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!