...it finally clicked. finally.

I'm really quite embarassed THANKFUL that today happened.

So: here's the deal.

I have never really felt confident using my ultrasonic.

I hate to admit it. . but I haven't.

I think all the "horror stories" they tell us in first year ruined me.

"What if I make the tip so hot I burn her pulp!"

"What if the vibrating tip hurts the patient!"

"What if I drown the patient!"

There are all typical thoughts I have EACH time I pick up my ultrasonic tip.

sorta.

It's terrible.  And I have never used the ultrasonic like I should be.

In the past: (meaning, just yesterday, and all the other days before), I would ultrasonic everywhere and basically miss everything.

And then: I would hand scale FOREVER.

Should be the other way around.

But remember: i was scared!

 

So today: at midtown, Instructor Bunker saved my life.

She helped me truly learn how to USE and HOLD and INSTRUMENT using the ultrasonic.  Wow.  My life will never be the same.

I was totally doing everything wrong!

I wasn't using the lateral sides, even though I studied for tests that those are the active parts of the instrument. :)

Oooooops.

And I was turning off and on my water every two seconds.

Also, not okay.

And....it was basically just a disaster.

She made me turn on the water and never turn it off, and use my ultrasonic tip as if I was erasing something.  Going slowly, and make many strokes over the same area, and push hard on the areas with tenacious sub-gingival calculus.

Basically everything clicked and I love her for helping me. forever.

 

I was able to scale 2 quads of a class III patient today at midtown.

And gave 5 injections on that pt.

I was also able to scale 3 quads of a class II patient, and gave 7 injections on her.

YAY!  So many fun experiences, and i loved seeing all that thick, black calculus just FLY off.

I loveeeeee my profession.

yes.



Hip Hip!

Today was sweet.

I was able to bring both of my class II's back in to get finished (ish).

...sidenote: i'm continuing blogging, because I want a record of all of these fantastic days :)

Like a journal from school :)

(basically, so one day I can laugh at "the hygienist I once was..")

Anyway!

So my 8:00 pt was the sweetest older woman. . Her husband just had a stroke and it was so nice that she could confide in me and I could ask how he (and she..) were doing.

I love hygiene because we don't just clean teeth.

We build friendships and trust with our patients, and we can be a listening ear.

Anyway- I finished her all up in a jiffy and didn't miss any spots. phew!

Then: my second pt. was supposed to come in at 10:00.

Yep: she showed up at 10:25 and I didn't get to scaling until 10:30.

**Walk out is 10:45, mind you**

Anyway- I was a speed demon and got one quad done on her in the time allotted.

So- she'll have to come back. again. dang-- too bad she was late.

Oh well- that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes :)

 

Then: we had lab in the afternoon where we learned how to push ppl around in wheelchairs and other fun stuff.

:)

We learned how to use the velscope, and more about accessory fulcrums.

It was a chill, fun, nice, easy, day.

So glad the semester is almost coming to an end, and that I don't have to worry about requirements anymore, since Midtown requirements count.  PHEW!

I love hygiene.

A lot.

Happy Halloween!

Today at Midtown we celebrated Halloween which was a good time- I was able to scale a class 2 patient and i did TERRIBLY!  It was not good. Not fun.  Not anything.  I wanted to go home and never pick up a scaler again.  I missed so many spots and I realized AFTER that I had the wrong ultrasonic tip and it was barely doing anything.  So my instructor busted out the BIG guy and set me off to work again.  It removed pretty much everything I'd missed-- how embarassing!  But in the afternoon I redeemed myself and cleaned a Class V.  Thank heavens I didn't miss any spots on her- I really need to think of each patient differently and clean them according to the mouths they present with.  I will never make that mistake.  Again.

Praise the land!

Today was my day. . I have previously only seen ZERO quads of a class 2, so I was desperate for some in my chair.  I looked on the resource list and chose two people whose "history" in their chart was a Class 2, so I called 'em up and hoped for the best.  Well, that is what I got!  Two class 2's baby!  It was so nice to clean some quads and get more of my requirements done-- (of which I had none of before).  I will be finishing them next week which I'm excited about!!

*magasti*

I decided the name of this post was going to be called magasti.

It is a new word I [just] made up and am considering submitting it to Webster's.

or not.

Anyway: Magasti stands for...

Make A Goal And Stick To It!

(story later)

 

So: I called a pt. off the resource list on Monday afternoon to come see me in the morning (last minute. again. oops!)

Luckily she said YES!

And I was PRAYING she was a class 2 because I have not ONE single quad of a class 2 yet.  Not one!  And she said she hadn't been to the dentist for a long time, and her teeth were, quote: "really bad"

Note to self: DO NOT trust people.

:)

So...she comes and I look into her mouth and probe and do all those fun things and guess what:

1B.

Sound familiar?  This happened a few weeks ago!

I was so sad. But happy, too, cuz 1B's are confidence boosters!

Who doesn't need one of those every once in awhile?

I finished her up and all was well.

 

And then my patient for the afternoon came in whom I was aware was already a 1B: someone Kayla had given me.  Cool beans!

He was a nice guy, and after my OD check, Liz said,

"Okay: make a goal right now as to how fast you are going to scale his mouth".  (Probably because she realized how long my morning 1B appt. had gone).

I gasped.  Ok I didn't really, but I hadn't ever really considered making a goal like that and actually doing (nor sticking to) it.  Stupid, I know.

So I blurted out, "45 minutes!"

"OK!" She said.  "Time starts now!"

[This is the part where I felt like I was on a game show!]

And I literally looked at the clock and started scaling away.

As fast as my little hands could go.

They made me so proud that day.

I actually stuck to my goal and was finished with him in 45 minutes.

Have I ever done a scale that fast?

No.

Was I proud of myself?

Yes.

Is making goals a good idea?

Definitely yes.

And better yet: telling someone, because it MADE me do it.  If I would have said it in my head, I probably would have given me an extra 5, 10,...ahh heck, THIRTY minutes.

I am going to do this from now on, (ok..I'll try to more often) because it made me very efficient, and really scale like I meant it!  Usually I just go around scaling, feel for any last remains. . Go exploring.  I might go around a few more random spots again.  Floss and polish.  Maybe grab my scaler one more time.  Go on an exploration, AGAIN.  It's just a joke.  I need to hike up my big girl panties and get a move-on!

Phew.  It was a great day. . and I learned a lot.

And..kayla was a doll-face and let me pass off my last sealant experience on her patient: holla girlfriend!

*MAGASTI* 

i got a feelin'.

that mockboards is going to be the death of me.

 

but first: i'll start off with something more positive.

Yesterday in clinic I saw an easy cheesy 1B patient in the morning.

She presented with a mouth full of crooked teeth screaming: braces!

(Fitting, how we just had that guest speaker on Monday).

Anyway- she is getting all geared up for those soon.

I scaled her up in about 35 min. and was hoping to make good use of my extra time.

She had a few teeth that could have used sealants,

but we couldn't take x-rays, and my instructor said that wouldn't be a wise idea.

darn.

So instead, I passed off the diagnodent on her, and sent her on her way.

good 'nuff.

 

Then...

and then.

 

The afternoon came.

I was seeing a new patient who had never ever been to the dentist or had a cleaning.

she was 20 years old.

and she had a mouth full. full of calculus. radiographic and everything!

(with very little bone loss).

are you thinking what i'm thinking??

future board patient.

I was going to start cleaning her, but she informed me that she wouldn't be able to come back for quite awhile to be finished, because she was starting a new job this next week and didn't want to start off the job by taking time off-- that wouldn't look good on her part!

so. . i presented to her a plan.

i told her how we have to take this really important test in the spring, and it helps us graduate, and we look for people who have a mouth JUST like hers. she felt special.

and she said: yes. that she would do it.

I talked to Perry about everything to make sure it was ethically "sound", and he said yes.

"If she has waited 20 years to get her teeth cleaned, she can wait a few more months".

Also: This was a patient miss acord gave me, so i told her about what happened and come springtime, we may share her, or it may work out that we each find someone else.

honestly, it's just too far away to be able to know what will happen-

who knows if this girl will even be able to do it, come springtime. but it was exciting anyway.

Oh yes-- and miss acord also let me feel my mockboard patient's calculus and it is TENACIOUS. she is a class III and has a TON of radiographic calculus, and very sensitive.

This mockboard is going to be the death of me.

I'm not setting my expectations too high for this first one: I actually hope I don't pass, so that I know what to do for the next ones (and REAL one), and have it be a great learning experience.

Anyway- this is forever long. I'm heading to Wisconsin in the morning for a HUGE race.

the top 19 (out of 30) nationally ranked teams will be there.

we are number 13.

so we must dominate.

 

GO WILDCATS!

 

 

 

 

..another day in paradise. or something.

I survived another day in clinic.

I woke up with a sore throat and two stuffed nostrils, so that was SUPER awesome!

But. . I saw 3 patients today, whom I called the day before.

and it was a success, so I can't complain.

Too much.

(Don't ask me why I keep waiting until Monday to schedule my patients.  I am not

very stressed this year, and I just keep saying, "I'll find someone").

And somehow I always do.

 

I saw a very cute old man in the morning.

He had a crazy health history, and I got to pass off my blood-glucose PE on him.

He presented to me three quads of a class III.

He was missing multiple teeth, so I didn't get to count 4 quads, but I can live with that!

He had a lot of decay and lots of restorations and crowns, so that was tricky.

But, I only missed one spot in his mouth, so that was a good feeling!

Somehow I feel like I am starting to get a hang of this thing.

Or....maybe the mini graceys just saved my life :)

Anyway- so I finished him all up in one appointment.

 

The afternoon was a bit crazy.

I saw two very cute little boys: both 1A's.

They were great patients and I was able to do some sealants on the older one.

While being at Midtown lately, I have screened a lot of mixed-dentitions.

So, I feel like that has helped me a lot, and it was a breeze charting their mouths.

The best part of the appointment was when the older brother said,

"I'm so glad I got to skip school to come here!"

And then. . . . . . 30 minutes (ish) went by, and.....

We placed sealants which tasted yuckkkky. . and he said,

"I changed my mind.  I'd rather be in school than taste this stuff!"

I laughed so hard.  It was great.  Hopefully he wasn't too traumatized.

 

Today was a good day, all in all.

Except for this awesome headcold, flu, bronchititis coughing, feeling.

Not sure how I want to diagnose myself.

I kind of want to die.

Class IV...check!

I really enjoyed finishing my class IV patient today.  I finished her UR and LR quads, and really felt a lot more confident working on her this time vs. last week.  I felt quicker, more effective, and not as scared to work with wiggly teeth :)  The upper right quad was more difficult because her recession was SO severe, that it was painful for her to have the ultrasonic used on her.  So I had to scale her whole upper right quad by just hand scaling, but it was a very good experience for me.  I really took my time scaling, and getting the right technique down, while also focusing on the margins of her bridge, etc.  I only missed one spot on the distal of 8 and 6 today, spots where I was confusing calculus with the margins of her bridge.  It was a good learning experience- and Professor Alexander said that if I would have used my mini graceys on the anteriors of this patient, I wouldn't have missed them.  Next time I will remember when these are necessary!  I am so glad that I did a lot better scale job than last week-- makes me feel like my skills are improving, and I can do a good job on these difficult patients.  She was a Spanish speaking patient, so it was hard for me to give thorough OHI, but I hope she presents with healthier tissues at her next recall appt. in a few months.  Fun day in clinic today!

Kids. Kids. Kids.

Have I mentioned that we have been seeing a ZILLION kids at Midtown lately?  It has been a great experience for me as I have looked into MULTIPLE mouths with mixed dentition. . something I have previously not felt comfortable looking at/working with/charting.  What a great experience.  It has been a learning experience taking x-rays on children, cleaning them, educating them, etc.  It has been fun- and I have a zillion and a half quads of 1A's.  YAY! 

Class IV. 4. Four.

Today was so fun. . I had a patient scheduled this morning whom I found off the resource list, and I had no idea what I had coming!  She had some missing teeth, a bridge, and a LOT. LOT of recession.  Those roots were a showin' and a movin'.  I took 4 BWX on her, and her bone loss was extreme, with a decent amount of radiographic calculus, and an abscess shown between furcations.  I continued to do her OD and her probe depths were deep, but would have been a WHOLE lot deeper if she didn't have such large amounts of recession. . some of her recession areas were 6-9 mm!  Instructor B came over and said. . severe perio!  It was a fun experience.  She had generalized mobility, and some class 1 and 2 furcations.  It was fun stuff.  I scaled 2 quads today, and missed more spots than I wanted to, but was actually glad for the experience.  If I wouldn't have missed very many, I would have questioned my instructor a little bit :)  Because we aren't required to see many class IV patients, I wanted to really know what I was scaling, and missing spots will only allow me to be prepared for next time and give me a better understanding of what to expect with these types of patients.  It was a great experience, especially working with those furcations!  She was a sweet patient.  I can't wait to finish her soon!

Theeeeeen.  I had a patient in the afternoon who I hoped so badly would qualify for mock boards because he hadn't seen a dentist or got a cleaning in SEVEN years.  Wah- wah.  Nope.  He was a 1B.  I was like, how does this happen?  Haha- I guess good home care, right?  Dang.  That's okay- I don't want to wish upon people bad oral health :)  I just need a mock board pt-- but I'm not stressing.  Anyway- I did 4 BWX on him and did a full OD and scaled all 4 of his quads and didn't miss any spots, so I can't complain.  At least I had a patient in my chair. . that's all I can hope for.  Today was a good day.  I'm hoping for more exciting days in clinic, and that I can continue improving my skillzzzzz.

Midtown: beautiful!

Midtown is such a beautiful clinic and I know that I will enjoy working here for the rest of the semester.  It is SO fun to be able to feel like i'm just "going to work" every Wednesday.  Our instructor is very nice, and I hope to learn a lot from her experiences.  I love how there is no pressure here at passing off PE's, missing spots, etc etc etc.  It's a stress-free environment and I will love it!  And it's nice to not have to worry about scheduling patients and having "no-shows".  Phew!  Maybe I will hope for some of those this semester so I can sit back and relax. . just kidding.  I really do hope I can get my requirements done.  It will be a great learning experience and challenge my abilities.

Back at it again. .

So. . it's my first day back, blogging about clinic.  I missed the first(ish) weeks of blogging, so I'll start now!  Today I saw a Class III patient, and boy was she tough!  That probe was droppin' DEEP. . it made me sweat buckets!  She had a lot of infection, and a huge abscess to work around, and her tissues flopped left and right (which, wasn't exactly terrible in my case, because it allowed me to see absolutely EVERYTHING on those roots of hers.  Unfortunate for her, easy for me!)  I was able to scale 2 quads and only missed one spot.  I feel good where I'm at in this stage of clinic.  I feel like somehow summer made me a better hygienist clinically.  How?  I'm not sure-- cuz I know I didn't pick up a dang instrument the entire summer to practice.  :)  I just feel a lot more confident in myself and not worried about what the patient is thinking throughout the whole appointment.  I feel like my skills have improved, I am scaling more effectively and more efficiently, and I have loved seeing strangers every clinic session.  It allows me to get out of my comfort zone and strive to give my patients a good experience at the appointment.  2nd year. . here I come!  So excited to be back at it again!

Air. Powder. Polisher.

My peer pal was kind enough to give me one of her patients (a Class V) that LOVES to use the air powder polisher, so I could pass off the PE.  I know, right?  Is this person feeling okay?!  That thing is terrible!  But then I understood why, when she opened up her mouth.  Stain. Everywhere!   

My pt. claimed that she loved eating blueberries and tea, and wondered why they stain her teeth so bad. .  (I felt smart when I informed her that natural products/foods stain teeth more than artificial. . Like coffee, berries, etc.  Thanks Perry!  I have learned something ;)).  She was such a sweet lady to work with.  She literally fell asleep in my chair 3 times, and I had to PRY her mouth open so I could see what I was doing.  I took that as a good sign. . That I wasn't hurting her, and she was relaxed :) REALLY relaxed.  She snored a few times, too.  We laughed about that. . Anyway-- Using the air-powder polisher helped get a lot of the stain off, which I was happy about.  I wish I would have used it longer, though, because I had put it away and set up the ultrasonic, and had to try to use that to get the remaining stain off.  It was a beast.  I could have finished her up in NO time had she not had that much stain, because her calculus was nothing to be concerned about.  That stain just didn't want to get off.  It was hard work, but looked awesome after I was done.  Phew-- i was exhausted!  I didn't miss any spots in her whole mouth, which I was thrilled about, and Costley said, "Phenomenal job removing that tough stain!"  That always is nice to hear :) 

Today was great- I finished up another patient in one appt. . but still have YET to see a class 3.  Or even have a prospect.  Yikes.  Only 4 more clinic days. . . I will be praying harder than ever the next few days.  Ohhhhh heaven help me.

Scotty "dont".

Today (as in on Monday).. I saw my husband's little brother, Scotty "dont".  (I believe this nickname came from a movie. . ?  I haven't ever seen it, but everyone calls him that, so I do too. haha!)  Boy is he great!  He had tennis practice at noon, (yes-- he is on the Weber tennis team with my hubby..cute, huh?!)  so I told him he could show up around 1:15 since we weren't going to be cleaning his mouth..just taking some x-rays and doing other random requirements :).  Yes-- he was my ginny-pig.  Thanks sir!

So- he showed up and I put his cute little retainer in the container to start-a-soakin, so I could pass off my Removable Appliance PE.  Then- I dragged him into the x-ray room to take a FMX on him.  He was a great sport, and his mouth was perfect and large, for that dang HUGE schick sensor.  I only had 2 retakes, because I cut off the 2 molar roots on the mandibular PA's, (Gosh-- I can only shove that brick back in his mouth so far!  He nearly threw up all over me!) but other than that-- they turned out great.  It was nice to get all my PA's out of the way-- and we even saw some "suspicious lesions" that needs to get taken care of before he heads to GHANA, AFRICA for his mish in a couple months!  Crazy, huh?!  

Then- after that fun experience, I dragged him back to my chair so I could place a sealant on him.  (I hadn't ever looked in his mouth, so I was PRAYING he had a tooth that could use one...sure enough, he did).  Vining taught me something when placing sealants..He said most hygienists put SOOO much sealant material on and it goes everywhere, and end up having to scrape most of it off because it's too high, or it just is covering the WHOLE tooth, and dentists don't like that too much.  So he taught me to do a very thin, delicate line just across the pit/fissure before I placed it, so it would turn out perfect and thin.  Sure enough-- it worked!  He said that is the way sealants should be done, but most just gob that stuff on so much, instead of just putting it where it needs to be (which is just in the pit and fissure, very thin and neat).  MAKES SENSE!  Thanks Vining :)  

Today was great-- I just got a lot of things checked off my "to-do" list and Scotty "dont" was great, as usual.  (Candice thinks he and her little sister should get married.  The marriage preparations are in order ;))     

::.:Class Two::.:

Last wednesday was great in that I finished up my class 2 patient.  At the beginning of the appointment, I disclosed him to see what progress he had made in a week.  He nearly DOUBLED his PFI score.  He (and I) was SOOOO excited-- His tissues looked so great and he could tell the difference, too.  I even saw him texting his wife telling her, "My PFI score went from ___ to ___."  It was so gosh darn great.  He was super excited at the end of the appointment when he saw the results, too.  I know why I chose hygiene :)  I love changing people's health for the better-- Some patients will not be as receptive to OHI and change their habits like this patient did, but when you find those special patients, they make your day/profession so rewarding.  He was great-- I did miss more spots than I wanted to for the remaining 3 quads, but hey-- learning experiences are what will make me a better hygienist I suppose.  All in all, it was a good day. . .    

Ohhh no you ditt - n't !!

I think I jinxed myself this week when I was telling a friend, "Luckily I haven't ever had anyone cancel on me yet."  Note to self:  Never say that ever again.  Ever.

So a few days ago, I confirmed my appointment this morning with my class 2 patient, to finish up his remaining 3 quads.  Easy Cheesy.  Then.  Last Night.

11:30 at NIGHT, mind you.  My class 2 patient texts me saying he got called into work in the morning, so he can't come in.  BUDDY!  It's 11:30 at night!  How could you do this?  I was freaking out. . . To say the least.

Luckily I have the best husband ever.  And he's a pretty calm guy and can solve problems for me.  He said, "I'll just text all of the tennis guys and will see if one can come in!"  So. . he did, and one replied saying that he didn't have class until 10:30, and he'd be willing to help me out.  

Prayer answered.  Isn't that like....the billionth time now?  I am so blessed.  Anyway- because it was such late notice, I told Dave's teammate that I would pay for him to come help me out, if he would just be there.  That's it :)

So today I worked on one of Dave's teammates.  Nicest kid in the whole world.  Before I got to clinic, I told myself I'd finish him today.  I'd done a 1B in 1 appt. before, and I was going to do it again.  Today.  I did a whole OD and scaled all 4 quads of his mouth.  Darn those 2 distal line angles of the upper molars.  I missed 2 spots, but hey-- another learning experience.  I'm all about it.  He was in and out quick, and I got him to class on time at 10:30.  Phew!  So relieved.  Today was so perfect and smooth.  When last night, I thought I was going to crawl in a hole and cry my life away.  

Things work out.  They really do.  I am a lucky gal and feel so blessed to be in this program.  Even though we do some pretty silly things, and have some pretty silly rules and requirements, I'd be silly not to feel lucky to be experiencing all the silliness.  Period.   

Just another day--

Today (as in March 7th), I saw my class 2 pt. again.  He is a real treat.  He takes everything to heart, and really was excited to get his teeth cleaned today, since we weren't able to do it last time.  He was late again, so right when he arrived, I hopped onto OHI and taught him about periodontal disease and caries and everything else that was exciting to him.  He asked me if he had periodontal disease, and I told him he was in the mild-moderate stages of it.  He asked if he was a bad person.  NO!! i told him.  It was neat seeing him soak everything in-- he wanted to learn so much and couldn't wait to put some techniques to use at home.  

I began scaling-- and boy was it fun.  Calculus galore!  I loved the ultrasonic, once again.  It does wonders for a gal.  I only got one quad done because he was so late, and OHI took forever, but I was okay with how the day turned out.  I missed a couple spots, which I'm happy about.  (weird, i know.)  But it was THEE best learning experience for me.  Especially since this is my first "hard" patient, i really wanted to feel like I learned something and could walk away feeling like I know how to do better the next time.  If I hadn't missed anything, I really would have questioned my skills (or maybe my instructor- haha).  But now that I know what to do next time and the time after, I know that I'm improving each and every time I step into clinic.  

After cleaning his one quad, i had him look in the mirror.  His smile on his face was so rewarding to me.  I LOVE HYGIENE.  He said, "WOW!  My teeth are whiter now!  They look so good!  I can't wait to show my wife!"  He was so excited.  Which made ME excited.  I wanted to just plop him right back down in the chair so I could finish him.  Oh well.  Next time :)  He literally stared in that mirror for about 5 minutes examining each individual tooth as I printed off his walkout, etc.  It was great.  He final words as I said, "Okay lets go!" were, "Man-- If I'd have known how good my smile would look after doing this, I'd have come here years ago!!"  Priceless. 

I seriously know why I'm doing this profession.  It's so exciting to be able to make a positive change in someone's life, and see them get excited about such a simple thing.  (Well, maybe not so simple for them--but it can get to be that way!)  I love hygiene.  It is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  My. Life. Is. The. Best.

3 children.. 1 Appointment... Insane.

Today I set myself up for a big challenge.  I knew I'd survive.  I knew I'd finish what I had set in mind.  I knew it'd be fun and challenging. I knew it'd probably be insane. .  Yep.  It was.


Luckily, last night as I couldn't go to sleep, I thought of a variety of things that I could bring with me to clinic to keep the little munchkins busy.  I came to school early to print off some papers for them to color, and brought crayons so they could color pictures of teeth, etc. . and they loved it.  I also took with me my typodont, and a toothbrush so they could practice brushing its teeth, some snacks, and the cute children's flip chart that we got from the Oral B lady.  It kept them occupied for a bit, but pretty soon they were wanting rides in the chair, and to run all over the place.  Luckily their mom is great, and could keep them under control while I worked on the children one at a time.

So---->  The story.  This morning at 8:30 a.m., (yes, they were late..oops!) I saw the most adorable little children.  Did i mention that there were 3, yes THREE, of them?  It was pure craziness.  3 1A's in one appointment.  Wow!  The first adorable little patient was 7 years old.  She had great oral hygiene, and some new permanent teeth coming in.  It was such a new experience for me looking into a "mixed dentition" mouth, and playing with wiggly teeth :)  She was such a cutie, and even let me take a set of conventional BWX on her. . of which I had no retakes.  She was so good at opening her mouth and doing what I asked her to-- thank heavens!

Then.... I saw her little brother.  He also was SUCH a great patient, which I was so impressed with-- because he's only 4 years old!  He opened so big, and let me look inside his mouth and scale away (at a little bit of plaque here and there).  He also let me take a set of conventional BWX on him, and was so great, however, it was very hard to place the size 0 film inside his little mouth.  His tongue was going everywhere, and he'd bite my fingers, etc. . So luckily Instructor Vining helped me with placement, etc.  They turned out perfect and I didn't need retakes.  (Thank heavens. . conventional is a beast!)

And THEN.......I saw their tiny little sister, who is 2 years of age.  Yes.  TWO!  She seriously was the cutest little thing and let me look inside her mouth too. . only for about 3.5 seconds at a time :)  I even got to polish her teeth with toothpaste and she giggled as the rubber cup tickled her teeth.  It was adorable.  Slash craziness.  She was rolling around, playing with my instruments, talking, screaming, wanting drinks of water from the syringe.  Phew.  I am totally exhausted.  And she even let Instructor Wold check her mouth for about 2.5 second intervals.  She was so great.  And i was SOOOOO beyond happy that she was cooperative, so I could pass off 3 1A patients today.  Praise the land!

HUGE shout out to my pod peeps for helping me out.  I couldn't have done it without them.  I learned so much today.  Seriously.  Seeing kids is a challenge, but very very fun.  I learned that it is SO important to make "going to the dentist or hygienist" for children a fun experience, so they want to come back.  I think by me having them color, play with the typodont, etc, kept them entertained and interested in teeth.  I hope they had a good time.  I know they loved their "2 minute timers" they received at the end of the appointment.  Kids are entertained easily :)  I know it was sure an adventure for me!  3 1A requirements:  CHECK!
 
      

..Look at you! You're a class 2!

Today in clinic I was freaking out.  Okay- freaking out is an understatement.  I was SO flippin scared to see my class 2!  All I've seen so far this semester are "healthy" patients for the most part. . I haven't had much of a challenge yet- But I was ready for it.   .. ok.    Sort of.  Probing scares me to death still, because for some reason I'm so scared of hurting my patients.  I hate seeing them flinch, whince, close their eyes in pain, etc.  It just isn't my favorite thing.  I don't like seeing people experience even a TINY bit of pain.  Ever.  I need to get past that.

So my patient was over 30 minutes late which was a bit frustrating.  And then his health history took about that long, so it was quite a process to even begin starting something.  Finally-- I began his OD and boy was it exciting.  I'd never seen my probe go down so much, and seen so much bleeding upon probing.  It was a new experience that I was glad I was able to have.  I think some of my probe readings were off because I kept hitting a lot of calculus- but it was fine.  I really hope my patient is up for the challenge in getting his oral hygiene in check. . One of the first things he said to me was, "Is there any way I could ever get my smile to look as good as yours?"  What a compliment!  And what a great way to realize that he does want to make a change.  I can't wait for it to happen!  That's what hygiene is all about!  He doesn't know what I've got in store for him :)

So-- we finished up his OD and we were all out of time. .  Dang.  Hopefully he's on time next time! I hope he comes back in the next week, and so I can get to scaling that mouth of his.  I'm excited to see the end results :)  All in all, today was a good day.  I can't complain.  Life treats me way too good sometimes.  I must be doin' something right.

BEST DAY...so far.

Today was the BEST day of clinic I've had so far.  Perhaps it's because I got a lot done.  Perhaps it's because I passed off a lot of PE's, and took some x-rays.  Perhaps it's because I have now officially finished all of my 1B requirements.  Perhaps it was because this past weekend we became Big Sky Indoor Track and Field CHAMPIONS.  I'm not sure.  It was just a good day.  I had to be in clinic ALL day today which I was afraid of, however, it really was great.  I had to miss last wednesday's clinic day because I had the indoor championships to attend, so I made up that day...today!  I first saw Marisol, whom I saw a few weeks ago, and finished up the last 2 quads of her class 5 mouth.  I was done so quick, and it was a relief to have her done.  I did miss a couple spots on her posterior line angles of her wisdom teeth (those darn things), but I was happy to have the experience of seeing that I had missed them, and fixing the problem.  I was able to do the Diagnodent PE on her also, and had Instructor Vining explain what it all meant, because I sadly do not know spanish.  She was a great patient and left happy.  I also whipped out my ultrasonic for the FIRST TIME and was able to remove some heavy stain from her posteriors.  I love that thing.  Why have I been so scared to use it?  Vining said, "Just have fun with it!"  And...I did.  A lot.

Then..my handsome hubster came in this afternoon.  He was my patient last semester, and I was "slow" back then, and only got one quad done.  So today, I zipped around his mouth in a flash, and was done scaling his 3 remaining quads in less than an hour.  He was quite impressed with how fast I've sped up in the past few months.  I didn't miss any spots, and that was a relief.  I then was able to diagnose and place a sealant on #18, and it was my first time placing a sealant this semester.  It went well, and I'm glad to have one out of the way!  THEN-- I took a pano on him, and THEN I pricked his cute little finger to figure out what his blood glucose level was.  He was normal :)  I guess.  He was the best patient ever, and it was such a relief to get him done-- I thought he'd never be able to come back because of tennis practice, MCAT classes,  etc...but he had the day off, so I forced him to come see me :)  It was nice having him as my ginny-pig (spelling?) because I felt like I got so much stuff done today!  Today life is great.  Life is always great, but today was another happy reminder that my. life. is. the. best.   

Lab day!

Lab day arrived where we did NOT see patients, and learned all about blood glucose levels, the diagnodent, and removable appliances.  We talked about diabetes, insulin, and all that fun stuff, and pricked our fingers to find out our blood glucose levels.  I do not like needles of any kind, size, weight, length, etc.  Yuck.  Then we did the diagnodent on each other which was fun, and learned what the "numbers" and noises mean.  It was good.  And we got to scrub and clean yucky dentures and removable appliances, so that we can be pro's when our patient's present with something that comes OUT of their mouth.  Today was a grand ole day. . relaxing and chill. . just like the 1st semester of hygiene.  Too bad I didn't realize it was "relaxing and chill" at the time.  Oops. Live and Learn.

Then February the 13th came..

Today was awesome as well.  I saw a 1B patient that my peer pal had given me, named Tsz Wai Tsang who was about 21 years old.  This patient created another language barrier for the both of us, but he seemed to understand for the most part what I was trying to say, and he was very very kind-- although he refused x-rays because "we don't do those things in Hong Kong!"  haha- dangit.  That's okay.  I got through him in ONE appointment, and it was soooo nice to do it again (as in, start and finish someone in one day..)  I love the feeling.  I did miss one spot of calculus (that honestly I couldn't feel after exploring and scaling over and over it again), but I'm always happy to have learning opportunities and make mistakes so I can better myself and learn more.  Today was awesome-- Tsz Wai was a cool cat (and of course by cat, I really mean human).  The end. 

Ok, so then on February 8th...

So then February 8th came, and it was time to see cute little Jacqueline Galindo, a 12 year old girl that Kayla had given to me.  I was hoping so badly that she'd be a 1A, however, she was a 1B, but I couldn't complain....I still needed one more of those.  So I quickly did an OD, took 4 BWX with 0 retakes, and scaled her WHOLE mouth in ONE appointment...YAY!  First time EVER!  And i didn't miss any spots, which was another plus. . I felt so accomplished finishing a 1B in 1 appointment.  I thought that day would NEVER EVER come.  I guess practice really does make perfect.......ok ok- not perfect.  Just betterness :) or something like that.  The end.

..Then on February 6th--

I saw the sweetest Hispanic lady today, named Marisol.  She was so cute, quiet, and kind, but it was very hard to communicate with her because we didn't know each other's language.  Luckily, Instructor Vining helped me out and could tell her everything that I wanted.  It was great-  I was able to scale 2 quads of her class 5 mouth and didn't miss any spots.  I also took one PA on her, because a tooth was really bothering her, and that went well.  The end.

On February 1st...

Oops!!  Haven't blogged in awhile!  Life and school and running and being a wife just got in the way i guess ;)  So back on february 1st, I saw one of my teammates Kayla, and it was fun working on her.  I was able to take some BWX with no retakes, and get through an OD.  The bummer news was that she had to leave early, so luckily Mark pulled through and said he had a random guy that wanted to come in and get some x-rays done, etc.  So--- i called him up, and asked if he could come in within the next hour-- sure enough, he did!  YAY!  So the whole day was just a day of x-rays, which was awesome, because I'd felt so behind on them.  And that was that.  Neither of them wanted to come back, but hey-- at least I got something done that matters :)  the end.

Clinic+Mother-in-law= BANANA BREAD

Yes...Today was great.  I show up to clinic and to my surprise, my dear patient, aka: mother-in-law, hands me this HUGE loaf of her homemade special banana bread--> that's one way to start off a clinic day right!  Like I said before folks, nicest lady...on the PLANET earth.  She seriously is the best.  I was able to scale all four quads of her class V mouth today, which felt really nice-- still chip, chip, chippin' away at all of those dang requirements... I definitely feel like I can do this.  If I can run a bazillion miles on my 2 legs in a day/week/month/year, I can accomplish anything.  That is my new motto.  So-- bring it clinic!  Instructor Demmings was awesome today in helping me find new ways to make things "easier".  I need to remember the simple things, like adjusting the overhead light, telling my patient to move their head instead of me craning my own, switching chair positions, and experimenting with new instruments.  This is one of my goals for the next few weeks....remember the SIMPLE things.  Also- I was happy in that I passed off 2 PE's today.  Phew-- feels good to have something accomplished when I walk out of those doors.  I'll take what I can get-- and I'll continue to stay positive each and every day-- cuz gosh dangit. . . . .   I'm a lucky gal.

my stor[e]y.

Yesterday I saw my teammate again..Loren Storey :)  YAY!  It was great to be able to finish her up :)  She was a sweetheart and actually was falling asleep on me.  It was hilarious.  Her mouth would close and so I'd poke her with my scalers to wake her up.

jk- jk-- I'd nudge her, or spray a tiny bit of water into her mouth to "awaken" her senses.  We both cracked up a bit.  But....it was awesome to get another 1B out of the way.  I'm chipping away at those requirements little by little.  I still want to make a goal to speed up my scaling time, however, I am pretty impressed with myself and the rate I have been going.  I have a long way to go...of COURSE.  But-- it's getting better day by day.  I really want to focus my time these next few weeks on indirect vision.  You'd think I'd have it by now-- nope!  those dang maxillary anteriors still get me.  BOO!  But-- all in all, clinic isn't as awful as I once thought it was.  And life is pretty stinkin' awesome.  I feel so blessed to be in this program...I've wanted this my whole life--> so now I need to embrace the time where I'm actually in the heat of it...with some pretty rad people to boot.  Yep-- class of 2013 rocks socks.  Holla!  

Monday comes after sunday..

...and we all know what Monday means.  Clinic.  Eeek!  However, this past Monday was a great one-- not the kind where everyone and everything is like . . M--OooOo..nd..Ay....-->  blaaahh!  It was like...MO :)  NDAY!  :)  Mond :)  ay monday!!  :) :)  Ok.  Worst exaggeration ever.  I was actually nervous because I was seeing my mother-in-law and didn't know what to expect.  But why am I so dumb sometimes?  I already know that she is the most kind, cheerful, and non-judgemental person on the entire PLANET people.  But.  I was still nervous.  Until she showed up and I saw her smiling face..then my heart beat was a tad bit more normal :)  She seriously is the sweetest.  (And it was hilarious..the first thing she said when she sat in her chair was, "Everything is so purple!")  And after I got thinking about it- it really was!  Our lab coats....my blood pressure thingy-ma-jig...the disclosing agent..the purple paper that boringly sits on the cupboard, the napkin holder thingy around their neck...I mean..come on people.  Barney does NOT reside here.  However, she thought it was hilarious, and so did I :))  Anyway- back to the story.  So I first started off by taking a FMX on the poor woman.  And boy was she a trooper.  Her poor little mouth handled it so well, and she had tori, too, which probably didn't feel like cotton candy on her insides.  oops.  Anyway- but she was the sweetest about the whole thing---> which was so nice because I knocked off a set of bwx from it, and 14 PA's...other good news was I had ZERO yes ZERO retakes.  Phew :)  I did the whole FMX with Schick, which I thought would be a lot more challenging than it was.  I finished in about 35 minutes!  YAY!  I think one of the things I'm always most nervous for are x-rays.  B/c I just never had experience with taking them before coming into the program-- but so far I've been impressed with myself.  Anyway-  It was soooooooo good to chart her mouth because so far I've only see 1B's..with hardly any work done.  But she had lots of fun stuff inside.  Restorations, tetracycline stain, vaneers (sp?), crowns, amalgam, and roots.  A LOT of exposed root surfaces.  I hadn't ever seen anything like it-- it was so awesome!  Anyway- so of course, Demmings and I "talk over" her classification, and I dumbly say, "uhhh...class 1B?"  Ha- the look on the instructor's face quite plainly said, "NO!"  She was definitely a class 5 because of all of that recession!  (i thought a class 5 had to have lots and lots of calculus..but i guess not. which will make scaling her EASY CHEESY!)  Anyway.  So now i have a class 5.  And I can't wait to scale her class 5 mouth.  And now this blog is like 5 hours long.  So I'm done.  BOOM!  

7 days ago...

Uhhhhh.  Once upon a time last week I saw my 2nd patient of the semester-- and I may or may not have forgotten to blog about it.  Anyway..it was one of my favorite teammates Loren.  Ohh she's a treat.  And it went well!  I started the appointment by taking 4 BWX--> no retakes baby!  I was so nervous because it was the first time doing x-rays since being back in school, but it was a success.  Then I continued on to chart her pretty little mouth, and probe her pearly whites.  The first scale check was approaching in 20 minutes after OHI, and I was determined to finish one quad...So-- I began.  And right when I started, I was immediately wondering if I had made a bad choice.  20 minutes?!  I don't think I'd ever scaled a quad in 20 minutes!  But..alas- it was a success.  I finished sweepin and swipin my scalers all over the place, and had the scale check.  Boom.  No missed spots.  This just goes to show that I don't always need to "explore" and go over and over spots to make SURE I got it all.  That just wastes precious little time.  I just need to stay confident and quickly move on.  Anyway- the day was grand.  And life is grand.  And hygiene school is grand, when I experience a grand day.  Yep- that's it.

...back in business baby!

Yes, Yes I know. . Christmas break FLEW by!  However, it's good to be back-- I saw my first patient of the semester this week---> her name was Stacia.  Oh-- and she was my sister :)  It was so fun to be able to work on someone that I knew because it was comfortable and I could feel confident in myself.  I was able to do a quad scale last monday, and today i FINISHED her mouth. . YAY!  It went so well, and it was SO nice to be able to actually complete a patient.  Yes!!  Scaling felt a little awkward at the first, but the more and more I went, the better and better it felt.  Practice makes perfect. . It is exciting to know that we are actually seeing real patients now, yet it is quite scary, too.  I'll be happy when I get quicker at doing everything..but things come with time, and I just need to remember that!  Well.. that's all for now folks.  Holla!!