[I] was the patient today. .

Today was mock patient day for miss Jac, and boy did she do superb!  It was so stinkin' relaxing to sit in the chair and do absolutely nothing.  My jaw did get a wee bit tired, but it was so fun to be able to relax in clinic.  I learned a lot about what it is like to be a patient for a "student", and it will make me have a lot more sympathy for my patients.  Today was great:  and I'm excited to start seeing real patients...real soon :)

Mock pt. day #2!

Last wednesday I was able to finish the rest of the appointment on miss Jac.  I scaled the UL and LL quads, which were very difficult for me, and polished, flossed, and applied fluoride varnish to her pearly whites :)  It was a very successful day and my scale check went great. . passed with flying colors :)  I cannot believe that the semester is winding down. . we see a real patient in ONE week from today.  Yikes!  But i'm super excited. . life is great, and I can't wait for the big break.

{Mock}in' rockin' patient day!

Today was for real.  In other words, we had our real "mock patient day".  Boy was it a treat!  I was so so nervous this weekend thinking that I would actually have to probe an ENTIRE mouth and have to pick up my SCALERS and attempt to scale 2 quads in clinic the next week.  I could hardly sleep last night because I was so excited/nervous/scared/happy!  I was glad to know that I wasn't the only one who was shakin' in their boots when we arrived at clinic.  We were able to work with pod 2, and I chose sweet little Jacque Lewis to be my partner.. again.  :)  She is such a sweetheart and is always so helpful and encouraging.  She is a great partner, and anyone is lucky to work with her.  So....first we started off "obtaining" (per say) our patient from the waiting room, and seating them.  We went over HHx, OD, dental screening, disclosing, probing an entire mouth, and i actually scaled 2, yes TWO quadrants.  It was a miracle.  I have been so nervous about scaling, because I feel like we haven't had a lot of time to "grasp" the concept, however. . after scaling today and "passing" my scale check, I felt like I had conquered the world.  Holla!!  It boosted my confidence about 100 notches above usual, and it was a very successful day.  I actually left clinic thinking, "That was so fun!"  Lets be honest, that hasn't happened in a long time.  I am actually starting to feel like I know what I'm doing!  I really do deserve to be here!  I really will become a hygienist one day!  ....love days like this-- they make me....thankful :)

feelin' a little dull?

Last week in clinic. . we learned how to sharpen our instruments.  Nothing too extremely hard, but very important in practicing hygiene.  Our instruments weren't dull (come on now, we've scaled about 4 times total this semester), but it was still great to learn how we'd go about sharpening our instruments when the time comes.  Sharpening is super important to be able to fully remove the calculus, and to speed up the appointment time.  If you try to work with dull instruments, it could take you an extremely long time, and you are more likely to burnish calculus and not fully remove it from our patient's mouth.  We also learned how to "walkout" our patient. . which was stress-free also.  This semester is winding down. . eek!  Hygiene rocks my socks off!

.:.Seal.:. it baby!

Sealants Sealants Sealants!  I actually had a great time in clinic today.  We were able to learn how to place sealants on our patient, and it was my FIRST time.  And I did pretty darn good!  Prof Costley assisted me and she helped me to realize that I had missed one TINY spot in placing the sealant, and so I re-did it and was successful.  It actually was really fun to do!  We were only able to place on sealant today, but hopefully we get to place more in the future.  I passed off my selective polishing PE and the treatment plan PE on eaglesoft.  Today was grand. . . 

and HAPPY HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

..sandblasting time!

Last wednesday in clinic we learned how to sandblast each others' faces off.  Okay, okay. . not really.  But that day we learned how to polish and how to perform the Air/Powder polishing procedure.  OUCH!  It hurt. . it felt like my tongue was getting sandblasted off. . and it wasn't pretty.  It was fun to be able to polish, and it was great to be able to learn how to get stain and biofilm off of our patient's teeth.  I hope that one day it will come in handy-- My patient didn't have much to remove, so I felt bad that I was blasting his enamel, but it all turned out alright, and we just have to remember that we are all learning.  Today was a great day in clinic.. and we are getting CLOSER and CLOSER to seeing our REAL patient.  YIKES!     

..Lets plan your [trick or] TREATment..

Isn't it the best feeling when you have been dreading something all weekend, and that 'thing' that you were dreading turns out pretty darn awesome?  That happened.  Today.  Just now actually!  I had been dreading clinic all weekend. . we had our [short but sweet] fall break this past friday, and the last thing I wanted to do after this long weekend was to come to school.  But clinic today was so chill!  We learned how to enter in a treatment plan for our patients today, and that was pretty easy and chill.  The rest of the time, we were able to practice whatever we wanted!  So, I passed off my OHI PE and sorta kinda worked on the intra-oral camera.  I practiced Dental Screening, and hopefully I can pass those off this coming Wednesday.  I hope this week continues to go well. . Holla!  

t.o.d.a.y.

Smooth[er] is a word that could describe today.  Yup.  Today went pretty smooth.  I felt so much more prepared to do an OD on my patient today, because Monday was thrown at me like a ton of bricks: I didn't remember a darn thing!  However. . today was better.  Did I mention that today was smooth?  Miss Jacque Lewis was my "patient" today and man do I love that sweet girl.  She seriously is the best, and is quite smooth herself.  She is one of those people that you just KNOW will not judge you or make you feel like you're this big.  And that is why today went so smooth.  I was able to practice probing [a whole arch!] today, dental charting, OHI, review HH, and fill out the treatment record with lots of cool stuff.  I felt a little more confident in myself today (that's what practice and a tiny bit of studying can do for a person..go figure) and things just went pretty smooth.  I unknowingly passed off my curet PE today (I promise...I really did), and was thanking the heavens above for that.  I seriously only practiced posterior instrumentation ONE time for about ONE minute on a real person, so I was a tad bit scared today-- but it all went smooth.  I still have a lot to learn, but little by little, I feel like I'm starting to feel like a real hygienist.  A hygienist whom could be described with adjectives like: fun, energetic, understanding, down-to-earth, kinda-sorta blind without loupes, happy. . and let us not forget--> SMOOTH.      

1, 2, 3, CHEESE! :)

Ohhhhh the joys of clinic.  Seriously.  Sunday nights I dread going to school the next day, because I know it's my loooooooong day: I know that we have to learn yet another PE, (and probably have to pass off another), we have to know what we are doing and act like professionals, and, attempt taking some incredible x-rays:  it's just exhausting!!  and.....I try to stay happy through it all.  Anyway-- Clinic today actually.....wasn't that bad!  :)  I was terrified today because I knew I had to pass of the sickle-scaler PE, and didn't have any other choice.  But that went smoothly -- Prof. Costley was very helpful and she was brave enough to circle the word Pass.   YAY!  Anyway- Today was like a "real" day, where we set up for patient treatment, and performed skills that we learned on day 1---> to basically [last week!]  I was paired up with Hailey Checketts and was excited about that.  She did great working on me, and remembered so many things!  I was so glad I got to go 2nd, because she was my example :)  So....we had to look over HH, perform extra/intra oral exams, probe a quad, get it checked, chart the patient's mouth, get signatures, disclose our patient, come up with percentages...and the list went on    and on     and on    .  But- we survived, and it was VERY helpful to put all of our skills together and to test our knowledge.  (I must admit, I have forgotten a lot of small details, but with practice, I'll hopefully master everything!)  Today was good:  no almost shedding of the tears, no wanting to rip my hair out, and for SURE a lot of laughs.  Ohhhhh snap!  Almost forgot to mention what the flip we learned today! (That shows you how busy we were...we almost FORGOT to learn how to use the intra-oral camera.)  Basically all I observed was, "Push this thing in here, then plug this into here, then push this button, then have a buddy click the mouse, and then hit save and print, and....that's about all you need to know.  It's realllly simple."  Uhhhhhh- right..  Hopefully I'll get to actually practice that skill in real life.  Someday.  But right now: i'm off to bed.  Thank the heavens above that monday is over. .Life is gooooood. 

...a baby tooth? in an adult's mouth?!

Today was quite grand.  Not in the sense of a '100 Grand' chocolate bar of course, because we all know that chocolate is to die for...(Wait-- sometimes I get so nervous for clinic days that I'd rather be dead. . but lets not go there--)  Back to the point: Today was grand in the fact that we were able to practice dental screenings, which is where we all take a lil tour in our friend's mouth, and check out/chart what they have had done.  Candice was my buddy today, and boy was her mouth exciting.  So, I start examining her mouth on the maxillary right, and decide that she has no wisdom teeth anywhere...so i X all those out of course, (since that is the rule, silly!) and then I continue moving to tooth numbers 2 and 3, and find that she has had some composite fillings, and some sealants placed.  So, of course, I chart those, (since that is the rule, silly!).  I put a big red 'S' on some of her teeth, because the TA Karen told me to. . haha jk-- but because she could just use some sealants in some places, so when we learn that skill, hopefully I can place them :)  Anyway-- i continue scanning around her mouth, and arrive at a crazy finding!  She has a BABY tooth in her ADULT HUMAN MOUTH!  So: i charted it, (since that is the rule, silly!) and it was fun to put a big fat X through number 21 on her chart.  That was about exciting as it got.  There are lots of symbols and signs and colors to use for dental charting, but just like everything else, I'm sure i'll get the hang of it :)  We had a lot of time to practice scaling today, and it was sure grand.  I finally had my AHA! moment. . and everything clicked.  I have been such a wuss to go subgingival in people's mouths, because I feel like I slip and slide....but!  Something clicked in my little mind: if I have a light grasp on my instrument, I'm able to turn the instrument in between my thumb and index with no trouble!  Which= no POKING of the poor gums.  Karen (our TA for the day), helped me figure out this simple concept.  She kept saying, "Think light thoughts, think light thoughts", and it seriously helped, as weird and creepy as that sounds.  She is a sweetheart I tell ya..  Anyway-- this blog post is l   o   n   g and boring to the rest of the world: but hey, when I become a RDH and look back at this time of life, I'll laugh and remember this GRAND ole' day. . when something inside me just clicked.  (finally)  :) 

pink 'n' purple pleasures :)

Alright people. . today was a colorful day in clinic.  We were pouring this nasty 'ole ink in our partner's mouth and turning their mouths purple and pink!  Okay okay-- it was a little more in depth than that. :)  Today we learned how to disclose and how to determine a PFI on our patient.  We poured the disclosing agent on our patient's tongues and had them swish it all around so it could contact each surface of their teeth.  Then, it would turn their mouths bright purple and pink, showing which spots contained biofilm and plaque.  We would count which surfaces had the purple/pink colors, mark it on our laminated charts, and determine how many teeth they had.  You then take all of this information to the PFI sheet and it tells you their PFI %.  It was pretty darn cool--  I had a lot of color in my interproximal spaces, and the anterior linguals: OOPS! Better pay better attention to those daggum areas!  We then had some time to work on other skills:  I still just need to be confident in myself, and practice the finger roll and maintain a strong fulcrum!  I just need to practice practice practice. . I did pass off the instrument classification today which was nice to get out of the way--PHEW!  Life is good and busy- and time ain't stoppin for no one!    

R. I. P.

Kill me. . . seriously.  Today was the WORST!!  Sorry in advance. . but this is going to be the most pessimistic post EVER.  Clinic started out fine today:  we were practicing with our curets on our typodonts, and all was going smoothly.  Then, we each had to pass off probing and exploring. . I did probing first, and it went smooth.  I got most of the measurements right, and missed a few just by 1 mm.  Done!  Then, I moved on to exploring. . . . ohhhh exploring.  It seriously took me F.O.R.E.V.E.R.  Luckily I had the most patient 'patient' and instructor. . They helped me so much.  I did the anterior teeth just fine: facial and lingual just fine.  But THEN: posteriors were my WORST nightmare.  I figured out my problem.  I am a BIG FAT WUSS!  I wasn't going into the interproximal spaces far enough-- I am too scared to hurt and poke people, that I don't do it right...which equals= STILL doing it wrong.  NOOOO!  So I had to practice and practice until at the very end of clinic, I went in..ALL the way: and FREAKING passed the PE.  Thank the heavens above!  I was so frustrated by the end of clinic today, tears ALMOST came streaming out of my poor green little eyes.  I just had to be a big girl, and swallow hard and blink lots, and everything was okay after that...Everyone has to have a bad day once in awhile, right?  Otherwise you wouldn't appreciate good days-- Phew.  I want to be done with this post.  I didn't get to practice using my curet on a real human today, so that is frustrating, but it's better to be right, than to be ahead.  Peace out.    

Scaling...eek!

Scaling wasn't an easy task today in clinic-- It was exciting to learn and to be able to get all that crap off our typodonts, but doing it in REAL life was a sure scare. . thanks, Mark, for being so patient. . :)  I need to practice "turn-turn turn" as all my instructors say to me, but other than that-- it wasn't too terrible!  (I only made Mark whince one time. . okay maybe two, I don't remember!)  I practiced probing and exploring on Mark and I felt so inadequate!  Like it was my first day all over again!  (I am blaming it on my terrible eyesight. . thanks mom and dad!)  I was practicing probing and my instructor wanted me to say out loud the numbers I was probing, however, it is mighty hard to do when you can't even SEE the lines. . OR spaces.  Yikes: I have to pass off probing and exploring this week and I need loupes. . BAD!  Hopefully the amazing instructor Hafen brings hers so I can pass with flying colors.  (...yuck- hopefully RED BLOOD isn't flying all over).  :)  Exploring shouldn't be too bad:  I mastered which "working end" to use with the excellent help from Sierra Hull: THANK YOU!!  However, doing linguals is my weakness, but hopefully I master indirect vision soon and all will be well.  Life is good: stressful: happy: sad: frustrating: sore: (from running of course):  and lots of other adjectives. . But boy am I lucky to be where I'm at!  Holla!

iNstruMentiNg..

Yep-- today in clinic we were able to take out ALL of our instruments and visually examine and describe each one of them.  It was great to be able to determine which instruments are used for anterior or posterior teeth, and which are used for heavy or light calculus, and much much more.  A lot of them looked so similar to me, so I will def need to study them a bit more to be able to decipher which is which when comparing.  Things are piling up, and I am starting to STRESS!  I need to pass off probing and exploring next week, and it seems like there isn't enough time in a day to get everything done.  I did pass off the intra-oral PE in clinic today, and that was nice to have out of the way!  I have a race in Indiana this weekend and that will be fun, but it is stressful missing class and trying to stay caught up and stay ahead of the game.  I am surviving thus far, so hopefully I continue to do so.  :)  Life is fun, good, stressful, and exciting, and I can't wait to run my little legs off at Notre Dame this weekend.  WEBER STATE IS TRULY GREAT!

Exploring!

In clinic today, we learned exploring and how it is performed and why it is performed.  We practiced on our typodonts first, and then I had the grand opportunity to explore Erin's mouth-- boy it was sure purtty!  :)  We just went supragingivally this time, but next time I'm sure we'll go sub: dun dun dun!  I felt like exploring is a little easier than probing, however, it might have seemed that way because I wasn't actually working in Erin's gum tissues-- It sure is easier to instrument when you're just "going through the motions" on the surfaces of the teeth!  :)  I feel pretty good about how it went, and hopefully when it's time to pass off the PE, I'll be ready-  Posterior teeth are extremely hard to access, but we all know that practice makes perfect, and I want to be just that!  Yay for hygiene happenings!  It still is amazing to me how much information we have already been exposed to in such a short amount of time. . I still have a lot to learn, though, and this exciting journey doesn't end soon--

Probing to new heights. . nope nope: DEPTHS!!

The time has arrived!  I held an instrument in my hand today, and went inside.  Not only did I go inside a mouth, but I went inside a REAL human mouth:  Where there were real lips and gums and a tongue and a body with a HEART attached.  YIKES!  Clinic was intense today. . in a good way I suppose.  Sweet, adorable, little Candice was my partner today, and she was a trooper.  She was very patient and kind as I  PROBED her little mouth away.  It was very hard for me to get the hang of the angles and such, however after much patience and HELP from our amazing TA Karen and Instructor Hafen. . . I got it!  (Well, I'm not anywhere near being a pro...but that will come.  Right?!)  I really really loved using the loupes, and they allowed me to work more efficiently and correctly.  I love trying different ways to help make me the best hygienist I can be.  

Candice turned around and got to work on my mouth, and she did great!  She was a little nervous at first, but I could tell she started getting the hang of it. . she didn't hurt me or make me scream or cry ONCE.  Whoop whoop!  Shout out to Miss Zaugg!  :)  I love her. .  

Anyway folks:  each day brings on more and more challenges and I just have to stay focused and calm.  More tests, more PE's to learn, more studying, and it goes on and on.  Hygiene is an intense word/place/program in my life right now, but I wouldn't want to be ANYWHERE else.  Life.....it's good!  

"C'mon Inn": the intra-oral way!

I was all up in Erin's bizznass this morning in clinic: performing the intra-oral exam!  I thought the extra-oral was hard. . . sweet moses!!  There is so many structures and surfaces to remember with this one, but after practicing it and reviewing it with Erin, it made it a lot easier.  I still need to review things a lot more, but it was fun to go inside and see the mouth. :)  One difficult thing with the intra-oral exam is that you have to be able to name different abnormalities: the color, size, surface, generalized/localized, name, etc. . However, it'll come with time.  Yeah boi!  It was a relief to pass off the Health History PE today. . things build up quick if you're not paying attention, it'll bite you in the booty!  Clinic was good today-- it still is stressful often times, but I'm started to get the hang of this program and all in all, life is good!!   

Mini Massage :)

Who knew I'd come to clinic today to have Mark and Candice give me a face/head massage?  What a treat. . . The extra-oral exam is a great way to find out if your patient has any lumps or bumps or other abnormalities that you (and they) need to be aware of.  We palpate, rub, move, and "massage" different areas of the face/head, and it is so good to practice and feel what "normal" feels like, so we can be ready and prepared when we feel and see "abnormal" things on our patients.  It was great practicing on each other, and we had a great TA to help us along the way.  Michelle: I love your guts!  I passed off the mirror and fulcrum PE and Vitals PE today: BOOM BABY!  It feels so good to have some out of the way, because I was getting stressed at how fast they build up-- Clinic was great today-- Michelle and Instructor Hafen were so so helpful in teaching us different ways/positions to instrument and hold our mirrors.  I seriously learned so much from them: so a HUGE shout out and thanks to them.  They helped make my life easier that way.  My pod is the bomb dot com and I love this group!  Well folks: that's what's been happenin' in hygiene!  Now, I'm off to the books.

"Sanka. . ya dead?"

Who would have thought that as a Dental Hygienist we would be taking vitals on our patients?  Not me. . I have never in my life had my hygienist take my blood pressure and see how many breaths I take in a minute.  However, after learning about why we do this, it really made sense and I think it is a wise idea.  (Especially to find out if our patient is dead or alive....probably a good idea.)  We learned how to take a pulse, determine blood pressure, and determine the respirations of our patient.  It was a learning experience for me, because I've never taken vitals before.  I was a little shaky and not confident in my first attempt, however, after practicing it more and more on different patients I got the feel for it-- I was able to pass off the Patient/Operator positioning PE, and Professor Costley said I was "so well prepared".  YAY--studying does pay off.. hee hee ;)  Things are becoming more and more stressful...more exams, more PE's, more x-rays, and more clinics!  Heaven help me. . .  But-- I continually remind myself how LUCKY I am to be in this program, and all of amazing girls and boys that I have to help me.  Life. Is. Good. and I. Am. Blessed. 

9.7.2011-- a [different] kind of history.

Today in clinic, we learned how to read a patient's health history form and chart it on the treatment record.  It was a lot of information at one time, but reviewing it and practicing it with our partner helped a whole lot!  It seems like there are so many rules to remember and follow: HHX, HH/Rx, medical alerts, underline this and that in red pen, list the dosage of medications taken by the pt., sign here, have the pt. and instructor sign there, be kind and gain trust, be educated and speak in terms that the patient can understand, and the list goes on and on.  It was a bit overwhelming at first, but as the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect", and we are all on our way to becoming the BEST hygienists out there-- I just have to continue to take it ONE day at a time.  That is the key to survival-- in my [green] eyes.  At the end of our clinic session, we watched, "If Saliva Were Red". . . enough said.  (Okay, okay, I'll expound.)  It was horrific and I hope and pray that I never see a patient that has red saliva-- GROSS!  Everything looked absolutely contaminated, and it was such an eye opener-- we really need to take the topics pertaining to contamination seriously.  Today was. . . long: but yet again- much was accomplished, and I have made history....today!  :)

Stack what?!

Sweet Moses. . Today was by far the most challenging clinic session that I've had-- I strapped on my big kid shoes and went to work.  We learned the Patient, Operator and Light Positioning PE today, and learned how to use the mirror/instruments.  It was so hard for me to get used to the different "clock positions" and how to hold the instruments correctly.  We learned that your hand/fingers should be. .  "stacked". . ??  Growing up on a farm, I thought only hay bales could be stacked!!  Lesson learned, your fingers can be too!  My pinky was having a party anywhere and everywhere, (totally ignoring the stacking rule), and my fulcrum was a wee-bit shaky to begin with.  (You'd think after playing the piano for 12 years my fingers would be strong and able to do what I told them to. . this is a different kind of muscle memory I suppose!)  However, it was fun to dive into our typodont's mouth and get used to the different ways of instrumenting.  Luckily, my "patient" came home with me today and has given me the permission to work on him/her (I haven't decided yet) for the next.....while.  :)  I can't wait until I feel very certain about what I'm supposed to do with this and where I'm supposed to be with that. . patience is a virtue!   Confidence came back when I successfully passed off the Set-up and Take-down of our unit PE at the end of our clinic session-- praise the land!  Well folks, this is what has been happenin' in hygiene. . . cheers!

Set it up, take it down. . .

Clinic was a riot today.  It totally felt like a Monday, but then got better as the day went on.  I absolutely love the people in my pod, we all mesh well together, (heaven forbid your shoes be made of such a thing!  That's one thing I've learned so far!) We were able to pass off our PPE process evaluation (which went well), and learn the new PE's that consisted of the setting-up and tearing-down of our unit.  We also had the pleasure of practicing on our partner, using the A/W syringe and different forms of suction.  It was nice to be able to learn what methods work better than others, and how to position your hands to make it more effective.  I really enjoyed using the Blue Boa, and I feel like I need a lot more experience using the HVE, because sometimes I sucked the life out of my partner's cheek.  Oops!  I love, however, that we are already getting "hands-on" experience, and learning for ourselves how to perform proper procedures.  Radiology lab went well today, and I was overall thrilled with my BWX.  I need to familiarize myself with some terms a little bit more, but overall, today was a successful [long] day!          

Mask, eyewear, THEN glove :)

Today was such a blast in clinic- I always go into it not knowing what to expect, and it always turns out great!  Today, we were introduced to the inventor [a former Weber State DH grad] of the Blue Boa, how legit is that?!  It is such a great tool to help make a hygienist's life easier-- we were able to experiment with it using our typodont and also get a feel for the A/W syringe.  Our TA was Michelle, who was SUPER awesome and she helped out so much.  She is a very confident, beautiful girl and I could tell she works super hard and is very successful.  We were able to pass of our first PE today, and that ran smoothly.  We also learned our upcoming PE, which involves appropriate clinic attire, hand washing, eyewear, and mask use.  However, I just listed those all [backward] when comparing it to how it really should be done-- Mask, eyewear, and THEN glove yourself.  That's the key folks, that's the key!  Over and out. . .

Day One:

Today was my first day of Clinic and Radiology Lab. . . I felt like I was in preschool again, nervous and excited and not knowing what to expect.  However, it turned out to be a great day!  We all got settled in our "pods" this morning and learned how to use the Eaglesoft program.  It was fun familiarizing myself with my surroundings and getting to know the others in the program!  What a great group we have!  I feel so comfortable with everyone and the instructors and classmates are so helpful.  Today made for a long day, because after Clinic, I had Radiology Lab which went very smooth.  We learned about different x-rays and got familiar with the Radiology Lab area. . Although I am exhausted, today was very reassuring that everything will be okay, and to take it one day at a time!  I know we are all going to work hard and have fun!  I can't wait to learn more!

It's Happening!

Yes, It's true . . Hygiene information overload has hit me hard in the face, but I'm still smiling.