Just What I Needed

So people always say everything has a purpose and I found that out today. I just got done seeing an extremely easy 1B patient and I found out the purpose of 1Bs. They are there to build up your confidence when you feel a little inadequate. It may sound ridiculous but flying through a whole appointment in not much time without missing any spots is one of the best feelings. Pathetic I know but it is the truth. Professor Alexander came by to watch me while I was scaling for a little bit and she told me to focus on keeping by toe  in the teeth when I working on the interproximals of the lower anteriors. But other than that she said I was doing really well. I took some xrays on this patient as well- 4 BWX and 2 PAs. He was extremely cooperative but had a very shallow mouth so it made it kind of difficult. I need to remember to look in the mouth before taking xrays to see how I need to adjust the PID and remember I usually need to move it more mesially. I still have a lot to improve on but I feel  a little better about my skill level than I have for the past few weeks. I just have to keep trying and working to improve.

Mockboard #1

Well today was the day.. Our first day of mockboards. I was pretty nervous but not horrible until last night when I had my husband call my Spanish speaking patient to confirm her, again. And lo and behold, she got a job and couldn't come to her appointment. I was a little frazzled and I had to go to work that night. I didn't know what to do and I kind of thought it was a hopeless case and I would have to be ok with getting one point lower than the lowest grade. BUT my class is amazing and pulled through. So many people offered to help me and I got a patient because of them. So I had a patient come in this morning, I had to take xrays on him and get him to fill out all his paperwork. I was a little stressed and losing it because I was so worried about getting things done. I ended up passing boards- I am shocked I did considering how many pieces of calculus I missed and the probe depths I missed but I still passed and I am not complaining. I need to work on my time management. I spent too much time with my ultrasonic today. My patient was great though. I was able to have my first experience with LA on an actual patient and I felt that really went really well. And so you know this might be kind of jumbled first of all because I am jumbled but there are other girls in the room talking so I am kind of listening to them while writing this so sorry about that. But today is over and I am glad!

No Habla Espanol

Today was the day- I saw my first Spanish only speaking patient. I guess it's about time but it made me a little frazzled. I felt bad because I wasn't able to communicate with her to tell her what I was doing and why I was doing it. I know a LITTLE Spanish but when it comes time to use it I have no idea where it goes. Luckily I married a Spanish speaker who doesn't work on Tuesdays so he came in and saved the day. He translated for me and was able to communicate to my patient that what and why of what I was doing. He even gave her some OHI using his knowledge with some of mine. This patient is my mockboard patient so I needed her to fill out the specific HHX for that and my husband helped with that too. He seriously saved the day and I fell in love with him even more! This patient is a Class III with very tenacious calculus. I felt a little discouraged when I was done with her because not only did I miss spots that were obvious but I had to retake two of my three xrays. Looking back on it I can come up with a few excuses for my poor performance-- I was out of my comfort zone because she only spoke Spanish, I was really focused on getting her xrays for mockboards, and I don't have a ton of experience with tenacious calculus. So there you go- they say excuses are like armpits because everyone has them and they all stink and I have three of them! Well I am going to call it a day and keep my fingers crossed that next week goes a little better than this one.

Salt Shower

Today I got to pass off the dreaded PE-- Air Powder Polish and the lucky victim was my six year old brother but boy, he was a good sport. He has a newly erupted tooth so I decided it would be wise to put a sealant on it so to prep the tooth I used the Air Powder Polish. It was quick and easy and I realized there are some skills I need to polish up on. But I passed off the PE as well as my sealant one. After I finished my brother I was asked if I could see another patient and of course, I said yes. He is a 1B and I didn't get to scaling today but I was able to take a pano, 4 BWX, and 2 PAs!!! I was elated! I scheduled him to come back as well as his mom. My afternoon patient also  told me her son is interested in coming in for a cleaning so we scheduled him an appointment- I got all sorts of patients. today. My second patient was a Class II- well at least the two quads I finished today. I missed two spots and with my instructors help I realized once again I still need to work on my adaptation. I also need to focus on using my tip as well as a light exploratory stroke before I do a working stroke. Sometimes I get a little frustrated I am not further along than I am but I learn more every day so I guess I just need more practice. Well that is today, I'll be back!

You Can Call Me Mouse

Well the title of this post is no lie- and it is not talking about me, it is a direct quote from one of the patients I saw at the VA. I wasn't sure how to pronounce this patient's name so I asked her and she told me to call her Mouse. That left me speechless to say the least and that wasn't the last of weird events of the day. We had to start out with a PA of #24- I feel pretty confident with PAs considering that is all I take at work. I explained to her what I was doing and why and she replied with, "I already know what you are doing" in a very sarcastic, annoyed tone. After that I knew it was going to be a long appointment. She started out very rude and cold. She needed anesthetic and she was nearly impossible to get numb. She also need nitrous. She was nearly impossible to get numb and needed multiple carpules to finally get her comfortable. She had a large amount of calculus on the lower anteriors and she ended up being a Class III on the mandible and a Class II on the maxilla. About three fourths of the way through the appointment I heard a cat meowing and my first thought was that "Mouse" was hiding a cat somewhere in her- that gives you an even better idea of what kind of patient she was. I started looking around but she told me to keep going. Finally I couldn't hold it anymore and I had to stop because I couldn't contain my laughter. I don't know why it struck me as so funny but it did then "Mouse" started laughing with me! I couldn't believe it! It ended being the notification on her phone for when she gets a text message- what a relief. But the meowing cat ended up being the trick to cracking her. She not only laughed with me but started to talk to me instead of ignoring me. She told me about her wife and why people call her "Mouse"- she has small round ears. I had to leave some deposits on the interproximals of the lower molars because she was starting to get uncomfortable but my professor said she was good to go. I didn't necessarily learn much instrumentation wise but patient management I learned a ton. I can't be timid and I need to realize that sometimes it takes a little bit to break patients in. "Mouse" will definitely be a patient that I will never forget. She made for an interesting day but I learned a ton. Until next time..

I See, I See

Finally it is starting to come to me... INDIRECT VISION!!!! Today was the first day I felt really comfortable with it. I still have a lot of room for improvement but it's coming and hopefully it doesn't go away- keep your fingers crossed! Today I saw my Grandma who is a Class V and my Grandpa who is a Class II. I got them both finished in a timely manner and felt pretty good about it. I missed one spot on each of them and both of them were in the anteriors. I need to be more thorough when I am exploring through there making sure I go interproximally. I still need to work on my OHI and giving more specific instructions for each and every patient. I gave my Grandpa some Chlorohexadine so I think that is a step in the right direction. I also need to work on passing off PEs- I'm kind of slacking with that. Well that is all for today.. Until next time!

Back at WSU

Well I did it! That is finish my first day back at WSU's clinic. Like I said I was a little nervous about today because I was CA last week and clinic here is a lot different than it is at the VA but I managed and got done with both of my patients early.
My first patient was a lady I saw at the Women's Health Connection this last summer. She was as nice as could be and was a great patient to start on. She was a Class V with minimal amounts of calculus but lots of plaque/biofilm. I used the ultrasonic on her for the initial debridement and she was a great help with the saliva evacuator. That is something I need to work on is controlling the ultrasonic better when it is in the patient's mouth. However, it didn't help that I couldn't adjust the water control on my ultrasonic unit so I'll use that as my excuse today.
My second patient was my uncle, my favorite uncle so that made it fun. He is a bit of a chatter so to make him stop I just had to stick my hands in his mouth and get to work. I feel that will be something I will have to utilize with more of my patients in the future. I was able to take 4 BWX on him. I took verticals on him and my patient this morning- they are kind of hard and I struggled getting my contacts open. My instructor told me I need to move the PID more mesial so that is something I will need to focus on more in the future. My uncle was also a Class V with minimal amounts of calculus. He has very good oral hygiene just a bit of recession. I do need to be more diligent in going into the interproximals to check for calculus there as well not be scared to go subgingivally. My uncle was a great patient and it was nice to get 8 quads and 8 BWX done today.
One goal I do have is to work on my OHI. I am good with telling them the basics: brushing and flossing but I want to give more personalized instruction that will benefit the patient. Prevention should be my main goal and more personalized OHI will help get me there. Well that's it for today! Don't forget to smile :)