As weird as this may sound my goal for clinic this last Wednesday was to be in as good of a mood at the end of clinic as I was at the first. I don't know what it was but I was super happy that morning and just feeling great. As I was driving to clinic I had a thought that clinic could easily change this good mood to a pretty sour one. So right then and there I decided I wouldn't let it. I have to remember I'm a student therefore I'm not perfect nor expected to be perfect and making mistakes is what helps me learn. So I tried to stick with that attitude- I found it was a lot easier said than done but I think I managed alright.
My Grandpa was my patient- I love him but I'm not super close to him so I was afraid it was going to be a little awkward but it really wasn't bad. We started out with a pano because he had four bitewings six months ago. I was nervous to take a pano because it had been a while since I took one and I was right to be nervous. After my third attempt I finally got a diagnostic x-ray. Lucky for me my Grandpa was very patient and understanding. Then I took him into the clinic and proceeded with the rest of the appointment. I'm still not the best at recognizing restorations but hopefully that will come with practice. I did find two amalgam tattoos however so that was neat to be able to see on a actual patient. My Grandpa is a Class II so after I finish him and my good pal Al I will have completed all of my Class II requirements! YAY! My Grandpa had some pretty deep pockets (the deepest was 7 mm) but I only measured a 4. I was a little discouraged after that but then I remembered my goal, put a smile on my face, and kept working. I got to scaling- I started on the lower right quad. This is where I feel like I need the most improvement. I still don't know what calculus feels like so I get scared to ask for a scale check because I don't want to miss any spots. I know this is another thing that will come with practice and my mistakes will be to my benefit in the long run but it still makes me nervous. I told my Grandma that by his next appointment I will be better so I better stick to my word!
It wasn't my best clinic day but I tried to keep a good attitude. I was smiling as I walked out of clinic so we'll call it a success!
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