Today we polished the teeth. I was scared after we got the lecture on how polishing removes enamel, but it wasn't to bad. The fluoride varnish is interesting. It makes my teeth feel so filthy like they are coated with plaque and stuff. The Orange cream foam fluoride was really good tasting I almost like it better than the varnish, almost.

Scaling all the teeth.

I think I'm doing good with having my own procedure and order for scaling the teeth. I think it just takes practice and I think every week everyone including myself is doing better. The better I do the more I enjoy the clinic sessions and learn better. :o)

Posterior Scaling

For me I think that posterior scaling is alittle bit easier for me to grasp, but someone explained it to me better. I think that it's way to different to work on a real person than to work on a typodont. Scaling is really fun but I'm constantly worried that I'm going to hurt that person. I think I;ll get better once my fingers get stronger and I've practice more but it's still stressful to learn especially when I'm not getting the concept as well.

Today helped because we did a whole patient from start until finish. It did take forever but when I went and observed I was totally confused at how they were doing things and so today made everything alittle bit clearer. I really like scaling but when I'm the second person I feel like I don't have enough time to do everything and I'm always rushed and I need alot more practice to be where I'm better.

SCALING

Scaling is by far my favorite thing to do so far. I'm not very good at all yet i still slip off the teeth, but I'm think I'm doing about average in our class for the first time. I'm just glad to start practicing since this is what we will spend the most time doing.

Next week we start actually scaling! I'm nervous to hurt or be hurt, but it's the biggest thing we are going to be doing. The PE's are getting more complex, but today was good because we got to work with people in other pods instead of the people we've been working with so far.

disclosing solution

The disclosing solution helps so much with finding where the plaque is on the patient and educating the patient by letting them see where the plaque is and how to remove it. We disclosed each other and I got a 98% yay. It helps that I floss in the mornings where some people floss at night and so there was plaque in those areas by the time they got to class earlier this morning. I think that kind of stuff is motifation for everyone in our class to use the same techniques they are teaching.

Dental Screening

I'm so glad there are people in here who have more experience than me. I know the basic charting, but there's people in my pod who help me out immenslely because they have dealt with our charting a lot more. It's getting funner as we work on each other more and more and get quicker and more comfortable working in each other's mouths. I really enjoy clinic for the most part.

practice

I think practice helps me out so much. Last session when the instructors would try and help us out with doing something it didn't make too much sense, but today when they helped me I actually had an easier time understanding what they were helping us to do. I'm more confidence today with probing and not hurting my patient as well. I think the more I practice the better I will get.

PROBING

Probing, what else is there to say about it? JK it's so scary because I know it hurts on me when someone else does it wrong so I'm so scared that I'm going to hurt my patient. The pockets when they are shallow are also so much harder to get in there and even though they don't hurt as much, there is more pressure to get them into the pocket almost I think. I mean I'm not pressing harder but it's not as a relaxed move for me. I dunno how else to explain it.