Last day of clinic

Today was a crazy day. The winds outside were sooooo bad. They classified the winds in the same category as a class II Hurricane! Most of the girls didn't see any patients. I saw my patient in the morning. It was only 2 quads of a 1B. We had to cancel our afternoon patients because they closed the school. They wouldn't let anyone leave campus for a while though, because the conditions outside were too dangerous. My car got a lot of damage. I had to file a police report. My grill has a big hole in it and both sides of my car is scratched all the way down them. BUMMER :( It could have been a lot worse, so I guess I am lucky. But, I hope that never happens again. 

Lab day

Today was hilarious. We had a lab in the afternoon and it was a lot of fun. We learned about desensitizing agents, local antimicrobial agents, medical emergencies, cancer screening techniques and how to transfer wheelchair patients. The wheelchair part was a lot of fun. We pushed each other around the school and Michelle almost crashed! We had a challenge that whoever could transfer Mr. Solamon from the wheelchair to the dental chair got credit for 5 PA's and I did it! HOORAY 5 conventional PA's down! That rocked. 

VA day

I got to give some injections for the Doctors at the VA today. It was a little nerve racking, but also a lot of fun! I hope I get to do that more often. It was a really good experience. I gave 6 injections all together. Two for Dr. Brown, two for another Dr. and two on my afternoon patient. I passed off my injection PE, which is quite a relief! I didn't know if I was going to get it done before the semester ended! I did 6 quads of a class V today. I had a patient that was a class III, but I gave him to Julie, because she is short on that classification. I also got a set of bitewings and a PANO, so today rocked! I wish everyday was like today. 

What a day.

Today I got a lot of stuff done! On my first patient, I got a set of bitewings, 2 PA's, the blood glucose PE, and 4 quads of a class II. This patient had some severe bone loss on two of her anterior teeth. It was kind of unusual. Dr. Naylor came and evaluated her and ended up referring her to a Periodontist for an evaluation.  I hope that she goes and gets everything taken care of. My second patient was my class IV patient. The last time she came in I got half of her mouth done. Jenn had to give her the injections, because I was not able to yet. My patient was crying very loudly when Jenn administered the anesthetic. Today, I am able to give anesthetic to my patient and I am horrified!! I have only given Michelle injections, this will be my first patient.  I am working on the left side of my patient's mouth today and am terrified to give the left PSA. I have been fretting about it all day. I decided to put my patient on Nitrous to calm her down from the anxiety of getting the shots. Luckily, I got to pass off my Nitrous PE, hooray! Dr. Hanson watched me give my injections. I did the lower ones first.  I passed off my periodontal files with Dr. Hanson and finished the lower quadrant. Then I was on to the maxillary quadrant where I needed to give the dreaded left PSA.  I PUT the topical anesthetic ON, where I was going to give the injections. Then I realized I had a problem, my patient did not have any upper molars, which are my landmark for the injection. I went over and told Dr. Hanson this and she looked and me and said, "then you don't need to give a PSA." DUH!!! Biggest blonde moment of my life people!! I can't believe I almost gave an injection that would be completely useless for me! It would be necessary if I was doing oral surgery! Hahaha. But luckily I was not performing any surgeries today.  The good thing about it is I don't think that I will ever make that mistake again!

To x-ray or not to x-ray...that is the question.

Today was the first time that I have ever had a patient refuse x-rays. It kind of caught me off guard for a minute. X-rays are so beneficial and are a standard of care that I am not used to people turning them down. I gave my patient the "run-down" on why x-rays are important. Telling her the benefits was like second nature to me. Radiographs are so important in what we as hygienists do, that I was probably a little over-bearing to my patient about the importance of them. She ended up changing her mind and consenting to get the x-rays taken, and I kind of felt bad about talking her into them, which is crazy!! I should be glad that I informed her about the importance of regular x-rays. I may have potentially saved her life! (not that that is very likely at all, but you never know) She was a very interesting lady, to say the least. I am glad I got this experience. I remember in first year clinic passing off a PE to Prof Costley where she had refused x-rays and I informed her of their importance and she ended up changing her mind so quickly. I thought, "well that was easy." But, today it took a little more convincing to persuade my patient away from the "dark side." hahaha. I hope that I don't feel bad about it next time.

Party time!!

Today we had our Halloween party, and it was a blast! We were so worried that there would not be enough food, but it turned out perfect. We had an over-abundance of yummy desserts! The costumes were so fun! I loved the instruments and the clue game group.  The rap by Dr Hanson and her "pimps" was awesome! I need a copy of it to study for LA. Luckily, I got it on video!! Everyone was so helpful, we got it set and and cleaned up in record time! I love everyone in this program, they are so awesome! I can't believe that it is almost over! It's kind of bitter sweet.

Bring on the kids!

Today I saw my nephew, who is 4 and my niece, who is 1 1/2. I don't know if it is just me, but kids WEAR ME OUT!! Even though they have no deposit in their mouths, they are so exhausting!! I am glad to have the experience though, and I am lucky that I got to see family. I just love those darling kids! I also had the opportunity to treat a patient that has Lupus. It is so sad how much this disease affects the body. It was the longest health history that I have ever taken. She is on so many medications, but she was right on top of all of them! She was so so fun to work with. I had a first year student shadowing me and she was so helpful! I love all the first year students, they are so much fun! They are doing so well too! I love them, but I do not want to be them again! I love being a second year! I feel all grown up, awwwwe...

6 months to go!

Only six more months of school to go! I can't believe how fast the year is going by. I am so excited that it is almost over, but at the same time I am freaking out a little bit! I hope that I can get all of my requirements met. I haven't done hardly any PE's this semester! I need to get my butt into gear and do some. I have my mid-semester meeting tomorrow with Professor Alexander, she will probably tell me the same thing. Hopefully it goes well.

Children's Health Connection

Over Friday and Saturday, Weber State hosted the Children's health connection clinic. A bunch of dentists volunteered their time and supplies to help underprivileged children get their teeth fixed. The hygiene students were there cleaning kids teeth and teaching them about oral health. This was a really cool experience. So many children were helped at this clinic. There were so many wonderful volunteers there to help out. I got to meet a lot of really nice people and a lot or great dentists. I look forward to helping with this clinic in the future!

Keep on keepin' on

We are done with our midterm test! Hooray! I am glad that is over with. I thought it was pretty tough.  The test was really wordy and long. It had a lot of questions on it that are similar to the types of questions that are on the boards to help prepare us. This is probably a really good thing, but it kind of freaks me out! I hope that I can do well on the boards when it comes time to take them. this test gave me a little jolt of reality when I got my score. All I can do is keep studying and try my best though. I guess it just makes me realize that I have a whole lot of studying to do!!

First day off..

Today is my first day off in three weeks!! (besides labor day) I think I am starting to get back into the groove of things. My next patients that I treated at the VA were really nice, hooray!! I was so relieved that they were nice, it made me feel a lot better about my skills. I got to place arestin in some deep pockets on a patient at the VA, although, it doesn't count towards my requirements I guess since we have not had our lab on it yet.  We give four more injections to each other on Friday, I am pretty excited!! I don't really want to get the shots, even though I know that Michelle will do fabulous, they are still shots!! So far school is going pretty well, I hope it keeps going this well!

3 shots down!!

Today we gave each other 3 shots! Michelle did so well!! She was the first one to give the injections and she was a champ! Dr. Hanson was instructing us, and she said we were definitely not "ninnies"! I hope that I feel comfortable when it comes to giving my patients injections. Michelle has really prominent landmarks in her mouth, which made it really easy to give the injections. If only everyone has mouths like Michelle. Next week we will do 4 shots, wish me luck!!

Week one down!

The first week of this semester is over! This week went by really fast! It was busy, busy, busy! Next week we will see more patients. I felt pretty awkward at the VA, hopefully I will get back in the "groove" soon. I think everyone is feeling a little off this week though. I am the CA at the VA next week, so I don't get a day off for three weeks straight. I have to get my butt into gear and get back to school mode! This is going to take some work, wish me luck!

Clinic with the Juniors

I am a TA with the first years in their clinic this year.  I think that it is going to be a really good experience.  It is a little boring right now, because they are just learning how everything works, but it will be good to help them feel comfortable with everything. I remember everything being so confusing when I first started, I hope that I can make things a little easier on them. They all seem really nice and excited to get started. Truthfully, I am so happy that I am not a first year anymore!! I remember seeing the second year students last year and wishing that I was them, and now I am!! I can't believe the program is already half way over, I have loved it all!  Can't wait to see what this year brings.

Bad first impression...

Today was my first day at the VA. The morning was really boring with all of the orientation stuff (although I know it is necessary). I was falling asleep during the powerpoint presentation.  We had a patient in the afternoon and mine was not happy to be there at all.  He was not happy about the cleaning, everything was taking way too long for him, he was uncomfortable, but wouldn't let anyone do anything about it, he was dropping "F" bombs and complaining about everything that was going on. I felt really awkward, especially because he was my first patient that I had seen since last semester. I was feeling really crappy, like I had no idea what I was doing. I hated it.  Luckily, my instructors are amazing and they made me feel better about it. They told me that he was a really difficult patient and it wasn't because I was a horrible hygienist. He would be tough for anyone that treated him. I just hope that all my patients are not as difficult (personality wise) as he was!! I will cross my fingers!

Back to school

We are back in school, and honestly, I am not ready for it.  I would be so excited to be back if I didn't have the stress of finding patients. That is the absolute worst part of school according to me. I don't mind anything else about school. I just hate when patients don't show up for their appointments. I seem to have the worst luck with that too, a lot of my patients no showed on me last semester. I am hoping that things go differently for me this semester! This year should be tons of fun though. I am way excited to be a senior!! The program is half way over, I can barely believe it! In just 8 months, we will be graduating! Here's to a great year ahead!!

25 minutes my BUTT!!

I tried to finish my 1B patient in 25 minutes today. It took me 45 minutes to finish her!! That is double the time limit. I still missed two spots of calculus too, and I think if I would have slowed down I would not have missed them. GRR... Luckily, Instructor Vining made me feel a lot better about it. He said that he has no worries about me going into second year clinic. He told me that he was in the same boat that I am in now, and that my time will continue to decrease. That makes me feel tons better.

1A!!

Yay!! Today I got some bitewings, a PANO, all my sealant requirements, and a 1A patient done! I love productive days. My patient had soooooooooooo much calculus though! It was crazy! She was super wiggly and did not want to keep her mouth open, it was definitely a challenge. On the bright side, I only missed one spot of calculus, which is good! I wish everyday was as productive as today!

FULL MOUTH!

Hooray!! Today, my friend Ken came in and I took a full mouth series of x-rays. I really needed these x-rays for my requirements, so I am super relieved to get them done! What a good friend. Now, he gets to come back and get his teeth cleaned. He is pretty sensitive and jumpy though, so I am nervous to clean him. He told me that I was rough, so I guess I need to work on being a little bit more gentle. I hope everyone I work on is not in pain! I wish people would answer me honestly when I ask them if they are doing OK. I'll try to be more careful now though!

Yet again.....

Yet again, my patient cancelled at the last minute. HML. So, I took a leap of faith and called my class II patient that did not show up last time. LUCKILY, she said she could come in. I made sure to let her know that I would FAIL if she didn't show up (ok, so I won't fail, but a little white lie can't hurt..). Guess what?? She showed up! HOORAY!!! Now I have 3 more quads of class II to knock of my requirements. I can do this!  I think...

Close call

I called to confirm my patient last night and they tried to cancel on me!! GEEEEEZ, I can't catch a break. Luckily, I talked them into coming in at 9:00 am. I was able to pass of some PE's on Michelle's patient. THANK GOODNESS FOR MICHELLE!! I was worried that my patient would not show up, but luckily he did. He is such a sweet kid. I finished him today, which is great.

Exhausted...

I had a patient confirmed for today and they did not show up. OF COURSE! I hate my luck!! There goes my class II patient! I am losing patients left and right. I am freaking out!! Luckily, my sister came to my rescue and brought in my nephew who is 3. Let me tell you, KIDS ARE EXHAUSTING!!! I tried to take bitewings on him, but he was not having it. We ended up getting 2 occlusal films, which I am happy about. I have to see two more kids, we will see how I hold up.

DANG IT!!

My class III patient did not show up today!! I am so sick of her not coming in when she says she is going to be here. I am thinking that I am going to ask Costley if I can dismiss her as a patient. She is wasting my time. I hate that I have wasted appointments on her though. grrr.. So, John came in and let me clean his teeth. I was hoping that I could take x-rays on him, but he had them 6 months ago, dang it. OH WELL. At least I had a patient in my chair and got 4 quads done!!  It could have been worse I guess...

Speed demon

Today was a good day. I saw a new patient who is super sweet. She was right on time, which is amazing!! With my luck, having a patient be on time is pretty rare. I got x-rays, an OD and scaled all four quads. I love when that happens!! I wish I had more days like today. They make me so happy!

Bad day

Today I pass off sealant, which was good, but I also worked on another patient and only got one quad done! boo. We switched instructors today and I missed a million spots!!!! I NEVER miss that much.. What is my deal?? Oh well, I can only learn from my mistakes. Hopefully next time I will do better.

hard day

Today I had a hard day. My patient text me last night at 10:40 PM and told me she will be an hour late..crap. So, I had John come in to do an OD so I had someone in the chair. His appointment took longer, because it turns out that he is pre-hypertensive, boo! That threw me off a little. So then, I was late seating my next patient, who is a class III periodontitis patient. She had to be anesthetized and I felt like I had no idea how to scale her teeth. It was my first time using my posterior gracey's, so that was a little different. I missed calculus on almost all of her teeth..Professor Costley had to finish scaling because I ran out of time. Geeeeeeeeez..I couldn't catch a break today.. It was one of those days that I think to myself, "what are you doing?? you can't do this." Quite discouraging. I just have to remember, we are all struggling because we are all learning. We will all have bad days along with good days. I just have to tough the bad days out.

tough patient

Today I worked on a thirteen year old girl who had a lot of calculus! She was classified as a 1B (healthy adult), but she was pretty tough. She was such a trooper though! I passed off my ultrasonic scaling PE on her, which is awesome. I can't wait for the day that this all becomes so easy to me. It is so hard right now, but I know that we are all still learning. I hope that she doesn't get discouraged and think that every appointment will be this hard. She hadn't had her teeth cleaned in a very long time, so she had a lot of buildup on her teeth. I explained to her that if she comes in every 6 months, it will be a lot easier at every appointment. She seemed to believe me, I hope she does!

Productive day

Today I got a lot done! I love days like today!! I saw an eleven year old patient, but she had all her adult teeth, so she was classified as an adult. I took x-rays, did an OD, scaled her whole mouth, polished, placed fluoride and Michelle passed off a PE on my patient. Luckily, I had the help of Michelle and Whitney. They charted for me and setup and broke down my x-ray room. I love the girls that I go to school with. They are all so amazing and helpful. I can always count on them when I need help, it's awesome.

my patient loves me!

Today I finished my Spanish speaking patient. He is such a sweet guy!! He wanted to make sure that he got my name so that when he comes back to the clinic he will be able to have me clean his teeth again. So I said, "so you like me, huh?" just being a smart aleck, and he said, "no, I love you." It was so funny! I told him that he better come in on Valentine's Day then. I love treating patients! It makes the day go by so fast! I love it.

worth the wait.

My patient was an hour late today!!! I am having the worst luck with patients being on time! I got to take 18 x-rays on her today and she has 3 quads class III and 1 quad class II, so she meets a lot of requirements for me. She was definitely worth the wait!! She is a gagger and I'll probably have to have an instructor numb her up for me, but I am way excited to work on her. Her probing depths were crazy! A healthy probing depth is 1-3 mm and hers were 7-9 mm deep!! It was crazy. She was super nice! I love her hair. I was making fun of how thin my hair is and she said that's because it all went to my eyelashes. It was so sweet! She said that I have amazing eyelashes, what a nice lady.

My first spanish speaking patient.

I worked on my first Spanish speaking patient today. He is such a nice guy. He brought his son to translate, so it went really well. He only has 13 teeth, but he getting a full upper denture. I cleaned his bottom teeth. He ended up being a class III. HOORAY!! I am excited because this fills a requirement for me. I wish that I could have taken x-rays on him too, but oh well. He is coming back next week to finish his cleaning. Hopefully he'll come in after he gets his denture, so I can pass of my removable prosthesis PE. Here's hoping!

A late start..

Today my patient was twenty minutes late, but at least he showed up!! I passed off two PE's today, anterior scaling and selective polishing. I scaled three quads and only missed one piece of calculus! Not too shabby. (although, he really didn't have a lot of calculus anyway..) I love the scaling appt's. I feel like I'm actually doing something and it's great!  Next time I see my first spanish speaking patient. I think this will be a bit of a challeng for me, but I am really excited about it. Wish me luck!!

Practice makes perfect.

Today I saw a 13 year old patient. She was such a trooper! What a great little girl. She had quite a bit of calculus for being 13.  I only got done with OHI today. I see her again in a couple weeks to do some scaling. I felt like I did a lot of waiting today (for checks from my instructors). I guess it was my turn though, because I haven't really had to wait for checks yet, i've been lucky! I'm starting to feel more comfortable with the routine of things. I can't wait until I get faster though, I feel so slow right now. Oh well, all I can do is practice, practice, practice!

First no show..

Bummer!!! I had my first no show. The patient even confirmed the night before!! Luckily a patient walked in the clinic to see about getting her teeth cleaned. I told her that I could see her today, so I got to do a little bit. Unfortunately, she had to leave really early to pick her son up!! It is just NOT MY DAY.. Oh well. I did pass of my instrument sharpening PE, so at least I got something accomplished.. Better luck next time..

mystery patient!

Today was the first time that I treated a patient that I did not know personally. I was really nervous about it last night, I barely slept!! My patient turned out to be such a great guy! He was super nice and had a great attitude. He's coming back in two weeks to finish his cleaning. Hopefully Wednesday goes just as well! (hopefully a little smoother I guess.)

Patient day!

Today I finished my patient from last time. It was great to actually do some scaling! I decided that I really like the ultrasonic scaler. When I couldn't hand scale the calculus off the ultrasonic worked great!! Brittney was my patient and she was such a good sport! I'm glad that I have great friends to help me through school.  Now, I don't have any more patients, so my goal is to find some. Wish me luck!!

I'm back!!

Today was the first day back! I should have studied more during the break! I feel like I forgot everything, luckily it is all coming back pretty quickly. I'm excited to see a patient on Wednesday. I will actually get to do some scaling. Now, I need to find some patients for the rest of the semester.  We are one step closer to graduating which is so exciting! Hopefully I will get back into the "school groove" pretty easily.