November 20

This morning I had an older woman who was a class 5. She was very nice and great to talk to. I didn't have to do x-rays, so things went very smooth. I scaled pretty quick and got her out of the chair quick. I did struggle with her lower anteriors because there was so much attrition that the mesial and distal edges were just so thin. It made me nervous to scale those because I felt like I was just removing tooth. It went well though, and I only missed one small spot on those lower anteriors.

My afternoon patient was the husband of my patient this morning. He was also very pleasant. His mouth was a little bit more difficult because he had tons of plaque that almost felt like soft calculus. It was another good challenge for me. He kept falling asleep which made access difficult, and it took me a little bit longer, but I didn't miss a spot on him. I also did the blood glucose PE. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing, but it was so easy. I think it was just intimidating to think that I had to prick someone's finger. It was really easy. I am glad today is over!

Real Date: November 13

This morning was a frustrating one. I scheduled a patient last night who sounded really eager to come in and get her teeth cleaned. She even let me know that she wanted nitrous. I thought for sure that she would come in. Well, she didn't show up and she wouldn't answer her phone. That is so frustrating because I wish that she would have just told me she wasn't coming so I could have scheduled someone else. Oh well. Anyway, I called practically everyone on the recall list and no one could come in. I ended up helping the other girls. It was fine, I am not worried about the requirements, I was looking forward to the extra quads though.

This afternoon was incredibly productive. My class 3 patient came back to have me finish her 2 quads. She brought her baby again, claiming that her babysitter cancelled again, but she came prepared with toys and snacks. I made it through one quad before he started fussing. Then Tori came and helped out. It was great of her. I felt bad, but there was nothing that I could do. I just focused on getting her done so she wouldn' t have to come back again. I actually passed off 4 PE's on her which felt great to get done. I also did a sealant PE on Kim's patient. Yeah! For not having anyone this morning, I sure got a lot accomplished!

November 6

Today we had a lab in the morning. We went over subgingival irrigation, desensitization, emergency situations, wheelchair transfer and alginate impressions. It was a really fun morning. My patient in the afternoon was my class 3 exam who I was going to try to clean 2 quads of. I ended up only getting one quad done because her baby was crying and the quad was actually a class 4. It was so hard. I was seriously holding in her teeth. All 3 molars were extremely mobile, and one anterior teeth was barely hanging on. It was a good experience. I also got 4 PE's done which felt good. I am glad to be done today!

October 30

Today was Mock Boards. I was absolutely terrified. I don't know why, but I was so nervous. I just didn't feel sure about my patient. She told me she would be late because she had to take her son to school. That made me freak out. She actually ended up being early. It went really well. It was kindof crazy because no one really knew what they were doing, but it all worked out. My patient didn't qualify, which didn't surprise me because the instructor who checked her didn't know what she was looking for. That was okay though because she was my last resort. It was such a great experience. I can't imagine going into the boards without having a mock board to give us some familiarity with what happens and with the paperwork and everything. It was a good thing but I am so relieved that it is over!

October 23

Today seemed like a really bad day when I was in the moment, but looking back on it, it really was not that bad! I had a patient in the morning who had not had her teeth cleaned for almost 3 years. I was crossing my fingers that she would be a good mock board. I didn't like her. She was just a hard person. I had to take some x-rays, which she didn't want, so I paid for them thinking that she would just be a mock board and it would be fine. My instructor checked to see if there would be enough calculus and she thought there would be, but it was pretty light calculus, so I don't know that I trust her. She is not a 2nd year instructor so I am worried that my patient won't qualify next week. It is frustrating to find a patient who is good for the board. I just hope she comes and everything works out.

This afternoon my patient cancelled. I was actually really glad because we had to get our poster printed off at lunch and it wasn't working and we had to have it done today so we can present it on friday at UDHA in SLC. Everything worked out though because I was able to get the poster done and help out a lot of other girls with their charting and stuff. Everything always works out really well!

October 16

Today was a good day. We had a lab all morning which was nice because then we didn't have to find a patient. We went over the saliva test which was absolutely disgusting. I was gagging so bad. We also talked about the right and left ultrasonic handpieces. I was intimidated by them at first, but they seem like a something that will be great to use. We also learned how to place periodontal medicaments. We got to practice placing arestin, atridox, and the periochip in a hot dog. It was actually really fun and interesting.

The second half of the day I had a class 3 patient come back to start scaling her. I had to finish taking a full mouth of x-rays and then I got one quad done. I had instructor Perry who was filling in for professor Alexander. I was really nervous to have him as my instructor, because I have heard that he is hard and he asks you a lot of questions, but I thought he was great. He does ask a lot of questions, but it really makes you think and learn new things. It went well and I didn't even miss any places in the quad. It was great!

October 9

Today was a good clinic day. My first patient was 45 minutes late, and she brought her little one year old baby. It took a lot of time to go through everything, but one of my peers helped me record and it went well. My patient is 3 quads of a hard 3 and 1 quad of a 4 which will be interesting. I couldn't believe the probe depths I was getting. A lot of 8mm's and even an 11 and 12. The probe just kept going farther and farther. I got a few x-rays taken and I couldn't believe the bone loss, expecially on the lower anteriors. It was crazy.

My second patient was a class 2 who had very tenacious calculus. I missed a lot of places on the lower anterior teeth. Kami told me that this was a very good learning experience for me. It was really challenging. The calculus was so hard to get off. It was a really good experience and I got some good pointers. I just need to remember to go toward the tooth!

October 2

I DID NOT WANT TO BE HERE TODAY! I was so tired this morning, and I feel like a grouch. Luckily my patients weren't too bad, and they were pretty easy. My first patient was a very nice lady who was a class 5. I did BWX and I could not get the crestal bone on the upper molars, so I ended up taking 2 supplemental PA's. It was fine, I just got frustrated. Her mouth was quite healthy. We switched instructors today, and now I have Professor Alexander. I feel like she gives good feedback. She didn't have much calculus, just some on the lower anteriors. I made good time. It was good.

My second patient was an older gentleman who was also a class 5, which is fine because I need fives. I declared it as an exam just to get it done. He was a very nice man, and it went fairly quickly because I didn't have to do any x-rays and the CA helped me to probe. I scaled his teeth pretty quick because he didn't have hardly any deposit on his teeth. I felt pretty good about it, and I only missed one spot. It feels good to have that done. I think that for me a good goal would be to just trust myself. I always feel like I have to go over areas just in case I missed any calculus, but I should just ask for a scale check and have them check. Then I will be able to go quicker and know areas that I have trouble.

September 25

Today was a productive day! I didn't want to be here, but it went really well. My first patient was an older woman who I thought was going to be a class 5, but actually turned out to be 2 quads of a 5 and 2 quads of a 2. It went well, although I missed a few places. That is okay. It helps me to learn how to be better. I was nervous about her x-rays because they were the first films that I have taken this semester that weren't digital. I was so nervous to develop them, but they turned out great! I just worry too much.

My second patient was a man that I saw a couple of weeks ago and only got through the HHX and x-rays. He ended up being a class 2, but a hard one because his mouth is really small and he had to make a few trips to the bathroom. It went well though. I am glad today is over!

September 18

Today was a great day! My first patient was a woman in her mid twenties. The appointment moved kindof slow. It seems like if the patient has a few medications or health problems, it takes me forever to fill out the health history. However, she ended up being 4 quads of a 2 which is fabulous. I was so glad. I declared an exam on her, which is good because we only need one. It went well, I got her completely finished and only missed one place. I felt really good about it, and especially about my x-rays. I feel pretty confident about taking digital x-rays.

This afternoon my patient was my morning patient's husband. He was very nice and had a good clean mouth. His appointment went very smoothly and I only took half the time as his wife. His x-rays turned out wonderful also. I am glad that I could do something well. I am just so glad to have today over with and to have 8 more quads finished to add to my list! Yeah!

September 11

This morning at 6:30 my first patient called and left a message telling me that she was sick. I called her back and she said that she was still going to come in, but she just didn't feel very good. I was just really relieved that she was still going to come in. She is my class 3, and I wanted to get her done today. She had to be anesthetized, on the entire upper and the lower right. That took time to get that done. Today I seemed to be better than last week with the ultrasonic. I didn't spray her all over her face and neck. I felt good about the quads I got done. It was tricky to fulcrum when she had so many teeth missing, but I thought I did pretty good. I got her finished.

My second patient was an older gentleman who, unbeknownst to me, had a lot of health problems. Luckily he was on top of everything, and all of his problems were under control, but just doing the health history took 1 hour. We also took some x-rays which was good. I was nervous, because I hadn't taken any x-rays in clinic yet this semester, but it went fine. I also took a pano. He had to leave early for another appointment, so we didn't get to even start the OD which was frustrating. However, he will be a good classification, so that makes it worth it!

Real Date: September 4

Today was the first day back seeing patients. I was quite nervous to jump right back into it, it seems like we forget a lot over the summer. I am just glad that I was working as a hygiene assistant over the summer, so I didn't forget everything. My first patient was a returning patient. I was hoping that he would be a class 2, because that is what he was last time, but he really is a 1b, and they classified him wrong last time. Oh well, he was a very nice man. I got completely finished with him. I was nervous to scale, but it went fine. It took a minute to remember positioning and which instruments to use where, but it actually went really well. It felt good to finish a patient in one appointment.

My second patient was a woman who had never had her teeth cleaned. She ended up being 3 quads of a 3. Yeah! That is great that I found a class 3 on the first day of clinic. I actually got finished with one quad, and it went pretty well. It was kindof scary to jump right in to cleaning a class 3 on the first day, but I felt pretty good about it. I was actually really pleased with how today turned out. I am just glad it is over!

April 23

I was kind of nervous for my patients. I had two children scheduled and then I was going to stay for the afternoon and do one quad of a patient that laura was cleaning. My patients were late, and then the mom said that they could only afford to have one of the kids cleaned. Luckily, they brought both of them so I told them that I would pay for one of them. It went good. Kristi took the x-rays for me, and I just went fast, because our afternoon patient came in the morning, and I had to clean him too! I was totally stressed out, but my friends help me and it went well. I was so glad to get it all done.

April 18

Today my patient who is half of a 2 and half of a 3 came back for me to finish the right side. She told me she had to be to work by 2:00, so I got started to get her out of here on time. When I asked for a scale check I felt really confident, but I missed tons of calculus everywhere interproximally. I was so frustrated, and my professor said to just have her come back, but I have no time at all!! So, I convinced her to stay, and she said it would be okay if she was a little bit late. My instructors helped me a ton to finish, because I just could not get it off!!! It was so frustrating, and I feel like I will never be able to be a confident dental hygienist!

April 16

Today my patient was a spanish speaking patient, and I was hoping that she would be 4 quads of a two. I got her from a second year who had screened her and said that she was a 2. She actually ended up being a three, and i am still using her for my class 2 exam. If anyone else knew that, they would kill me because there are still some people looking for a class 3. I got through the OD and then I also got one quad cleaned. I felt really good about it.

My first kid patient

Today I had scheduled 2 children. They were both spanish speaking, so Lily confirmed them. My first one didn't show. That was so frustrating. I have never had a patient not come, and it really screws you up! At least I still had my second patient who did show up. She was a cute 9 year old girl who was really fun and easy. I had to retake my x-rays because I tried to use size 2 films, but I should use size 1. It went good. I am glad today is over!

April 9

Today my patient from last time came back to have me start scaling. Instructor Carter was very helpful. My patient did good, I didn't even need to get her numbed. Her small mouth was difficult, but it was better than I thought it would be. I kindof struggled with the ultrasonic today. Sometimes I just feel lost when I am using it. I finished her left side, so I feel good about that!

April 4

Today was a great day! My patient was one I got from the resource list that was in about a year ago and was a class 2, so I was hoping for that this time too! The down side is that she had a really small mouth, and she gags easily. I took bitewings, which were difficult, and then I got all the way through the OD. I didn't get to scaling because she is such a hard patient, but I focused a lot on OHI. She actually classified as half of a class three and half of a class two! Yeah! That is great news for me!

April 2

Today did not go very well. I was hoping that my patient would be a class 2 because the person who gave her to me told me that she hadn't had her teeth cleaned for awhile and she is from Brazil. I was disappointed that she was only a class 1B, and she had to leave early to go to school (which I didn't know about) so I didn't even get to start scaling! Rough Day!

March 28

Today I had a 12 year old girl who I have already seen come back to finish. I scaled all 4 quads and also did some more sealants. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, because I let some other girls do sealants on her. It went well though. She was my class 1B exam, so it was good to finish that up.

March 26

I was really worried about today because I couldn't find a patient to come in, so my husband ended up coming in. Even though I already cleaned his teeth, I figured that I could pass off some PE's and take some x-rays. It went really well, I passed offmy diagnodent PE and my air powder polishing PE. They were both tricky ones, but I passed them off. Then I did 3 sealant on him which went really well. Then because we had more time left, I took a full mouth set of x-rays. They turned out awesome, no retakes. Even though I didn't get any quads from the appointment today, it was a very productive day!

March 21

Today I brought back my cousin to finish scaling her. Because we had some extra time, I passed off my removable partial cleaning PE using her retainer. I also passed off my ultrasonic instrumentation PE and I took a pano on her also. Everything went great. I felt good about everything that I accomplished. I really did a lot!

March 19

Today my patient was a teenage girl. Everything went really well. She didn't need any Bitewings, but she hasn't ever had a Pano, so I took one of those. It was my first time really taking one at the clinic, so I was a little worried, but it went well. I had to retake it once because the lead vest got in the way, but the second one turned out great. I even finished scaling her today, and didn't miss any spots. I love days like this when I feel very competent.

March 7

I was pretty anxious for today. I brought back my class II patient to start scaling his teeth, and I had to get done today too, because he can't come back anymore. I was nervous that I wouldn't finish him, so I knew I would have to really bust my butt. I finished him, but it was so hard. It wasn't hard to be fast, but his calculus was incredibly hard and it wouldn't come off no matter how hard I tried. Even my instructor could barely get it off. It took so long trying to scale forever. I finally reached a point where I just didn't care anymore, and I wanted to be done. My instructor was a big help. She encouraged me a lot and also told me that my adaptation was great because I wasn'causing any tissue trauma. I am just glad to be done with him!!

March 5

Today went great! I brought one of my cousins back in to finish scaling her teeth. It took me awhile, but it was fine. I was glad to finally get her finished, and I also passed off a lot of PE's. The one thing that I had a problem with was my posture. My instructor told me that my patient was too high, so I lowered her and it was really hard for me, and now my back and neck are killing me. I don't necessarily think that the instructors know how you should be positioned. Especially because I am taller. Anyway, I will try to focus more on my posture and patient positioning.

February 28

Today was an okay day. I was hoping to complete my patient in one appointment, but it didn't happen. My patient was a 14 year old girl, and everything went pretty well, besides the fact that people were butting me in the x-ray room, so I had to wait for 25 minutes with nothing to do. It was terrible. I did get to do a sealant on my patient, and I even passed off my PE, so that was good. But... I will have to bring her back to clean her. Bummer.

February 26

Today I had a patient that Kim gave to me. She had talked to him on the phone and asked him all the medical questions, and he said that he didn't have any problems. Then when he came in and filled out the health history he marked that he had a heart murmur. This was frustrating to me. I had to do a physicians consult, which I had never done before. everything went fine though. I only got through OD, but he is a Class II so I am glad. I was just so glad when clinic was done!

Febraury 21

Today I had my Spanish speaking patient back to start cleaning his teeth. It seemed strange to me when my instructors told me that I would probably only get one quadrant done per appointment, but now I know how hard it really is to clean a Class III patient. We started off by taking a full mouth set of x-rays. I did really well. I didn't even need any retakes. Jeff was my instructor today, which was great because he speaks Spanish. Although the son was there, it was nice to have Jeff be able to explain dental things to him. I was worried about my patient needing anesthetic, but he was tough. I am sure it hurt him. I started with my ultrasonic hand piece. It was awesome to see how they really work on patients with a lot of calculus. It was blasting all sorts of crap out of his pockets. I wasn't sure that I was getting everything, but I went back over and handscaled. My patient was bleeding like crazy. I mean, incredibly amounts of blood! I really didn't think that I had gotten everything, but I asked for a scale check anyway. Jeff was so impressed. He couldn't believe what a great job I did. I missed some places on the wisdom tooth (that I could barely see) but he didn't count that against me because he could hardly get it. I felt so good!! I am finally seeing some progress in my skills! Yeah!

February 14

Today is Valentines Day! Yeah! It was also a no-patient day. We learned how to use the ultrasonics. It was a lot of fun. I was kind of nervous to use them, but they are a lot easier than I had anticipated. The instructors say that there is less of a learning curve. They just blast calculus off the teeth. It is great! We got to practice on each other, which I didn't like because our tissue is too tight to fit the ultrasonic tip into, and I got nervous to put it into the sulcus, especially the col area. It was fun though. We also passed off the intraoral camera PE and learned how to use the Diagnodent. It was a really good day!

February 12

Today my cousin came in and was my patient. She was about 30 minutes late, so we got off to a late start. Everything went well. She is a class 1B and everything was normal. I didn't get to scaling her teeth, because she was late, so she will have to come back. Oh well!

February 7

Today I was Clinic Assistant again. I made sure to be on time (because last time I was late) and I felt a lot better about things. Everything went more smoothly because I kind of knew what I was doing. I didn't have to ask very many questions, and I had a really fun time. It is nice to be the clinic assistant, because then you get to know what goes on behind the scenes. You get a feel of how things run in the office, which I think helps me work better as a hygienist. It was a lot of fun!

February 5

Today my patient was a man that I got off the clinic resource list. I was really nervous because he is Spanish speaking, and I don't speak any Spanish whatsoever. He came with his wife, who saw Valerie, and they brought their son who could translate for them. It was an eye opening experience for me. This man had never been to the dentist before, and never had his teeth cleaned. When I looked in his mouth, I thought it looked relatively clean, the gums were just really inflamed. Little did I know what was really under the gums. This patient had never flossed before, and when I flossed his teeth, I pulled out stuff that had been there for years, and it was absolutely disgusting. He is a class III and I am so glad to have found one.

Not a great day.

Today I brought my husband in for my patient. I was excited to have him come in and meet everyone and see what I do. It started off great. My x-rays went really well they turned out perfect. I wasn't going to scale, but I had so much leftover time that my instructor incouraged me to. I was feeling flustered because my pt. was really sensitive when I probed, and he was also really sensitive when I scaled. That made me even more nervous. I was trying to go quickly, and I missed 8 places. Oh well. I eventually got them off, and I am just glad to be done.

Real Date: January 29

Today I brought my sister as my patient. She was my last resort, and she did not want to be here. Everything went well though. My x-rays turned out better than last time. Everything went a lot smoother than last time too. I was a lot quicker. Kim charted for me, which was great! I decided to use Hillary as my first patient exam, and it was great. I did awesome. I finished scaling in 35 minutes, and I didn't miss any places. I felt so great about it. It is nice to have one of those done!

Terrible day!

Today was not that good of a day. My cousin Kelsey was my patient. During the whole appointment I felt so far behind. I just felt like I was moving in slow motion. And I had to take x-rays, which I hadn't taken since last semester, so I was nervous. I ended up having to take one retake, which didn't turn out any better than the original. I was really confused during the entire clinic time, because different instructors would help me and I felt like I was all over the place. The appointment itself went okay, besides the x-ray retake, but after the appointment was when it was really bad. I guess I didn't have my x-rays approved to release the the patient, I really didn't even think to do it. So there was some confusion there, and then one of my Professors was really rude about it. I was feeling really overwhelmed, and I ended up crying like a baby in front of 2 of my instructors. They were both really nice about it, and told me not to worry. I was just so frustrated. I was so glad to go home. I don't ever want to go back.

Real Date: January 22

Today was my first day as Clinic Assistant. I was running a little bit late, and I ended up being 2 minutes late. The Office Manager lady Mrs. Campbell reprimanded me, and Holly Russell who was also CA today and who was 5 minutes late. I was kindof excited to do this, and I was really relieved that I didn't need to find a patient for today. Things went well, and I had fun. It was a nice change to be more of a receptionist. I liked to check in the patients and work with the money. It was also good to understand what goes on, so that it better helps me to be a better hygienist. I had fun!

Real Date: January 17

Last night I was freaking out because I didn't have a patient for today! I ended up bringing my little brother who is almost 12 years old. I really didn't want to bring him because he has braces, but he was my lifesaver. I was just so glad to have a patient. I didn't take any x-rays or even scale, but I got through OHI. Thinking back, I should have tried to scale, but I was just nervous about the braces. He was really great and cooperative. He even has mandibular tori like me! Anyway, it went pretty well. I am going to work on getting more patients scheduled.

First Patient Day of the Semester!

Today was our first patient day of the semester. It took a lot of coaxing to get my brother to come back in, but I don't have any other options. I wasn't really nervous until I got here at the clinic. It was just not that big of a deal to me. Everything went really well. I didn't really know exactly what to do, because today was a different appt. type because I was bringing back a pt. to scale them. But, I figured out things pretty quick, and everything went smoothly. It didn't take as long as I thought, and I didn't miss any spots. I felt good about that!

First day back!

Today was the first day back of the new semester. It was soooo nice to have a long break over Christmas. I loved being able to relax and catch up on my life outside of dental hygiene. I was also very very nervous to come back. I was sick about it. Literally, I was nauseated, and I didn't sleep the past three nights. I had to take a sleeping pill last night, and it only helped a little bit. It was fun to come back and see everyone again though. Everyone else expressed feelings of nervousness also. Today wasn't even hard though. We learned how to use our Gracey's and after we practiced on the Dexter, we got to practice on each other. It took a little bit to get oriented because it has been so long since we last scaled. Overall today went well, and I am feeling a lot better about everything. I am still really nervous about finding patients though.