The Week in Review

I came back from Thanksgiving break to my Progress Exam in operative (fillings) on Monday morning.  I woke up to a phone call from my mother at 6am to find that a full fuel tanker was on fire on I-30 (my route to school).  I went ahead and got ready and left by 6:10 to take the back roads to 80 to bypass the insanity.  I even had time to make coffee and grab a piece of pumpkin bread.

 

It was nice to get to school early, collect my thoughts, look at my x-rays, add in the treatment that needed to be approved, and go over strategy with some friends.  I just tried to relax during class and breathe and pray.  Between classes, my patient for that morning called to tell me he wasn't going to be able to make it - Just kidding.  I know he's a prankster, and I know that he would never cancel on me like that unless it was the end of the world, but there was still a part of me that was ready to deal with the fact that I didn't have a back-up, and that means an "F".  It was good to know he was coming and would be there early : )

 

Class was over, and I ran upstairs to get in line, get a few things I needed and check my set-up.  My "assistant", Natalee, got there and was the biggest help imaginable - she was really on top of things for me.  I brought up my patient, presented my treatment and got it approved, and we were ready to roll!  It was the tiniest cavity, but I still took an hour to prep the ideal ouline form like the good-ole days of operative lab.  I got it checked, and now it was time for the big moment - complete removal of decay and the moment when the instructor inspects it and then looks up and either says, "Ok" and you pass or "Do you see this area right here? You need to remove that decalcification" and you fail.  The moment came and went and all was good (!) and I had around 35 min to restore - good thing I'm pretty fast!  I finished in time and was even able to reseat my patient's temporary that came off while eating a Chick-fil-a brownie (we discussed how this qualified as sticky and gooey).

 

The next morning, we received our grades and I got a 3.0 and a 3.5 - not too shabby!  That's one down, and two to go for operative.  I've completed my removable  progress exams, but have not done any in the other disciplines.  Just haven't done enough yet.

 

I spent the rest of the week mostly filling teeth and catching up on all my operative.  I finished up Erik's case - for now.  I also had my meeting with my group advisor, and I'm all on track and he's happy with where I stand with my requirements.  Whew!  Thursday was our endo practical in the sim lab, and it went pretty well - especially for someone who hasn't done a root canal since last spring!  I have lots going on next week, too: a crown seating, my Nanna's consults and maybe a cleaning, a filling or two, lots of perio, and starting another crown.  All that, with 2 finals mixed in and a whole week of finals the week after that.  I'm so ready for Christmas!

• Removable (dentures I've made): 1.5/4
• Perio (crazy yucky gums/teeth I've cleaned): 1/4 to graduate (scaling pt #2 this week!)
• Endo (root canals):0/2 (I have one promised for January, but I need another!)
• Surgery (teeth I've pulled): 32/35 (I rocked and rolled with extractions this week!)
• Pre-prosth (bone I've smoothed out for dentures): 4/5 to graduate (I should have them all, but that's another story altogether...)
• Operative (fillings): 16/50
• Fixed (crowns and bridges): 1/10
• DAU (working with assistants): 6/10 to graduate
• Nitrous (laughing gas administrations): 3/6 to graduate
• All assisting is complete.