real patients

today was my first real patient day. I can't believe how different it was to be in someone elses mouth besides one of the girls. I had a hard time telling if I had gotten all of the calculus off or not. I learned alot of new things that I felt we should have been taught before and I felt kind-of frustrated with alot of the procedures. I felt that we tried to prepare but that we weren't really. I just may be mad and grumpy because I felt that I could have done better, but either way it was frustrating. At the same time I enjoyed getting to complete the whole procedure.
I know that I need to be do more back exercises so that I can stand the work. It is hard on the body.

Mocking Bird

Today was my first real mock patient. It was really fun to get to do the whole proceedure. However, it seemed to drag on forever. Three hours starts to feel like a really long time. I wish that we worked as fast as the hygienists in private practice. We have to be so thorough though with our paper work and everything so it takes a long time. But I think all the thoroughness is really good for me, especially since I am not always the most detail oriented. It helps me not miss anything.
I passed my scale test, Angie didn't find any calculus. I felt pretty good about that. I know that I need to work a little harder on my operator positioning and on my fulcruming, both things would help alot

Patience is a virtue

I cannot believe how long it takes to complete an entire appointment. The whole procedure takes so much time, but actual intraoral work is so minimal. I think it's minimal because none of us have any calculus. I don't like being the patient, my jaw gets tired. But Val did a really good job, so it was as nice as it could be. I am excited to be the operator. My goal is to complete all four quads of scaling, but it's been a while since i've done everything, so we'll see how it goes.

STAT

Today we learned what to do in emergency situations. I feel so much more comfortable now that we know what to do. I get nervous to know that heatlth of other people are in my hands. It's really nice to feel that we are more trained now.
I don't really feel funny right now, I'm more burnt out than anything. I think that most of the students feel this way (correct me if I am wrong). I see that most everyone is draggin a little, but we realized that we have exactly two weeks left.

Bay there ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough

Today we did sealants, and there is no valley too low for sealants. It's nice to be able to have something to fill the grooves of the teeth to help prevent decay. We also passed off our air powder polisher PE and while Joni was doing mine, she sprayed water up my nose. I thought it was rather funny.
During sealants, I had a hard time getting #1 on Holly, so I just didn't do it. The tissue was so close around it and I couldn't isolate it enough, it kept on getting contaminated.
I really feel like I am going to end the semester strong. Joni and I are going to take 19 credits next semester and I think that we are going to be extremely busy. I don't think that I will work except just a little, enough to cover the bills.
I am looking for something adventurous to do over the summer while earning money. I was considering dental assisting in another state or something fun like that. I am glad that the summer is still a while away so I have a chance to figure something out.
School is great, so is life. I can honestly say that I am trying my best and that I am improving everyday.

OLD FAITHFUL!!

Today we had an ode to old faithful. I was using the powder polisher and it was so icky that Joni couldn't handle it any more and kablam!! Water sprayed everywhere!! It was rather funny. The polisher is alot more abrasive than I thought it would be. I want to make sure that I tell my patients that it will feel abrasive but that it is not hurting them.
I appreciate that we have to try all of the procedures on each other first so that we can truly empathize with our patients. I think that is an essential part of health care.
Holly told me that if you wrap gauze around the tongue that way the tongue doesn't get hurt and it keeps those taste buds from tasting all of the saltiness. Fantastic.
Joni and I laughed so har today, it felt good. I think that we might get in trouble for not being very professional, but Joni just says the funniest things all of the time and I am always amused by the things that come out her mouth (whether it's what she says or whether it's a bunch of water spewing out).
Today we also polished pennies to make them shiny again. It was neat to see how much of a difference the polisher can make. I am excited to whip it out on some patient and hopefully wee a really big difference. I think that when my brother comes in as my first patient, I might use it on him to give him the polish of a lifetime after getting his braces off.
After polishing the pennies, we realized that the polisher worked really well on jewelry also and we cleaned watches, wedding rings, and CTR rings. It was cool to see how well it worked.
I was disappointed in myself today for being late. I thought that class started at 8:00 instead of 7:50 again today. I just wish that my mind worked better. So i would say for my goals today I want to A. Be on time the rest of the semester and dental hygiene by leaving half hour early and B. Devise a way to be overly organized and on top of things for the rest of the program. I don't want to graduate thinking that I could have done a little bit better or could have focused a little more. Dental Hygiene has been a dream of mine for so long and I don't want it to pass me by.
We decided that we want to go on a senior trip when we graduate, like a cruise or something. I think that we would have so much fun!! I love our class and I honestly think that I couldn't be with 29 better people. I want to tell them all how wonderful I think they are!! I am glad that I am surrounded by some of my greatest friends and great instructors everyday. I love this program.
I am excited for next semester. I am just going to do Mary Kay and school. It will be so nice to be able to focus. I know that it will be a super hard semester, but i can deal with it. I'll only cry a little.

Sharp as a SCALER TIP Joni like Vanilla Cola.

Joni is the best person that i have ever met. She always know the answers because she is so smart!! I think that she should win an award for best peer ever!! She likes to treat me to Subway because she is so kind!!
I hope to get to be like her one day. Maybe if I try really hard, I could be half as cool as her.

Cha Ching$

Today was pretty good for class. I poked Holly royally and then I was really nervous from that point on. I've realized that I really need to think over all the details as I am working on the teeth. There was a place of small recession that was extremely sensitive and I felt that as a hygienist, I should have noticed it instead of hurting it.
I am ready for this semester to be over. I feel that I have started to slack off and that I need to study more, it is just so difficult to find the time to do that. I always run straight to work instead of studying and by the time I get home I still need to clean, do dinner, fulfill other responsibilities and have somewhat of a social life so that I don't ge crazy!! At the same time, though, I still feel realtively calm and up to date, I just know that I can do better and give it more of an effort.

sounds

Orange Listerine- WHOUA CHI MA MA!!! THAT'S A KICK IN THE MOUTH!!
Vanilla mint Listerine- ba be babab BA DEE BOP!!
"So what what do you do if there's a fat stain that won't come out? Do you just hold your polisher on there for like ten minutes?" -Jones
"Joni, you are on one today!" -Name that will not be disclosed (not the staining kind of disclosed, but like the secret that you shouldn't tell. You know, like a government secret or mission impossible.)
Mint prophy paste- zzizzizz...tingly mint.
Celeste in the chair-"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
Gina thought she had poked me because I jumped out of the chair. The truth of the matter is that I fell asleep and jumped when i woke up.