Last day of Clinic!!

WOW!! The semester Flew right by! I can't believe it's already the last day! It was a super easy day today, which was awesome! I was supposed to see a new patient this morning who hasn't been seen in years but she didn't show up. So all morning, I just finished up other projects that are due and studied for one of my exams. It was really nice to have a slow morning and just finish up some odds and ends! As for the afternoon, I was scheduled to finish up one of my Class III patients and do some local anesthetic but she was sick and couldn't make it. I was bummed! So my cute little 3 yr old nephew, Tommy, came in and was a great patient! I was able to complete an assignment on him and we just had a really fun, relaxed afternoon. All of my clinic requirements for the sememster are complete and I even have some done for next semester. It's been an awesome semester and can't wait for my LAST ONE!!! College has gone by so quickly. I can't hardly believe I've been here for over 3 1/2 years! Crazy!! Dental Hygiene school is Amazing and it's the best thing I've ever done. I LOVE IT!!!

Last VA!!

Todayin was our last day at the VA hospital Salt Lake City. It's been over a month since I've been down there so I was a bit rusty but it was a great experience. My first patient had Hep. C. This disease is blood borne so I was a little nervous due to the fact that I deal with blood A TON!! He was SO nice and we had a great time. He wanted to be numb so I gave him 7 different injections which was really fun. I little nerve racking but I learned a lot! My afternoon patient was way super nice too. He was a little older and seemed quite lonely because all he wanted to do was talk to me. I really enjoyed the conversation we had. I did get a little distracted because he left without me getting a final scale check. OOPS!! My instructor wasn't too pleased with me but she handled it well. I was really grateful about that! I was also able to place some arestin for the first time, which is a local antibiotic. It was really fun and I really like arestin. I am SO HAPPY that today is our last day at the VA for now. It's been a great experience sometime but I'm excited to not be there for a while. :)

No scaling....

It was quite an interesting day today! I didn't scale either one of my patient's but I was able to get a lot done on them. My first patient was super nice but has some pretty extensive perio. He had ortho bands on every tooth but no arch wire. So... he was in limbo with his treatment. It was really interesting. He had a few mobile teeth so we decided to take a full mouth survey of xrays as well as 4 bitewing xrays. He had some SWEET radiographic calculus and would be Awesome for mockboards but doesn't qualify due to the ortho bands. I was pretty sad about that. But I was happy to get so many xrays done. He'll be back in a couple weeks and I can't wait to get scaling!!
My afternoon patient was Amazing as well. She is in her early 40's and has never had her teeth cleaned! She had some pretty extensive mobility as well so I took some xrays. Her radiographic calculus was incredible and I was so excited to finally have that much calculus. I'm thinking she might be my potential board patient! However.... when I went to go get Prof. Alexander to come do an OD check and classify her, she pointed out that my patient had a HUGE cold sore that was in it's earliest stage, meaning it was HIGHY contagious. Prof. Alexander didn't want to go intraorally due to the cold sore, so I'll have her back to be classified and move on from there. Oops... I totally didn't see the cold sore and that's a BIG TIME no no in clinic! Hopefully it will be gone by the time she comes back! :)

Back to the VA!

This morning was a lot of fun! I saw 2 class II patient's and was able to finish both of them! They were both very nice and I really enjoyed it! Connie really teaches me too. She makes sure I can feel the calculus and if I can't at first, she "piggy backs" my hand until I feel it. She helps me a lot with describing the condition of tissue and I really enjoy it! I love learning and I really love it when there is a professor or instructor who is just as excited to teach!

Instructor's Switched!

Today was a blast!! I was able to work under a different instructor, Prof. Alexander, and I loved it! She taught me so much and really helped me understand what I was doing or what I was looking for. This morning, I saw a class II patient and I was able to scale and root plane all 4 quads. She was originally from Peru and had some pretty crazy restorations from her country. She was so nice and was really interested in what I was teaching her about her periodontal disease. I really liked talking to her. I was able to see 2 patient's this afternoon. Both were 1B (easy easy) but it was still really fun! Like I've said before, I LOVE clinic!!

Class II Exam!

Today I was at WSU clinic! What a fun day. My first pt. a class II and I was able to complete his treatment and I also declared him as an Exam. I passed with flying colors! It was such a great experience. Because I had him as an exam, I liked working under the pressure I put myself under to do a good job. I really enjoyed it and he was a great patient! My afternoon patient was also wonderful and I was able to finish him too. He was only a 1B so not too tough but still, I felt really accomplished. I absolutely LOVE working in the clinic. It is so exciting to me!

First day back in Clinic!!

What an exciting day! Today is officially my first day of Patient treatment in Weber State's Clinic. Last week was supposed to be my first but I took the day off to get ready for my wedding! Yes... I got married on Friday Sept. 4th to the man of my dreams (Mike Jasper)! He is Perfect! So now I'm official Hailey Jasper but I can't be official in the clinic yet which is quite the bummer! Anyway... back to my patients today... I was able to complete an entire class V patient and start on a class III/II. It was so much fun! I love working in the clinic and watching calculus come off in chunks! It is so fulfilling and self esteem boosting to watch it! I just love it! I'm excited for the semester to get going and see lots of patients. My instructor was a great help today and I'm excited to be working with her this year. Today was just all around Successful and I had a great experience!

Completed Patient!!

Today was super successful! I was once again at the VA. The faculty there is awesome! I really enjoy Connie, who is our Weber State teacher and the dental assistant, Shara. However, there is one lady whom I feel is out to get me. Apparently I did something terribly wrong over the summer and she now thinks I'm a "diva" so she ALWAYS points out my flaws. She makes me do things that the other girls don't have to do and basically makes me feel like an idiot. I try to be so nice to her but no matter what, it's not good enough for her. I've decided to just continue being myself and not worry about how she treats me. It's such a great experience to be there that I'm going to try and not let her get me down. I was able to scale and root plane 4 quads of a class III which AMAZED me!! I felt super accomplished and very happy! My afternoon patient was a class II and I was able to finish him as well. Today was super awesome and I had a great time!

Crazy VA!!

Today was my first day down to the VA (Veterans Hospital) in SLC. What a crazy experience! I was really excited to get in and get my hands dirty! My first patient was really hard to treat. He was in a wheelchair and couldn't lay back very far or move his head. I was pretty nervous to get started. He turned out to be a pretty ok patient but I was relieved when the clinic time was over. He was a class III which is HUGE in Hygiene language so that made up for it. My afternoon patient was also a class III but he was much easier to treat. He was really nice but I was only able to complete 2 quads. Overall, the day was pretty stressful but really exciting! I saw tons of calculus and LOVED watching is come off! What a great learning day!

Kinda Tough...

Today I completed a rather tough 1B patient. She was great and all I had to do was scale because I had previously done her BWX and OD. She hadn't been cleaned in about 5 years so her calculus build up was a bit more tough than a typical 1B patient. I picked on her a little bit but she handled it well. I used my ultrasonic scaler on her lower left and I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with it. She had an awesome calculus bridge along her lower anteriors on the lingual surface. It was fun to watch it click off. I had a great learning experience and I'm glad I was able to finish her up today.

Rachel Saved me!!

Today was Awesome!! I was stressing over the weekend because every patient that I called to come in kept cancelling. I was worried that I wouldn't have anyone and that I would fail the day. Luckily I asked my friend Mike and he told me that his sister could probably come in. I was really nervous to ask her but I did and she could come! Oh HAPPY DAY!! She was Fabulous! She was a class 1B and didn't have any buildup. I was able to complete her treatment in one visit which made me really happy! She was the 2nd person I was able to complete in one appointment so I was really excited to do so. She was so nice and very understanding to wait for the instructors. It was just an overall Fabulous day! I was able to pass of a PE which was awesome. I really can't express how happy I am right now!
ps... Happy Birthday Tyler!

Finally finished my Crazy class 2!!

Wow!! What a learning experience!! I completed my most complicated patient today. He was my patient who hasn't been cleaned in over 14 years. His calculus and buildup was insane! My fingers, wrists, and arms sure got a great workout today. It was really exciting for me to work and work at something and see a difference. He has improved his oral hygiene habits and his tissue looked a lot better today. Hopefully he'll come back in 6 months when he's due so it won't be as complicated. It sure was tough but I'm really thankful that I had this experience because I sure learned a lot!

2 more quads of a 2!!! :)

My good friend from High School came in and was my patient today. He was awesome! I haven't seen him since graduation, which was nearly 3 years ago. Luckily, to my benefit (not really his), he was a class 2!! Well at least 2 quads were. It was So sweet! I was really excited! I only got his OD, a pano, and 4 BWX done on him though but I was happy to get more 2's!! I'm excited to use my ultrasonic scaler on him the next time he comes in. Hopefully I'll get more of those pesky PE's passed off! Good luck with that I say!! :)

CONVENTION!!!

The UDA convention was this week and it was So much fun!! I was able to attend with my classmates as well as the ladies I work with. It was such a great experience and we went to some awesome classes. The first one was all about how systemic diseases can affect the oral tissues. It was really interested to be reminded about osteoporosis and diabetes and how they affect periodontal disease. He instructor had great pictures and facts on his powerpoint. I sure learned a lot from him. Also, after lunch with my my dad's staff, I went to a local anesthia class. This one wasn't as well organized as the first but it still was interesting. I learned some great things about the anatomy of the jaw and where to stick a needle for which specific injection. It got me really excited to start giving injections next semester! I had a really good time walking around all of the exhibits with Casey and my dad. I learned a lot from the table clinics as well. We got tons of free stuff and just had an all around enjoyable time.

Hooray for Family!!

My cute nephew Ryan came in today and was my Awesome patient! He did a really great job and it was fun to show him around the clinic. He is 7 years old and was really excited to be there. He asked lots of questions about what I was doing and the names of the different instruments. I'm glad it went really well! He is Super Cute!! Since working on him didn't take the whole time, I also saw my sister Jami and was able to complete the scaling on her. He was a great patient too and I was happy she could come in too. It was nice to see and work on a pregnant mouth. We've learned in class about what to expect in the mouths of pregnant mothers and it was fun to see it first hand. She is taking really good care of her mouth and teeth. I love my family!! They are all just Awesome!

Lab day!!

Today we didn't have any patients because we had a mandatory lab day. It was Awesome!! I very much needed day off! We were able to pracise the ultrasonic scaler on each other as well as our area specific graceys. I'm starting to feel more confident in using my ultrasonic and I think I can now use it on a real live patient! Oh, and today was my first Dental Medicine exam and I did great! It was super specific but the questions were asked with no confusion. I really liked it! Today was just an all around great day!

Slow Day...

Today was a great day! First off... it snowed like Crazy! It took me 15 minutes to get to the clinic and I only live 2 miles away! It was pretty insane. My patient luckily lives on campus so he just walked and was on time. It was Great! I only had to scale his left side, rubber cup polish, and fluoride. Then I had his wife scheduled to finish the exact same thing. Due to the weather comditions, a lot of the girls patients called and cancelled last minute. So I ended up giving my second patient to Abby. I felt like even though I really needed the quads, Abby would have failed for the day if I didn't let her have her. So I did give up 2 precious requirements but Abby didn't fail for the day. So all worked out! I got done super early so I just walked around and helped the other girls chart or take pictures. It was a great day! I'm thankful for all the patients that I get to see and meet. Hygiene school is the Best!

Worst Day of Clinic thus far....

Where should I start?! Today was awful! My patient was a returning class II and I was so excited to get scaling on him. I had 2 hrs and 45 min to just scale! I thought I would just be in heaven and finish all 4 quads. But NO!!! It was terrible! My patient hasn't had a full cleaning in over 14 years. I only completed 1 quad and it was SO HARD!! My instructor was even having a little bit of a hard time when I would ask her for help. However, today was a great learning experience. I got to feel and work on real tenacious calculus which I've never done before. Prof. Costley was a great help and she showed me lots of different ways to scale. My patient was awesome too. He just acted like "no big deal" and never complained. He was just great! So even though today was very hard and I've cried a bunch... I did learn a lot. Hopefully I'll keep getting better and faster!

Great Patient!!

Today my patient was Jami, my cute sister. She was an Awesome patient! It was so fun to work on her and show her what I do day in and day out. She was super cooperative and willing to let me do whatever. She was my guinea pig for my ultrasonic scaler and she handled it well. I wanted to practise on her because I haven't used it yet and she really helped me out. While we were waiting for my instructor to come over, we talked about boys! She gave me some really good advice about things happening right now in my life and it was a huge stress reliever. She is the best ever! Today was super successful and I was happy things went so well!

Scale Victory!!

Today was a great experience. My patient, Michael, was Awesome!! He made the whole afternoon just wonderful. It was the first time meeting him so I was a little nervous at first. Once I took his vitals and got signed off for his health history, things just started flowing! It was great! I was able to get 4 BWX and 2PA on him which really helped my requirements. I was only able to get 2 quads scaled but I had no errors!! It was such a relief. I was nervous because I had Prof. Costley as my instructor and she's pretty picky but I did a great job and I didn't have to re-scale anything. Today was just an all around great day! I'm really happy it's over though!

1B Exam!!

Today was a BLAST!! I had my good friend Brett come in and he was so much fun to work on. I was able to complete his treatment from start to finish which was really encouraging! I declared him as my exam and I think it went really well. We just laughed and had a way fun time! I hope I never forget about him trying to use the sink and spraying himself with the "eye wash station". It was Hilarious! He didn't really have much buildup which was superb as well! I was pretty nervous at first but it couldn't have gone any better! We are going out for lunch now which is a plus! =)

What a Blessing...

Last night my patient called and cancelled last minute! I was freaking out!! I was supposed to see a 1A classification and I was ready to get her done and pass off more requirements. So by 5 in the afternoon I was patient less.... pretty dang stressful. Luckily I went and checked my email and I had a patient waiting for me to call him. So I called him and thankfully he could come in. As soon as he was sitting in my chair and I was able to look in his mouth... instantly I freaked out. He hadn't been seen in over 14 years!! AHH!! I didn't really know where to start. But I just jumped in with both feet and started. I only was able to complete the OD, no scaling. It was kinda a bummer but he had so much buildup everywhere that it was hard to prob. But I did it. The other Huge blessing of the day is that he is classified as a 2. He was my first class 2 and I am SO excited!! I'm a little nervous but I'm thankful for the harder classification. I'm excited but nervous to start scaling. We'll see how it goes!

My first 1A patient!!

Today I had the wonderful opprotunity of working on my cute little niece Ashley. I was able to scale all 4 quads so her treatment is complete! She is the first patient I was able to complete in one appointment. She was the best helper and we had lots of fun together. She is doing a pretty good job with brushing but I did help her recognize where she is missing the "sugar bugs". It was a great day and I was happy to finish her treatment. Oh, and she was my one and only 1A exam that I'm required to do. Which means I actually get graded on how well or not so well I do. Hopefully I will pass with flying colors!

X-Ray Success!!

Today was a great day!! I worked on my first patient who wasn't my mom! She has been in before as a patient but never with me. It was a first for both of us. All of the paperwork went very well and she was so pleasant to talk with. I was able to take 4 digital BWX and she did great! I only had to take 1 re-take so I was super happy! I was able to get 2 quads sclaled and had only 2 spots to go back over with my scaler. She'll be coming back in a few weeks to get all finished up and I'm really excited! She was so great and I was happy that things went so well. Today was a really encouraging day for me and I feel like I can really do this and work on patients. I'm super Excited!!

Scale= Pass!! PANO= Fail!!

Today was a Wonderful learning experience for me. It was our first Real day of working on patients in the clinic. Luckily my patient was my mom! She's the best!! I was really excited because I was going to be able to finish her up from last time. She was also going to fulfill a requirement for a PANO x-ray. I have to take 2 of these this semester and I was Super Excited to get one done on the first day!! However.... it didn't go as easily as I thought. I set everything up, got the x-ray from the office, and I was set for the x-ray. After it got processed... it came out Blank! Completley blank! Instantly I began to sweat and freak out. How imbarassing.. this was my mom and I couldn't do it right. So, I went and got Emily, our TA, and she helped me get it all ready again for a re-take. Once again.. the film came out blank. We both couldn't believe it. SO... Emily takes me to go talk with Mr. Salomon who ends up blamming my for using duplicating film instead of Pano film. I was quite bugged by this and so were my instructors because the dup film was in the place of the pano film. So why exactly was this my fault?! He embarrased me infront of the instructors and Instructor Hafen didn't like that too much. She totally stuck up for me and it was Fabulous! So after taking an hour on a Pano, I finally got to scaling. I scaled both upper quads and it took me about 40 minutes. I was a little nervous for scale check but... I Passed with flying colors!! I only missed 1 corner on one tooth!! I was so relieved! I Love instructor Hafen and Emily!! They are the best!! Today once again was a great learning experience. I was super nervous at the beginning but all went pretty well. I love the Hygiene Program and I wouldn't trade it for anything!!