How am I going to pass boards?!?!

       Ok so this week has not been my week.  I seriously felt like everything I have learned has gone out the door today.  I was not feeling normal while I was scaling...my positions, my angles, everything just felt awkward and not familiar to me.  I felt like I could not get calculus for the life of me.  I could definitely feel it, and i tried hard lateral pressure and I still could not get it off.  I started to wonder if I had dull instruments so I hurried and sharpened them and still ....no luck.  I was getting so frustrated!!! I wanted to give up.  I asked Marilyn to come over and see what I was doing wrong and she says... well its not your instruments so just use more lateral pressure.  I seriously could not get it.  It was my class 3 but still.... I felt I should not have struggled that much.  So she sat in the chair and tried to get it... she made it look so easy almost just with one stroke!  She gave me some good advice one how to get it better and was like o duh why didn't I think of that!  I got thinking, uh o what if it is like this for boards, what will I do?  I guess I will just keep getting better and only hope for the best.  I think I was just exhausted and had not slept very much.  Lets hope next week is better and I will have better lateral pressure and the strength to get tenacious calculus off! 

First Mock-Board!!! Ahhh...glad it is over!!!

Ok so today was SOO stressful!  My patient was so nice, I was glad to work on him.  It made it difficult because he only spoke spanish, but I was able to get by, I had Lizzy's husband be a translator for me and I am so grateful that he was there to help.The flow of mock boards was stressful and I always felt like I was missing a step and I felt like nothing was making sense to me because I was so nervous.  It went well, but it seemed like it just flew by.  Two hours goes by WAY faster than I wanted it to.  Before I knew it it was almost time to get my patient out of the chair.  I am so glad that we do mock boards to help me get the flow of things and then I will be more prepared for boards. It is crazy how you feel like you got everything but still manage to have missed some spots.  I only missed two spots so i was glad about that, but always room for improvement. I still passed that is all that matters.  Half way through the appointment and relaxed and went over what I had done with my explorer really light to help find anything I missed and I sometimes I noticed I would tense up and when i relaxed i was able to have better tactile. 

You would think that scaling one quad in two hours would be less stressful, it is crazy how fast the time flies by.  After I as done scaling I allowed myself 20 minutes to probe and do recession and I think it was enough time to not feel rushed to get him out the door to be checked.  After today I felt a ton of stress was lifted off me.  What a relief to have it over with..... only 2 more to go and then the REAL DEAL!!

I can't control my blood glucose...how come?!

    Ok so today at the VA seriously was such a good experience!  So for my research project our group is doing the relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease and how many patients are aware of the bi-directional relationship.  Well so today my patient had diabetes and periodontal disease as well...when I was asking his our routine questions about his blood glucose number I was in shock at what he said...... 260 I believe is what he said.  I said um.... is that normal for you and his response "ya its always high lately I haven't been able to control my blood glucose and I don't know how to fix it"  So first thing that came to mind, I asked him, how is your oral hygiene?  He was honest and said horrible, never floss, or brush.  I asked if he was aware that diabetes and periodontal disease had a bi-directional relationship and he said he was not aware.  So i educated him about how perio is making it hard for him to control his blood sugars and his diabetes is also making it hard to control his perio if he is not controlling his diabetes as well as not having good oral hygiene.  He was so impressed that I knew all this and had educated him.  It really made me feel good to be able to help him better understand and it motivated him to step up his home care and he promised that he was going to floss and brush properly so he could maintain better health and control his diabetes.  What he found weird was that his doctor had never mentioned this to him and so he had not clue about it.  My patients experience went along perfectly with my research project and I was able to see hands on exactly what my patient knew, and how he reacted after he was educated.  It really did motivate him to have good oral care because he wanted to control his diabetes and I told him it was going to be difficult if he didn't control his mouth first.   It is kind of sad that patients like mine today are not educated about their diseases and complications come from lack of knowledge.  I am glad that I have the knowledge so I can help educate others who are in need!
      

Teeth just flapping in the wind!!!

      Today was such a good experience and I was able to see it all!! So today I saw my first class 4 patient and he was something.  I really enjoyed my experience.  So first off when I looked at his x-rays I got a little nervous because I knew that by the look of the bone loss and bridge of calculus on the x-rays.... his tooth will be gone.  I sat him in the chair and when i looked in his mouth.... BIGGEST CALCULUS BRIDGE!!! I was so excited to get started. I talked to him about his hygiene and before I started I warned him that his lower anteriors may not be there anymore because they are only being held in by the bridge of calculus...he said to me "well then lets get started" When I started with the ultrasonic i had to hold the tip on the bridge of calculus for several seconds until it finally shattered the bridge.  After an hour my wrist was so tired I didn't think I would be able to continue, I needed a break.  His calculus was so tenacious.
      When I got to his molars he had class 2/3 furcations and I have never had an experience with them and Professor Alexander gave me some good tips on how to scale them and she let me use curved tips for the ultrasonic and let me tell you...THEY WERE AMAZING!! I was able to really get in the furcation and the tip fit perfectly and made it so much easier!! So when I was all finished with the quads I did today, sure enough his tool was flapping in the wind and am almost positive it will be gone when he comes in next week for his visit!!

Already having to use my back-up patient...my mom!

    So today went really good for our first day back scaling teeth.  I had my brother scheduled Joel to come in and he agreed that he could a few days ago then I got the call....the call we all HATE!! Yup, Joel was calling me to cancel his appointment 10:00 last night saying he was too stressed with his test the next day and can not drive up because he needs to study instead.  I understood where he was coming from so I told him I would just find someone else so he could get his stuff done he needed.  I was hoping I wouldn't have to use my mom already because she is a good reliable fast back-up patient but after calling several people that night I had no other choice.  I was glad I saw her though because she has braces and i feel like she needs to see the hygienist every 3 months instead 6 because she build calculus more than I expected and i had only seen her 4 months ago.   When I saw her 4 months ago she had just barley gotten her braces on and had minimal plaque and calculus, but this time the amount of her calculus was a surprise to me.  It was good having my patient be my mom on the first day because I was able to not stress as much worrying and my appointment went smoothly.
       I was a little shocked at how natural scaling felt to me and how everything came back to me so easily.  I was expecting to feel way out of my ordinary and not remember positions.  There were times that I felt a little handicap but then I remember the correct way it made sense.   I can't wait for this last year and the experiences I will gain!

Class 3 COMPLETE!! and My mom came in with braces!!

So today was so fun being in senior clinic!! So much more laid back and easy going.  I loved having leigh perry there to help me with tips and any questions that I had.  I was able to finish my class 3 and get him our of there in enough time so that I still could see my mom!! My mom just got braces so it was a good experience! I loved it, it was good practice and it certainly was harder.  It was funny to have my mom in there she kept making me laugh cause she would imitate me.  Leigh taught me way good tips and I felt so awkward doing things but Leigh said I was doing just fine and that I will get used to it but that I look good.  It was stressful today because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish him and then get my mom in but I did!! I was so glad it all worked out!

I HATE MONARCH DENTAL!!!

So my class 3 pt came in today and he had just had all his x-rays done from monarch dental so he had them  fax them to us and we could not see what was going on at all so we asked them to e-mail them to us and they said they would but really i waited around for my whole appt waiting for them to do so...and never got them!  I wasted all that time and only got an OD done.  I was so bugged.  I felt bad because we couldn't do anything on him.  So when I went to schedule his next appointment he informs me that he is going out of town so the only option is for him to come in on the senior clinic day.  Luckily it works and I can see him then!! I am stressed out..hopefully I can get him done it that day! Leigh Perry is going to help me and watch me and give me tips so I am excited about that!  Wish me luck :)

Class 2...really a 1B....

Today I was frustrated!!! A second year took a class 3 from me and she said that they were a class 2 and so I was excited because that is what I need and I have way too many 1b's.....so when all is said it done my patient turns out to be a 1b and not even close to a class 2.  I was so mad because I need 2 and I have way too many 1B.  On top of that frustration...it only got worse.  Taking x-rays took forever, the developer had some issues for minute and I had to take a retake.  I only got to OHI and didn't get to scale at all so I felt like today was a bad day.  But that is ok, every patient is different and some appointments go more smoothly than others.  He does need a pano I am going to see if he will get a pano his next appointment then at least I can get that requirement done :)   Next week I am going to make sure I am ahead of the game and get everything all ready and organized so that i can not have anything upset me that I have control of haha today I switched clinics so it was not as organized as I usually am because I had to bring all my stuff over to another pod and I felt it made me a little OCD and out of line with things.  But anyways I am going to make sure next week is a lot better than today :)

Clinic Lab Day!!

       Today was just a lab day and we learned how to pass off three new PE's.  Blood Glucose, Diagnodent, and removable appliance.  Blood Glucose was fun to learn about, we got to poke each others fingers and test our own sugar levels.  I just had a bunch of sugar before so I felt that mine was a little high... it was 113 and normal range is 80-120. So i was within range, but still it was the top of the range.  We learned the difference between diabetes type 1 and 2 and why one is insulin resistant and one insulin dependent.

       The Diagnodent was fun to learn how to use.  The diagnodent detects any suspicious areas on the teeth .  It is a good way to detect cavities and efficient.  We also learned the proper way of how to clean a denture by putting it in the container with the solution and letting it soak and then brushing it correctly.  Today was a good day and a good day from seeing patients and not having to prepare for patients before.

     These PE's I think are going to be fun to pass off I enjoyed learning more about them and can't wait to do them!

FIRST PATIENT IN ONE DAY!!!

Today I saw my first patient in ONE day. She was only a 1B so that helped out a lot! It was so nice being able to actually get her done in one appointment!! I didn't take x-rays though, so that saved me 20 minutes but I still had extra time at the end so I was not too rushed.  I did use the Ultrasonic on her lower anteriors, and um.... so it makes me nervous to use it! I was NOT confident at all!  I was glad to switch back to hand scale.  Ha so that is going to be my goal next patient is to use the ultrasonic and be better with it and more confident!  Everyone says it is not bad you just have to get used to it but I feel like I am just being a little to careful and need to be more bold and trust myself. I have come along way and it is crazy how much I have learned and I just started seeing patients this semester!  I love it!  Dental Hygiene is seriously the best ever :)  I love going to school!

My first diabetic patient!

Today I had a really nice patient come in!  She is diabetic so it was a different experience having to write down all her meds and writing everything in the tx record.  Since it was my first time I was unsure of what to write in the tx record but I got it all figured out.  It took a while to get everything started because she didn't eat breakfast and didn't check her blood sugar so we had to test her to make sure that she was ok and not low.  It was a good experience.  I was able to get one quad done on her.  I am going to make a goal that I try to get in at least two quads in.  To accomplish that I need to make sure I am on top of it and always keeping on task and not getting behind and make sure things run smoothly.  I feel that I am becoming more confident in seeing patients.  There are a few things that I know I can improve on but it will come with time!  Today was a good clinic day and I enjoyed my patient.  It was a good experience seeing a complete stranger not knowing what to expect because it made it a little more challenging!

FIRST CLASS 2!!!

So today i saw my friend!! It was really fun seeing him today and it was really calm for me because I was not nervous around him.  Today I took a FMX with schick....and just my luck he has a SHALLOW PALATE!! The worse for schick PA'S..... ok lets just say it took FOREVER and his mouth would NOT cooperate with the sensor!  IT WAS HELL AND FRUSTRATING!!! He was so patient and bless his heart.  I tried so many times and could not get the right x-rays.  Sam the TA came in to help me, and guess what, even she could not get the right x-rays.  I felt bad because we were taking forever to get his x-rays... luckily he was patient and did not mind.  So turns out that he had pretty good gingivitis with slight loss of bone beginning so he is a class 2.  It got me excited because I was able to teach him etiology of gingivitis and explained to him that he needs to floss and how important it is because he told me he never flosses and never will..until I told him the importance!  We put him on chlorehexidine and he was excited to start using it to see his gums improve and when he comes back I will be able to evaluate if he is using it or not!  I loved this experience with him because I was actually able to have a deeper talk about everything with him that he had no clue about!  I am excited for his next appointment to see if his gums have improved!

Floss Floss Floss!!!!!

Today my friend came in and he informed me that he flosses maybe once a month. I explained to him the importance of flossing and how it can lead to perio disease and I think I got it in his head that he needs to floss :)  he promised me that he would floss everyday!  I am going to check up on him weekly at ONKA to make sure he is doing it.   I scaled one quad on him and I didn't miss anything again!! I am feeling more confidnet in not missing anything and it may be because I feel that I am a little OCD and I check it more than I should to make sure I didn't miss.  I need to work on not checking it so much, I just get worried that I might miss something,  But I guess that is how we learn, from our mistakes! Everything is coming along better now I am getting the flow of things and feel that I am getting faster.  I feel like the only thing that slows me down is the x-rays.  It isn't taking the x-rays that takes forever it is just the process of setting up the room and breaking it down.  It doesn't take that long, but still!

Children are so much easier and faster :)

Today I saw my first child!  He was 8 and surprisingly he had pretty bad calculus on the lower anteriors.  He said he brushed like he is supposed to but doesn't floss... i think he brushes, just not for the correct amount of time!  He was a fun kid to work with! When I was scaling his anterior teeth I thought I was all done and almost grabbed the instructor to do a scale check, then I had a feeling to double check his lingual anteriors and spray them with air.....sure enough to my surprise SUPRA CALCULUS!!! I was so glad I checked because when the calculus was wet, i could not even see it.  But when I dried it, it was clear as day that I had not gotten it all!  I finished getting everything then got the instructor and I did not miss any calculus.  He had some mixed dentition so I got to still probe and scale. It felt good finishing in one appointment because then I didn't have to worry about him coming back and having less clinic time.  I knew I would finish him in one appointment because children are a lot easier and quicker than adults.  I got to pass off my anterior scaling pe on my patient as well.   It felt good to get a pe done and one less thing I have to worry about!  I am loving clinic more and more!

4 quads in one appointment :)

Today was AMAZING!!! I cleaned my dad and did all 4 quads today, last time he came in was last semester and so we got all the OD done and that.  I loved working on my dad because he has crowns and so I was able to get experience scaling around crowns on my dad without being nervous.  I did not miss ANY CALCULUS!!! I was so proud of myself.  I was shocked that I was able to clean all 4 quads and not miss one spot, I for sure thought that I was going to miss at least one spot.   My dad was very impressed as well.  I feel like this semester is going to be good, but stressful at the same time!  I just need to make sure I keep up on everything and not get behind on PE's and such.  Something I could have improved on today is keeping the flow of things and make sure I have everything that I need.  Sometimes I would forget stuff so I would have to take off my gloves and get it and that would just take extra time.  That is going to be a goal I set, to make sure that I have everything already out and ready to go! I felt very proud of myself today!

First patient back!!

So today went really well!! Surprisingly I was not that nervous to see my brother after Christmas break! I got one quad done on him and I felt that I was able to keep up with the flow and not get behind.  It was good to have my brother in for my first patient back because then I wasn't as nervous, he helped me stay calm.  I felt that I was really slow but really i did ok, it will take time to speed up.  Todd had really good teeth so his teeth were really easy to clean.  He really didn't have that much calculus to get except in the lower anteriors, I started getting a little frustrated with that because it took me a little bit longer to remove it but I enjoyed it!  I am excited to see patients this semester I actually get to put to use what I have been taught all last semester.  My only worry is not being able to find patients! I guess it all works out in the end....so i have heard!

First Patient being back!!!!

Today was our first day back with a patient!  It went well, my patient was my brother Todd! I am glad I had him because it made it less stressful and I was able to be more calm.  I scaled one quad today, i could have done two but I was trying to be perfect and make sure I got everything!  I didn't miss anything :) but I think next time I am going to trust myself and not continue to go back and check so many times!   I am getting the hang of things. I noticed what I struggle with was the dent, I never know if it is MOD or just O or OD.... I need to make sure that I am better at that.  Today was good and I feel confident for next time!

Back to school! lab day

Today we just went over some scenarios and what we would use for what and talked about everything.  I am nervous for next time I feel like I will be rusty but I am sure once I get into the mouth I will be fine!  I am going to study everything and make sure that I remember it all.  My brother is my first patient so it makes me feel better and I am not as nervous if I hurt him ha but we will see how it goes!