heavy week

This last week was heavy on learning experiences. In clinic, I saw many more patients than the previous week, I even began a debridement(cleaning) on one of them. I learned how to use several new devices including an air powder polisher, which is like a sandblaster that uses water air and baking soda to remove stain and debris from tooth surfaces. I also learned how to perform pit and fissure sealants, which involves polishing the tooth to remove debris, etching the enamel to prep it for a sealant, and then applying a polymer with silicate particles embedded in it, followed by a UV light to make it set. The process is tricky at best because it must be done on a totally dry surface. Let me tell you, making and maintaining a totally dry surface anywhere in the mouth requires some work.

:) First Patient

Today I had my first patient appointment. All in all things went well, considering my inexperience. I may be able to finish my care for that patient on their next visit, which is pretty standard for our first couple of weeks.

I would have had my first patients yesterday, but I had a positive skin PPD test for tuberculosis and I had to wait on chest radiographs to confirm that I do not have TB, before I could see any patients. Luckily there were two of my fellow students with empty chairs yesterday so they took the patients I could not see while waiting for my test results.

I just gotta say it. I love that pretty lady I'm married to.

Dental Hygiene worries

A year from now I will be taking national boards, finals and getting ready to perform as a dental hygienist. A year may seem like a long time, but for us it seems like too short a span to learn all that we must to be hygienists. We are constantly comparing ourselves to a standard in our minds that we feel we may never reach.

Next Monday, some of us see our first patients. We will review their health history, perform an extra and intra oral exam and perhaps start probing the depths of their subgingiva. We have been doing this for months on each other and on mannequins, but the thought of doing this on real clients frightens us deeply. I think that is because we are so focused on doing good and making everything perfect for our clients. We must remember that although we are seeing these patients, this is a learning experience for us and the clients know it too. We are not expeced to be perfect and ready for boards after only a few months, so we should not expect ourselves to be either.