Mockboard #1

Well, I survived it! It was a really good experience. I was able to get a feel for how things will go on one of the most important days of my life!! I got my patient checked in early (due to the fact that I wasn't sure what we were supposed to do with them other than the HHX, so I hurry and did everything after b/c I didn't know we were supposed to do all the extra/intra. Guess I should've read more of the candidate guide rather than the first half.) So he was accepted and I got started. The calculus was really tenacious, but luckily I had the chance to work on him the week before. Finished and got him checked out a couple minutes early. I really felt like there were still a couple spots left, but I just wasn't sure if that's how his anatomy is. I swear, those two patients I had last year with rough anatomy killed me. Now I'm so paranoid that I'm just scraping teeth and I'm going to keep trying to get it off, but it won't come.
Anyhow, although I missed 4 spots, only 2 of them were test sites, so, I only got docked 12 pts. and I didn't mess up on anything else, luckily. So...I passed.

Let's just hope that's what happens in the real thing! For some reason, I think the fact that this is it and the fee of $750 will be weighing on my mind heavily that day. Oh well, amazingly enough, I was actually kinda nervous yesterday... not like me.

I did use some of my tips from my previous post. The montana jack almost everywhere. I used the American Eagle and my Barnhart on most of the areas in the posterior, even pulled out my mini gracys (but I think they were still to big for his pockets). However, after they came back with the spots I missed, I pulled out my McCall, which got them. I'm nervous to use it b/c it's a sickle and when I get deep into those pockets, I'm still a little afriad. I'm glad I did though, b/c it gave me confidence and I think I'll pull it out more often.

Yesterday was the first day I...

Well, I'm here to update.

I was correct in the fact that my mockboard patient was the hardest pt I've ever seen. But luckily he's really great. He's patient and he jokes around the whole time. That's the best part. He knows it's been a 10+ years since he's had a cleaning, so he's understanding that it's going to take some time to get everything off.

We started by giving him some anesthesia; an IA and a bit in the long buccal. That started to numb him up, but when I started to ultrasonic, he kept flinching, so I asked if he could feel that and he said he was sensitive. So we gave him a bit more in the long buccal and that did the trick, until we got to the premolars where we had to do a mental injection.
I was really excited at the fact that I only saw him like three weeks ago and he had 2 carious lesions on #31 and 32, and he said he went in the next day and got them restored. Great job!
So the title of this post is "the first day I ..." It's the first time I did a few things:

1. The first time I've had a pt w/ radiographic calculus.
2. The first time I haven't gotten everything off of the lingual posteriors with the ultrasonic
3. The first time I've had to really hand scale the lingual posteriors
4. The first time I really learned how to instrument back on the lingual posteriors.
5. The first time I've realized that sometimes it DOES take about two hours to clean 1 QUAD!

So I had a lot of first yesterday. It was truthfully a very good learning experience. Instructor Wold came over and helped me a lot to get the instrumentation on those lingual posteriors.

Some tips from her were:
1. Use your non dominant hand to help give you leverage on tenactious calc, especially on the lingual molars and premolars.
2. Use a horizonal stroke w/ the toe pointed apically (of course w/ small controlled strokes) to clean facial anteriors.
3. Use montana jack anywhere! Most distal surfaces to remove calc, or on the lingual anteriors.

I passed off three PE's; acessory fulcrum, unltrasonic and calc removal. I really liked the built up fulcrum on the anteriors, it helps give stability and it can also help give leverage.

I also tried doing the posterior teeth from an 11 o'clock postion to get the lateral pressure on them and I really liked it.

So all in all, it was a very good day. I hope I can remember them. I'm just glad my patient was numb so he couldn't feel. I'm sure I poked him a few times. :) Oops!

One funny thing was that after we finished, he asked if I could give him some of that topical to rub on him gums after the anesthsia wore off, He was serious. Unfortunately, I told him no and sent him on his way with the recomendation of rinsing with warm salt water.

It's been a while

Well, I'm back. Surgery went well in case anyone is wondering. Today is my first day back at clinic. This morning we had a lab, so that kind helped ease me back in. We worked on accesory fulcrums and instrumentation with the L and R ultrasonics. It really helped, I felt a little wierd at first, but it got better. The hardest thing is that my Left eye is still kinda blurry, and on top of that I haven't been wearing my contacts in my R eye, and today I did. My eye is used to the slightly blurred vision in my R eye and of course the blurred vision in my Left. But now, my right eye is really clear and my L is still blurry. I swear, it will be so great when I can see regularly again.

My mock board patient is supposed to come in today so we can work on some other quads. That's who I'm waiting for now. I really hope he comes, I think he'll be the hardest pt I've had yet. He's got radiographic calculus. Yes!

Anyhow, I'll update later.