INSTURMENTATION

One of the most important clinical skills we have learned this semester is the one I feel the least confident about. I know that felling comfortable with the instruments will come with time. There are two specifically that I still am very unsure about. They are the SG 11/14 and the SC12/13. I know that they both are posterior curettes and go interproximal. I am confused on when and where to use them on the lingual and facial surfaces. It is my responsibility to go into the office and get help on these instruments. I passed my competency only by luck. The first competency I was confident and I knew what I was doing. Now, we have learned all the instruments and I get really overwhelmed in clinic so I don't even pick up the 11/14 or the 1/13 which isn't really helping me any. I just recently found from our Fundamentals of Periodontal Instrumentation book (my life savor with instruments and positioning) states that we us the 12/13 on the right side of the mouth, buccal and the 11/14 on the ligual right side of the mouth and go in criss cross throughout the mouth. I still don't feel comfortable but throughout break I plan on reading through my books and looking at Axium so the only question I will have are on new material.

Radiology Final

We were presented with a lot of material for radiology. The 2 exams, the final and midterm, had a new format this year. They were fill in the blank. I have no problem with the way that we were tested my issue was the material we were tested on. Our exam asked detailed numbers like the zone of the focal trough being 9-11 mm. The exam again was fair. We were not asked anyting that we had never seen before. I felt that the information that we as dental hygienist need to be familiar with was not even mentioned on the exam, such as the classification of dental caries. We had an entire powerpoint on dental caries and were not asked a single question. Instead we were tested on the specific pathologic diagnosis of soft tissue. I agree it is important that we be familiar with lesions and there location. As we are concluding the semester I have realized that the program focuses on every detail . I have to get used to knowing the details because the details definatley count in dental hygiene.

Tooth ID EXAM

Now that I look back on the oral anatomy and occlusion exam I feel like we had a disadvantage. I have spoken with a few dental students and they said they have plastic teeth that they studied for the same exam that we took. A third year studen even said that for there final they walked around to different stations to look at each tooth and stated which tooth it was. I studied the book, CD, flashcards and blackboard presentation and am still not confident with tooth identification. I found this course to be one of my favorites. The final exam was completely fair. I felt that we could have been presented with each tooth in another way instead of four pictures on a PowerPoint. Personally I like to see and touch objects when I study. I felt that we should have purchased teeth for this exam or borrowed them from other students and I would have done better on the final.

I found a cavity.

One day I woke up and found that there was a dark spot on tooth number 32! I started to brush really hard cause I thought it was food and it would not go away. That day I was working with Alli in clinic. By that time we had been using the explorer but not the Shepard's hook. At least I had never used it before not having worked in a clinic. Alli had so I asked her to see if it was a cavity. Sure enough the Shepard's hook stuck right on the occlusal surface of tooth number 32. Mrs. McGregar was walking by at the time and she confirmed that it looked like a cavity. Today a few weeks later I am going to the Dentist. I'm not too excited about telling my dentist that I have a cavity. Its a little disappointing but I have come to the conclusion that studying causes cavities. I sit in the library and drink my Starbucks all night long. I'm blame my cavity on my academics.

CLINIC first semester

I really liked working in partners starting off in clinic. My partner had previously worked in a clinic which I had not. I wish that we would have had a chance to take radiographs together because I still don't feel comfortable taking them after one time practicing. I learned a lot by working with her. After having a student as a patient I didn't realize I was sitting in the wrong position for certain instruments and as a patient the student couldn't see was I was doing to tell me I was in the wrong position. I wish that we could continue to work in partners but after this semester I will be on my own and Im sure it will be another great learning experience.