Instrument issue

We learned our instruments today. We leaned curets vs. scalers and I understand which one is which, it helps that they have a different colored handle :). If they were all the same color I  would be lost. We practiced with our probes and explorers today. We are required to pass off 1 quad of probing in 3 minutes. I am actually very nervous about this because i am a slow poke. How sad would it be to fail a PE. My poor husband Tom will be probed all weekend long.

Explorer

Today we learned how to use an explorer. We were taught which end is the working end, and to tell the truth they pretty much look exactly the same. I thought I had it figured out, then i didn't, then i did. Hopefully it will all make come together in the end. I passed off my intra-oral exam on Amanda, i think i had her to far back when i was exploring because she felt like she was going to puke. I felt bad. I just have to remember that everything takes time and it will take lots of practice to make perfect.

Probing

Today we learned how to probe, or should I say we were showed how to probe. Actually doing it is very different than seeing it done. I want to be a good hygienist that is accurate but gentle and i will definitely need to practice my angles. It was fun to get into someones mouth though, instead of using the typodonts.

Intra-Oral exam

Today we learned intra-oral exams. It was very interesting to see the differences between all of our anatomy. I myself do not have my posterior tonsiller pillars or my palatine tonsils. I had them removed when i was 8. I also thought that it was very interesting to see the saliva ducts. I may be dense but i never really realized that we have Stensons duct in our cheek. That was fun to see. I was able to pass off my vital signs PE and my extra oral PE to Jennifer. I don't think that she minded :) Extra-oral exams feel great. I enjoy clinic and it is fun to practice real life applications of what we will be doing in real life.

Extra-oral exam

Today we learned our dental chair massages. We practiced on each other doing extra oral exams. When we first learned about the procedure I felt like it was a lot of information, however i felt OK when we worked on each other. They are wonderful when someone is doing one on you. It is as close to a real massage as I have gotten in the past year. I know sad huh! I am enjoying clinic so far and love the girls I am in a pod with, both instructors and students.

Vital Signs

I learned how to take blood pressure today. I had never done it before and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe I think it is OK because my readings are wrong :) but hopefully they are right. My partner was Amanda and she had a very low pulse and blood pressure which was good because if I can find it on her I hopefully can find it on anybody. I also took it on Jennifer and it was easier to find.  I passed of my fulcrum PE and chair operator PE. They were easy. I am excited to be working more in depth and hopefully will continue to grasp the material.

health history

Today we learned the first part of filling out a health history. At first I felt very overwhelmed but I felt better once I started actually writing in the charts. I hope I am able to remeber all of the step to make it complete. Its funny how inadequate you can feel when you start something new.