Today was quite a scary adventure on the commute to school. I was driving with our normal car pool and on the freeway a wreck happened right in front of us. An SUV was going over the overpass/bridge at 21st street and they started fishtailing then turned sideways and slammed into the concrete barrier. It then soun around then flipped. Pieces of the car were flying everywhere. Luckily we were far enough behind that we were able to dodge the wreck and safely go no by. It really shook me up but we were safe and it ended up being okay.....for us! Anyway, we then got to clinci and set up and my patient had not showed up so about 15 after 8 I called him and asked if he was coming. He was my last 2 quads I need for my requirements and he could not make it because of the snow! He said his car was stuck in the snow and he couldn't get it out. So now I am freaking out because I still need 2 quads of a 4!!! He said he will come next week so hopefully that will be fine. I ended up screening a patient for a first year student who needed a class 3. The patient was quite wierd and had a lot of medical issues. I actually felt really bad for her. I took x-rays and lucky for her she had very minimal bone loss and just needed some OHI and better home care and she will be in good shape. Not so good though for the first year student, she was not a class 3. So in the afternoon I was super excited for my patient because my Pooky was coming in!! My husband was my patient, he had never been here before so I was way excited to show him what this was all about. He showed up on time and I was able to take x-rays and clean his teeth. I was not happyp though because I found 2 x-rays. It was really fun to have him here to see what clinic is all about.

Almost Done!!

Today I brought back my board patient and I just found out that I PASSED MY BOARD!!!!! I told her about it and thanked her a million more times. Anyways, I finished cleaning her upper quads and she was finally finished after coming 5 times!! My afternoon patient was a class 2 and she was super nice and everything went really well. I am just so glad I passed my boards and I am almost done with Dental Hygiene School!!!

Just another day

Today was just a typical day at clinic. I had someone scheduled to come in for a screening at 8:00 but he did not show so I found someone waiting for midtown and he came back for a screening. My instructor looked at him and she said she would give me 2 qudas of a 4 for his entire mouth. I was okay with that. So then I sent him back out and set up for my 9:30 appointment. This was a really nice hispanic guy that was a 1B. He was super nice and had great OH so I was done with him in no time. In the afernoon I saw a 13 year old boy. He was the most talkative 13 year old I have ever met. He was really quite entertaining. This was his first time ever in a dental office. His teeth were pretty good but I found 2 cavities! His first ones, he was devastated! They were on the buccal pits of 31 and 18. It took me the entire time to get him done because he was so talkative but we got x-rays taken and did the cleaning and then he was finished.

WREB CLINICAL DH

Today was my clinical DH exam, the one I paid $950 to take!! Nerves were veyr high this morning. I had to drive myself today because the other girls in my carpool have their exam later. Anyway, I was really nervous my patient would be late and I was right, she was. Luckily I had told her to come super early so I was able to get her checked in on time. As my patient was being checked in I set up my instruments and ultrasonic and then I had to sit there and wait for an hour for my paitent to come back to me. As I was sitting there I was talking to some of the other girls and I was getting more and more nervous my patient was not going to qualify. Two of the girls before me had their patients brought back to them and they did not qualify, their first and second submission!!! I was so nervous because the same instructor who checked my patient had checked one of theirs. I saw my patient on her way to me and I thought "Please have a blue paper, please have a blue paper" because the patient's that did not qualify came back with a yellow paper. As soon as I saw that blue paper I was so relieved, she qualified! And even my first submission, so I did not loose any points on submission. After that I jumped right in and began. It was really weird giving anesthesia with no instructor there to watch me, it was a good weird, like, Yeah I can do this myself!! So I used every ultrasonic tip I had and did that for almost an hour. I then went through and used my graceys and every other instrument I own. I finished up the the slimline ultrsonic tip and felt pretty good about everything. There was one little tiny rough spot on the mesial of 21 so I grabbed my very sharp montana jack and beared down on my fulcrum and I totally slipped off and stabbed my patient's tongue with it!!! I felt SO bad, I was jsut so nervous and wanted to get that calculus off and I slipped. It bled pretty good, so if the examiners see that I wonder if they will count that as tissue trauma. Oh well, after that I did my probing and recession and I feel pretty good about that so I checked her out. Then I cleaned up my unit and went downstairs to wait for another hour before she was done.I gave her a thank you card and some money and set up a final appointment. Then she left and I stayed to babysit the backup patients for the afternoon.

WREB ANESTHESIA

This week was WREB so I did not have normal clinic (well it is actaully spring break). So instead of going somewhere fun for the break or going to clinic I stayed home and studied for days straight for my anesthesia test. Well, it paid off. I went in to take the anesthesia exam and I left feeling a little worried but not too bad. Well, I PASSED the written but I feel really bad because a few girls in my class did not pass and I didn't realize it and I was celebrating that I passed and they probably thought I was a jerk. Anyway, then after that I was the very first student to take the clinical anesthesia exam. I was super nerovus but just set my things up like I normally do and hoped for the best. I brought my patient back and instructed her on a few things to do that would make it easier for me to see then it was time to begin. The instructors first came over to check and make sure my patient did not have any sores or puncture marks at the injection sites. Well, she didn't so I was okay there. Then they checked my paper work to make sure everything was in order and luckily it was so they told me to apply topical. So they walked away and I applied topical and waited for them to come back. After a few minutes they came back and asked if I was ready to go. The examiners were really nice and very helpful, they really calmed my nerves because of how nice they were. Well, I was ready so I started with the right PSA. Everything went pretty smoothly and before I knew it I was done with that injection. Then I proceded to do the left IA. I started, was a little shaky, but I made it to sight of penetration. I proceeded to site of deposition, then aspirating and then I thought I saw red in the carpule but wasn't sure if it was just my patient's tongue I could see through the carpule. SO I said "I think it is a positive aspiration, yes it is a positive aspiration". They probably thought I was stupid and couldn't tell what a positive aspiration looked like. Anyway, I withdrew and got a new setup and tried again. This time I got a negative aspiration and all was well and it was over. I walked my patient out and broke down my room, I had a bit of a struggle with getting the needle off the syringe but it ended up being fine. I then waited in the classroom for a little while for my envelope to arrive. It arrived and I got a purple SUCCESS MEMO!! It was great I passed both injections the first time. I was really excited. I then waited around because my orientation for clinical dental hygiene the next day was at 3:30. Luckily I stayed because one of my peers needed to use me to retake the clinical local anesthesia because she failed one injection. I was happy to help. She did a great job and she ended up passing. Only one girl out of all of us who passed the written failed the clincal anesthesia, so overall it was a great day.

Simulation Day

Today was my simulation day. I was able to get a lot accomplishe. In the morning I saw 2 kids, an 8 year old and a 12 year old. The 8 year old was a cute little boy who was very shy and didn't say much at all. I was able to clean his teeth and do a sealant on #14, he did not need x-rays because they were taken 6 months ago. His sister was the 12 year old and she was a very small 12 year old. She needed some bitewings and her mom also wanted me to take a PA of her lower anterior teeth becuase we found a cavity. She was a good girl and I got done with her in no time. In the afternoon I was ale to get 4 quads of a 2 complete. It wasn't too difficult but I got it done. My patient was very interested in everything I was doing and wanted to know all about it. She was very receptive to the OHI I gave her. Overall today was a good day. I am not very fast so I don't know if I could have handled another patient in the afternoon but it was still a great learning experience.

LA Mockboard

This morning I had my LA mockboard. I wasn't really nervous until I got into the clinic and started setting up. I started with the right PSA and it went well, no positive aspiration and they did not tell me to stop and withdraw before I was finished. Then I did the left IA and I was a little worried because my patient's tongue was kind of in the way of the landmarks. I just asked her to lower her tongue if she could and that did the trick. Then, when I went to do the injection I was shaking like crazy!! I usually never shake like that, but this was a stressful situation so it was kind of to be expected. I just stuck the needle into the site of penetration and that stopped the shaking. I proceeded with the injection, no positive aspiration, and it went well. I ended up passing both injections so I was really excited. I then took the written test which was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Last Mockboard!

Today was my last an final mockboard! It went fabulous!! It started off a little scarey because my patient was 10 minuted late. She had made a wrong turn somewhere and was a little lost for a bit. Anyway, when she got here I was so relieved and ready to go. I had a real dilemma on which quad to choose for the mockboard because she is also my real board patient. I finally chose to go with the quad with the third molar and 18 clicks of calculus. I figure if I can pass my mockboard with a quad that has more calculus and one additional tooth, I can pass the real board with less. So I got going and I felt like a did really well. I used all of my ultrasonic inserts, the orange, the slim line and both curved. I turned her back in to the examiners and I felt pretty confident. When I got my results back.... I DIDN'T MISS ANYTHING!!! I was so excited. I missed no calculus! The only thing I missed points on was one spot of recession so I got a 97.5/100. I was elated! I just hope now I can do this on my real board.

Crappy day :(

Today was not my best work. This morning I had another new patient and he was a class 2. I got to take a few more PA's so that was good. I thought I had done a decent job scaling, I was a little rushed for time but I had no idea what was coming next. I missed at least 8 spots!! I could not believe it! I was very ashamed of myself and quite embarassed. Prof Hanson was really good about it and tried to make me feel better and not like a complete failure. This afternoon my patient did not come at 12:30 so at 12:45 I called her to see where she was and she said she thought her appointment was at 2:00 so she hadn't left yet. I told her it was right now and she said she had to find someone to watch her baby and that she would be here in a half an hour.

productive day

Today I am making up a clinic day. In January I was sick one clinic day so I came today. This morning I saw a new patient. She was a class 2 but I got some bitewings and a few PA's taken and got her all done. I didn't miss any spots so I was very glad. This afternoon I brought in my patient from tuesday (class 3) and I finished her. Professor Hanson gave me some great tips when using the graceys on the buccal of #1,2,and 3. If I use a palm up grasp and put my hand on their cheek I can really get some nice lateral pressure and can really make the storke toward the toe of the instrument. I also did some injections and while doing the IA, I need to be sure to keep the syringe parallel to the occlusal plane at all times. I have a tendency to let the syringe move down as I am injecting. I really liked working with Hanson today.

Found 2 more class 3's

Today I brought in my board patient and I took x-rays and did the OD. It turns out she is a class 3 (which is great for me) and she is a great board patient. Her lower arch has a lot of clicks of calculus and now I have the dilemma choosing which quad to use for the real board and which to use for the 3rd mockboard. Her lower right has 18 clicks of calculus but it also has a third molar. Her lower left has 14 clicks and no third molar. I want there to be enough calculus but not too much, and I am not the best at scaling third molars sometimes so I don't know what to do. She is a great patient though and is so sweet, she laughs a t everything and is so willing to come in whenever I need her to. My afternoon patient turned out to be a class 3!!! YEAH!! I took x-rays, did her OD, and got 2 quads scaled so it was a productive afternoon. I was pleased.

Mockboard #2

Today was our second mockboard. I was very nervous that my patient would not show,but as soon as I saw her lovely face in the waiting area, I was so excited. I brought her back and explored around a little bit to feel for calculus and then I checked her in. It is always nerve racking when you are waiting to see if they qualify. They brought her back to me and she qualified!! So I did some injections and started scaling away. I probably should have been done sooner than I was but, I tend to use all the time I have. I had 15 minutes left and still needed to probe and check recession. I hurried and probed and marked recession and explored a little bit more to make sure I didn't leave anything, then I checked her out. This is also nerve racking to see if you missed any spots. Well, they brought her back and I missed one stupid spot!! It was even supragingival!! it was on the distal of #10 staring me right in the face. With one swipe of the scaler I got it off and I was finished. So I ended up passing with a 91.5. I missed one probe depth as well. I did better than the last one so I am happy with my results. Overall, another great experience and I am feeling a little more confident for the real boards!!

15 to go

Today I had a new patient, well she actually had been in before but it has been 5 years ago so I had to start from scratch. So I took x-rays, 4 BWX and 3 PA's, did the OD and got everything done in one appointment. I was very proud of myself. She was 3 quads of a 2 and 1 quad of a 3. It was a really good feeling. I now only need 15 more quads of a 3 yeah!! I still am lacking in 4's as well. I also got 3 PE's passed off this mornig. My afternoon patient was kind of a let down. He hasn't had his teeth cleaned in 10 years and he was a 1B!!!! I was a little upset but that is good for him. I finished him and I also completed one of my desensitization PE's do that was good. It was a productive day so I am pleased.

I think I have a board patient!!!!!!

I was sick Tuesday so I did not go to clinic at WSU but Wednesday I felt better and was able to go to the VA. I saw two patients, one was a class two and the other was a class 5. The first patient I saw had a lot of metal on him. He had his left ear pierced at least three times and had big spiky hoops in them. He also had his nose pierced and had a ginormous tongue stud, it was HUGE!! I took a pano on him, he could take out the tongue stud but not the others so they showed up really well on the pano. It was really cool because he has had his tongue stud in for like 10 years so he had textbook recession on the lingual of 24 and 25. He looked great everywhere else but right there the bone was gone and so was the gingiva. I tried to talk him out of putting it back in but as soon as we were done he put it back in. So that was an interesting experience at the VA. Well today, I came to WSU for a sealant clinic and for patient screenings. I was really hoping I could find a board patient. I had 3 people scheduled. The first one did not show and I was really mad. Just when I thought my second patient wasn't going to show and 10 minutes before patient #3 was going tobe here she came. I was really mad cause she was so late and I didn't even want to see her. Well I am glad I did. I quickly started exploring and I was getting stuck on a lot of calculus. I had Alyse chart the calculus for me and there was quite a bit. I then go t really excited. I had Professor Alexander come and check and she said there were 18 clicks in the LR quad. I was so excited. I am going to bring her back to take x-rays and do the OD and then have her as my second mockboard and hopefully everything will work out!!!

Today was another productive day at clinic. I had a class 3 from last semester finally come back in and I was able to finish her. I scaled 3 quads and gave 4 more injections. When I was doing one of the injections I was looking through my loops and not being very careful. I accindentally stabbed below her lip and she started bleeding. I felt really bad but I kept my cool and acted liek nothing happened. Then in the afternoon my class 2 came in and I scaled 4 quads. I was able to count those as an exam so I won't have to worry about it later.

Last Semester

Today was the first day of clinic in my very last semester of dental hygiene school!! It started out great. My class 3/4 last semester came in and I scaled 2 quads of a 4 and I had no mistakes! I was really proud of myself. I am really worried about not having a mockboard patient and a real board patient, but Iafter this morning I was feeling pretty good about muyself. This afternoon I had a class 5 patient because my class 2 that was suppose to come in had to cancel at the last minute and luckily Alyse had an extra patient for me to work on. I was able to count him as an exam. So today I was alble to get a lot done. I got 2 quads of a 4 exam, 4 quads of a 5 exam, I passed off 3 PE's and did 2 eaglesoft patients. I was pretty happy with the results of the first day!!!