New Patient (for reals, this time) and... Arts and Crafts!

First day of clinic and nobody died!

I am no longer a clinic newbie! I had my very first patient today (who showed up) and who was a total doll. It's so much easier to do the procedures when the patient is kind, understanding and, well, patient. No pun intended. (seriously). He was quite cranky in the beginning and I was afraid we were going to have a repeat of last week (see last post) but "kill with kindness" is an adage that almost always works, and fortunately it did this time.

I was able to do an exam, probing depths/charting and a cleaning in roughly 2 hours! Not bad for a first timer! I am sure the dental hygienists and dentists are scoffing at that lengthy time, and many of you as patients can hardly imagine a cleaning taking 2 hours (believe me, it could have been 4 hours), but hey! My first time! I'm still giddy over it.

No cavitron, though. I am waiting for some serious calculus to bust that bad boy out.


Quick switch of topics:

Many dentists are people cut from similar cloth. Creativity and artistry is woven into the fabric of their daily existence. This is why many dentists are painters, sculpters, knitters, and... stitchers! Like me! Get the previous puns? Anyway, I am a proud, prolific cross stitcher who is proud to display some artwork that I have stitched on my walls.

To the right is a beautiful piece called "Deidre," who has been drawn  as a stunning likeness of me by the artist Nene Thomas. The company Heaven and Earth Designs converted this piece of artwork to a cross stitch design for addicts - ahem, artists such as myself to stitch.

Heaven and Earth Designs is a small American business, who like many others is struggling in this awful economy. If you are a stitcher, or have someone who you know (anyone, really - family, friend, neighbor, random person on the street) who might be interested in creating something beautiful from a piece of fabric, a needle and floss, please consider visiting the website.

Mark your calendars!

HAED's anniversary - 11 years of existence and enhancing the lives of crafty type A personalities - is Sept 14. To support them, some people on facebook are throwing around the idea of a "HAED Appreciation Week" during Sept 10-14, during which we all purchase charts to raise awareness of the need to support a beloved business.

Anyway. I love HAED, stitching and all that it stands for. Their designs have kept me sane through this rollercoaster ride that is dental school.

Until next time!

Helpful dental tips #1

There is no clinically proven difference in efficacy between a manual toothbrush and a power or battery operated toothbrush. It's all about how YOU use the brush. 2 minutes, at least 2 times a day with fluoridated paste!

Can't Win Them All

Sadly, my first patient canceled, which was disappointing but kind of a part of the dental school experience. Just as patients should realize that appointments can be 3-4 hours long for a cleaning (seriously, I know), students realize that patients can't always make it, especially ones who come from the city and may not have reliable transportation, get time off from their jobs, etc.

I assisted my friend who had a patient who was, shall we say, a tiny bit cranky. Upon viewing the paperwork he had to sign (filling out forms take up about 3/4 of a 3-4 hour appointment (seriously, I know!!!)), the patient made a LOT of noise about wasting his time and the appointment time, the information was redundant, we had everything, etc etc etc. Suffice it to say, the patient stopped answering our questions and the appointment was the most awkward, silent, tense experience I've had so far.

It was really tough to maintain my composure. I kept wanting to ask what was wrong, why he was so out of sorts, to explain why he had to sign and fill out a ton of forms and to explain that this is part of being a patient at a dental school. Here's the question - How do you reach someone who doesn't want to listen? Who is hostile and unquestioningly believes that you are inefficient and incompetent (well...)? For all of my experiences working with angry people in the past, I was completely clueless as to how to manage the appointment and to make everyone happy - the patient and my friend.

That's when you subscribe to this policy:

I can only please one person per day.

Today is not your day.

Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

You just never know what happened to him prior to the meeting. Perhaps he had a bad ride into the school. Maybe he had an argument with his wife. Maybe his job hasn't been going too well (the economy kind of stinks at the moment) and he resents a 3 hour appointment to clean some debris when he could be making money (trust me, I understand).

I told my friend to brush it off (teehee!) and put it behind him. That's all you can do.

First patient

Oh my goodness, the time til my very first patient draws near, and I can hardly contain myself. I do a cleaning and decide which of his many oral health problems to tackle afterwards.  I don't want HIPAA to slap me around and prevent me from writing anything ever again, so suffice it to say, he's got common dental disease which may need serious action. I am so ready for this. Or, I will be, tomorrow when I review! Ahhh!!!

I have still yet to decide if I need the cavitron. It will make me feel more like a dentist than a newbie student who may or may not know exactly what to listen for when taking blood pressure. Then again, the last time I used cavitron, it was on one of my classmates who doesn't have an ounce of calculus so I have no bankable experience whatsoever.



I am hoping that this will happen after my appointment.

Wish me luck!

Hello dentistry!

Goodbye medical school, hello patients, clinic, dentures, tooth extractions, diagnoses, rotations, radiographs and all of the other things I came to dental school for! 

This is my vision for the blog:

1. Lots and lots of pictures of random dental things, either from my own hands or what I see in the world.

(I can't promise that the pictures will be only dental in nature - I am an avid kitty lover and cross stitcher and think the world would benefit from more arts and crafts)

 

2. Advice for interested and burgeoning students who want to know a little more about the coolest profession on earth

3. Debunking dental and medical myths that are passed around without EBM  or historical proof (I was a history major after all)

4. General opinions about dental school, education and dentistry as a profession.

Since May, I have finished the medical component of my curriculum, sped through an accelerated dental review month, passed my boards with a flying "P" (P for Pass!) and will be seeing patients as a third year dental student very shortly. In fact, my first patient is this week. It's just a cleaning so there is no way I could possibly harm my patient. Unless I trip into his mouth and drop my 9-11 curette down his through. Positive thoughts!

Here is a picture of my little pet hedgehog to tide you over until next time.