I left off and hopefully get 4 quads scaled next appt. I felt like I took forever taking the x-rays. It was frustrating because I felt like I was hurrying but it still took a long time. Hopefully after I get used to actually taking the x-rays on a real live patient and not the dexter it will go a lot smoother and a lot faster. I feel like a I am finally getting the charting down a little bit, I can do it a little faster now and without worrying quite as much. I am glad I can stop worrying about todays patient and starte worrying about my wednesday patient.

Back to School

Wow, after that long break it was super hard to come back to school. I was so nervous to come back, I felt like i had forgotten everything. Well, maybe not everything, as soon as I walked into this building I felt like I never left and things are coming back to me quite nicely. So we learned about our gracey curets today. Personally I think a lot of them look alike. I am glad we only have three to worry about. I really liked scraping white-out off the typodont's teeth, it was quite fun. I really like the way the graceys work. We also learned how to use the ultrasonic scaler and I thought that was super fun. I've seen the dentist use those several times but I've never used one myself nor have I had it used on me. I really can't wait until the lab in Feb so that someone can use one on me so I know what it feels like. I had a good time practicing on the typodont it was pretty fun. I just switched clinic times so it is a little different being with different people, but I know I will love it just as much. I am really nervous and really scared to be treating patients every clinic. I am more worried about where I am going to get all my patients from. I have no idea but hopefully I will be able to figure it out soon.