My Break Cold


My body does not deal with stress well, as far as immunity goes. So 3rd year + cold and flu season + never-ending tiredness = I'm sick. I've had that tingle in your throat thing for about a week now (please note: that's when I last saw my then sick brother). Gradually got a cough/congestion, but my friend Claritin D took care of that. But starting last night, after my beginning of break celebration of margarita night with the family, it hit. It alway does as soon as my breaks begin. Always. I think my body just gives up knowing that I'll have plenty of time to lay on the couch with a box of kleenex. Even pseudoephedrine isn't working and I'm really upset about that. I'm praying that this passes by Sunday so that I can do all the things I've planned during my 9 days of bliss before hell starts again. Yes, I said hell.
Removable (dentures I've made): 1.5/4
Perio (crazy yucky gums/teeth I've cleaned): 1/4 to graduate
Endo (root canals):0/2 (please pray for endo for me!)
Surgery (teeth I've pulled): 26/35
pre-prosth (bone I've smoothed out for dentures): 4/5 to graduate
Operative (fillings): 9/50
Fixed (crowns and bridges): 1/10
DAU (working with assistants): 5/10
Nitrous (laughing gas administrations): 3/6 to graduate
All assisting is complete.

Posted in: on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at at 2:03 PM 0 comments  

So, So Tired


I've decided to update my "stats" as the weeks past. Reminds of me of when I would post my practice DAT scores so I could watch as they improved. My first scores were really ugly. These numbers remind me a lot of my first scores. But they continue to improve.
I'm at a minor standstill with some as the holidays approach and I can't start new dentures and patients don't want to go through the holidays with temporaries. Who would? I don't blame them. So I'm just getting all my ducks in a row to wipe out 3 crowns as soon as we get back. I should start two full dentures in January. I should have my 2nd perio patient finished before Christmas, but I don't have another on board, yet. That's not good. I signed up to get some serious extractions and preprosth after Thanksgiving, and I'm thankful for the experience and credits. It includes mandibular tori removal, so that'll be neat. I sent more endo to grad last week, so it's the same story there. I did 3 fillings last week, so I really feel like I'm less afraid of the operative faculty and learning what I need to do to speed up. My progress exam is just around the corner, and after watching the results of the first one, I'm not very optimistic. It's pretty brutal.
I'm in desperate need of a Thanksgiving break as the weekends don't seem to refresh me much. My allergies are horrible and my head is fluffy and my eyes are just tired. I'm so thankful that we celebrate Thanksgiving, I just wish that maybe the pilgrims had done it in October, like the Canadians.

Removable: 1.5/4
Perio: 1/4 to graduate
Endo:0/2 (please pray for endo for me!)
Surgery: 11/35
pre-prosth: 2/2
Operative: 7/50
Fixed: 1/10
DAU: 5/10
Nitrous: 3/6 to graduate
All assisting is complete.

Posted in: on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at at 6:41 PM 0 comments  

A message:

I take it that this means I will be moving on to 4th year by the end of the summer. ; )

Requirements are slow in coming, but once everyone is diagnosed (by Thanksgiving!), it will be all treatment, all the time. With a silly rotation thrown in here and there.

Just for the record:

Removable: 1.5/4 (with one pt healing, and one set for ext before Thanksgiving)
Perio: 1/3 (start #2 on Tuesday)
Endo:0/2 (please pray for endo for me!)
Surgery: 10/35, 2/2 pre-prosth
Operative: 4/50 (yikes! I'll be at 10 by Thanksgiving. I hope to be around 20 by the end of the semester - 4 weeksish)
Fixed: 1/10 (with one prepped and waiting to seat right now - I should have 3 maybe 4 by semester)
DAU: 4/10 (+1 after tomorrow)
Nitrous: 3/6 to graduate
All assisting is complete.

It'll be crazy this Spring!!

Posted in: on Sunday, November 08, 2009 at at 8:19 PM 0 comments  

The Moments

The moments that make all this horrible, horrible stuff I have to put up with and endure worth it all are the moments when I can do something for someone that makes their life better. Generally, this means completing a treatment and lately, that's been pretty slow in coming.

Today, I got to do it for a little girl who had a cavity on the front of her canine. You could obviously see it when she smiled. Jennifer and I had to privilege of restoring that today and it was absolutely the coolest thing to send her off with a smile of pretty, healthy teeth.

Here's the story: Big pharm test = very little sleep. I've made a pact with myself that I will not perform irreversible treatments when on very little sleep. You're welcome. I'm still a newbie and my patients appreciate this rule whether they know about it or not. When on pedo rotation, however, you don't get to make those calls. After the insanity of our 7:30 am test and a 30 min nap in the library, Jennifer told me I was listed as the operator for a composite on a canine for a little girl. Great. An entire hour to sit in class prepare for this in my head. So I sat down in my seat for our operative class and we covered esthetic facial composites. Great. Whatever.

I raced to the clinic after class and pulled up her chart and we started to get ready. And the patient needed...an esthetic facial composite. See how God takes care of me? : ) This happened the entire course of my first denture and the day I cut my first crown. I don't deserve it.

We didn't even have to numb her up - bonus! I even scraped most of the decay out with a spoon. Mr. Bumpy did make an appearance, but she didn't mind at all. The pedo dispensary probably thought we were crazy asking for a shade guide and two different shades of composite, but we wanted it to look right. Even if it's a primary tooth and will fall out in a few years.

Let's just say that it's always a relief to find that God really has gifted me with the random talents a dentist needs to be successful as I seem to have a decent eye for shades and matching composite (remember the star I got from Dr. Miller?). It's so super easy to feel inadequate and untalented in dental school. The truth of the matter is that I am inadequate and can only do any of this by the grace of and with the help of God. He gives me what I need when I need it. Manna. So when the resident couldn't find where I'd placed the restoration because it blended so well (we switched docs in the middle and he didn't see the prep), it left me on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. These moments are few and far between. And I'm super thankful.

Posted in: on Friday, October 02, 2009 at at 4:56 PM 1 comments  

An Update


This post is dedicated to Megan Miller: I know you're reading ; )

I've been in the pediatric clinic all week. My patients are patiently waiting for their next appointments while I'm placing sealants, twiddling my thumbs, holding hands, drying tears, and handing out Sponge Bob stickers to the kids at BCD.

What I've learned so far:

1) I find that I do really well when I'm the one in charge. Whether it's a kid or an adult, if I'm the one that greets the patient, takes the history, and initiates the relationship, I feel better about being the one providing treatment. If someone else does all that and then we do the ol' switcheroo, it's just not the same. There's just something about being idenitified as the "doc".

2) You should not schedule your patients to come back for treatment that has already been performed. That's how I lost the chance at some more sealants today. The sealants were already there. What can you do? Nothing. That's what.

3) 2.5 hours going over a case you've already studied makes for a long afternoon.

4) Don't tell a kid that you're going to give them a "mosquito bite". NOBODY likes mosquito bites. Kids aren't stupid. There's no way you're going to get them numb that way. Also, don't try to trick a kid. There's no regaining their trust.

5) Maybe it's not such a good idea to have an open pediatrics clinic. One crying kid 2 feet away from another crying kid makes for a lot of fun!

6) Kids on nitrous are hilarious! Couple that with a half-numb face and you've got some seriously funny antics.

7) Parents out there - be careful about how you talk to your kids about the dentist. Please. I know I'm the childless one saying this, but there's really a lot to be said about how kids are taught to be afraid of the dentist. I heard a parent today tell a kid that couldn't complete treatment even after getting an injection, "You'll just have to get another shot." Yeah, that kid's going to be a bundle of fun the next time he comes back.

Ok, enough of that. I really do like the kids. I absolutely will see kids in my office when I'm out. Absolutely. When I'm not pregnant the nitrous will flow! I'll be blowing bubbles, painting teeth, putting raincoats and rings in their mouths, and using that tooth tickler like there's no tomorrow. Sleepy juice, tooth pillows and super soakers will help get the job done, and my background in psychology will be implemented for both the freaked-out parents and the little ones.

Posted in: on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at at 5:09 PM 3 comments  

Hmmm...


I know it's been a while since an update on anything...crafty or dental. I'm just so busy all the time and absolutely exhausted when I get home that nothing gets done and I have no desire to even type about what I did. I blow it off as "nobody cares" - not in a depressive, unhopeful way - but it's just not anything that I'm that excited about, so why take the time to do it? Throw in studying for classes like pharmacology, and I'm done. There's nothing left. I have a finished quilt that I have yet to take a picture of and post about on my quilt blog. If you know me at all, that says a lot about how busy I am!

I love having patients! I love talking and getting to know them and developing relationships with them. I like fixing things for them. Filling a cavity, helping them make their smile pretty, or giving them a whole new smile and a way to eat. God has blessed me with amazing patients. I'm so thankful for that. A new Christian, a quilter and her husband, the sweetest old lady ever who's lived a trial-filled life and is still so joyful, an old friend, a young nanny, a really nice lady I met on the sidewalk outside the school, one of 3 sisters who have matching handbags and come to the school every Tuesday (so cute!), and a sweet old lady who just wants to be able to smile again.

I don't like the hoops, I don't' like the missed lunches, I don't like the rat race - I try to buck that all the time. Classmates will race through a diagnosis appointment and then race around all morning trying to finish all their consults. - in 2 hours or so. I don't want to push the limit and I sure don't want my patients to feel like I'm rushing through things and then dragging them around the school. I did that to one of my patients - once - and I'm so thankful he's still coming to see me. I felt horrible for doing that to him. That first appointment is when I start developing a relationship with them and I want them to know I'm listening, that I'm thorough, and that I have their best interests in mind. Not that I'm only interested in getting through the process as fast as possible. Even if that means they have to come back for an extra consults appointment. Maybe I'll regret this philosophy when I feel behind, but I doubt it. I'm aiming for patients that trust me, and will therefore come to their appointments on time and finish out their treatment. That's my goal.

I'm just plugging away. Working on the patients that I can, and trying to get everyone else to that point. If you have any interest in coming to see me, I'm game if you are! You won't be a "guinea pig" at this point - my firsts are all over - except the ever-elusive root canal that I have yet to see come my way...

Posted in: on Sunday, September 06, 2009 at at 3:57 PM 0 comments  

Seen This?


Now watch this:


Yeah, I'm back in school, and kinda feel bad for not documenting it. It's pretty *blah* since there's nothing new and exciting seeing that we've done this for 6 weeks now. Doesn't help that I have zero patients this week. But I'm being somewhat productive, I'm enjoying the chance to get all my ducks in a row before I get busy, and I'm so glad I'm not waiting 45 mins in line for instruments now that they've changed up the system. Maybe by next week they'll have it figured out???? That'd be great!

Posted in: on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at at 3:04 PM 0 comments  

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