3 Hour Appointment

I observed a second year student in the dental clinic who was incredibly enthusiastic, genuine, cheerful, and helpful, and her personality would fit perfectly into what I consider the typical dental hygienist. She seemed very well prepared and confident in her ability to treat her patient. A dynamic conversation was held throughout the appointment with her easygoing and cooperative patient. Besides the appropriate clock and chair positions, I was not aware of many proper techniques when I observed at the beginning of the semester. I noticed the student kept the patient chair in the same position for treating the maxillary and mandibular teeth. I observed her for the full four hours including the preparation before her patient arrived until

Essentials of dental assisting by Debbie S. Robinson - Doni L. Bird Fourth Edition Chapter 8 page 122

Young children and many adults are terrified of visiting the dentist. The first clinician they would see is the dental hygienist, making it extremely important for the dental hygienist to be kind, understanding, and easy to talk to. These characteristics will allow patients to be at ease and enjoy their dental visits. It is also important for dental hygienists to be good listeners so they could understand their patients` concerns. Physical skills are just as important as interpersonal skills in this career. It is important to have good finger dexterity and near vision. These physical skills will come to good use because the job of dental hygienists require them to use instruments in the small area of a patient's mouth. It is also crucial that a dental hygienist be in good physical shape. Dental hygienists spend most of their time crouched over a patient which could result in back pain if the hygienist is not healthy and

This clinical experience took place at Peyton Elementary School and Prairie Heights Elementary School. Kamille, Ben and I were to teach hand hygiene, covering your cough and brushing your teeth to three Pre-K classes. First we developed a lesson plan and teaching aid for our students. Then, we gathered supplies such as spray bottles, dye, subject specific coloring sheet and a dinosaur with large teeth and tooth brush. Kids Rock dentistry in Colorado Springs was nice enough to borrow us the dinosaur and also gave us activity books for the kids. When we arrived at Peyton Elementary School at 0800, we noticed it was a very nice school. We met the school nurse at the office where we signed in. She showed us to classroom where the children

Through various experiences I have had the opportunity to use some of these skills in order to completely fulfill patients’ needs. One occasion I clearly recall was during a time I worked in an

A dental assistant must be able to work well with others because they are the second pair of hands for the dentist. A dental assistant must be able to understand the dentist and communicate with the dentist to provide proper tools and assistance. Assistants must be very reliable and have excellent manual dexterity so that they can provide the best service to the dentist and to the patient that they are working with. Dental assistants will also have to be knowledgeable on how to properly sterilize and disinfect equipment and instruments and how to set up and lay out instruments and materials for each patient. They must obtain and update patients records as needed and ensure that their patients are comfortable at all times.

The patient was keen to get her oral hygiene up to a good standard and prevent any

For a person to be successful in the field of dentistry, he or she must be able to perform certain skills such as manual dexterity, the ability to work, the willingness to train, concern for people, commitment, an interest in science, and communication. Manual dexterity is the ability to work with hand tools. Dental hygienists range from creating small models from clay or wood, to as far as working in a patient's mouth. Dental schools look into how well someone can use their hands to grasp small objects and maneuver through small spaces. Another crucial skill to acquire is patience and the ability to work hard. Dental schools look at how well you handle irregular hours and conforming to a long extended period of time, so therefore, it would be important to obtain that skill! Willingness to train comes along with working hard. If a person is able to take orders from others during a training period in and school and on the job, they are one step closer to becoming a well rounded hygienist. Concern for patients is another skill a person interested in becoming a dental hygienist will need. “Being able to reassure and be concerned about the state of the patients oral health” (SB 106) is a big step he or she will have to take. Patients like to know that their hygienist cares about their oral health. Hygienists are there to assist their patients’ needs and inform them about proper oral

The student must provide clinical dental hygiene services to patients with all classifications of periodontal disease for eight to twelve hours per week during freshman year and twelve to sixteen hours per week during sophomore year. While in the clinical setting, the student must show competence and include the process of care for the following patients: children, teens, adults, geriatrics and special needs. The competencies include the following: life-long education and knowledge of present research-based publishings, delivery of proper medical services in an emergency situation, ethical rationale and resolution, collecting and understanding patients’ overall health status, evaluating findings in order to incorporate ideal care plans, recognizing the level of success with the patient, and documenting all findings accurately. All of these will show that the hygienist is competent and capable of formulating care plans and managing patients’ health within the community through assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating. All of the education, experience and competencies are incorporated to prepare the hygienist for his or her career (Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations,

One of them includes passing my POH class to the best of my ability as my family and I both value my education highly. I believe I can reach this goal by taking few steps at a time which may simply include: placing my clamps into the maxillary section of the mouth using my mouthpiece mirror only, as it shows professionalism and be more comfortable for the patients. Another one could be excavating from the side of the infected tooth and then working inwards towards the pulp. I now finally understand that to reach our goal, we need to take the simple visible steps before hand, that is laid right in front of us.

As a Registered Dental Hygienist worked in the dental field for more than 6 years, I am passionate with Dentistry. With an outstanding patients’ relationship achievements and understanding of patients first priority, I have established the confident with my people skills. My patients always feel very happy after seeing me, because I treat them like my family members and their comfort and satisfaction means a lot to me. Many patients have requested to see me again right after their first appointment. I also have an excellent organization and time management skills. Self-confident is my key to success and I am qualified to

Utilize AIDET which stands for acknowledge, introduce, duration, explanation, and thank you. One must acknowledge the patient and introduce one’s self by name and role for the day. Always explain to the patient what is going to take place, how long it will take, and when should they expect to see you again.

The first thing you need is a patient who needs an extraction. An x-ray machine, dental film, and lastly the x-ray needs to be developed, I will then take it to the dentist for his assessment. I will take the patient to a sterilized room, where the extraction will be performed. I will set up a tray with a basic dental set which includes a mirror, cotton forceps, and an explorer, cotton rolls, gauze, cotton tips with topical anesthetic, syringe, short needle,

This reflection acts as my fourth reflection since I have started my internship at Comfort Dental under the Guidance of Dr. Trino Nuno. The semester is coming to an end, and I have enjoyed my time at Comfort Dental., I previously had a clinical and administrative internship at Smile Works Dentistry in Rockwall, Texas and I can now tell you that my experience at these two dental practices was incredibly different. At Smile Works, I quickly got used to the way the practice was run because it was not that complicated and I only had one doctor’s schedule to manage. However, at Comfort Dental I still struggle with managing day-to-day functions. The reason I struggle is that Comfort Dental has three doctors and a lot more staff. Also, the computer system that I mastered at Smile Works is not the same computer system that they use at Comfort Dental. I got the chance to use all to same skills in this internship. I answered phones, checked that patient’s insurance plans are eligible to be billed and scanned paper documents into a hard drive.

Today I had a great day at the clinic. For the morning section, I had Omar Lora as my patient. Last time when he came, I collected all my assessment data. Today I updated his medical history, dental history, vitals, and EIOE, then I completed filling out the gingival assessment, the treatment plan, and the SAOP. Finally, I was ready to have my assessment data checked. It went really well, and I learned ways to helped me be more efficient with my time management, for example, I did not know how to have my radiographs up in the other monitor while I was doing my assessments. It was a little time consuming having to open and minimized the window every time I needed to look at the radiographs. Also, I discovered that having a piece of paper out and taking