Scaling Away

Wednesday in clinic we learned posterior scaling. I like posterior teeth because they are easier to adapt to, but some spots are harder to see. It was also hard for me to get the correct angulation. I think I am overestimating how wide 70 degrees is. While scaling you are to keep the face of the instrument at a 70 degree angle to be able to remove the calculus. The face on a universal curet is 90 degrees so in order to get the desired 70 degrees I have to angle my instrument. I kept bending my wrist in all sorts of weird ways and I still had a hard time getting the correct angle. I sure hope it comes easier as I get more experience because if not my patients will hate me! :/

I passed off my probing and explorer PE on Wednesday as well. I probed the lower right quadrant and I did it in 4 minutes 30 seconds. We were supposed to try and get under 3 minutes but not to many reached that. That good news is I passed and now I don't have to stress about it any more! I do need to work on adapting sooner and rolling my instrument in my fingers in the anterior teeth. I made my partner bleed once again (big surprise right?!).

In radiology Wednesday afternoon, we had a little surprise as we walked in. Professor McConaughy and our TA's Tori and Sam had decorated the Dexter's for us! It was fun and got us in the mood for Halloween. We took 1/2 a FMX with the Schick sensors and 1/2 a FMX with Scan-X. I am still trying to get used to Scan-X since I have only used Schick but I am liking it. I think the patients will appreciate Scan-X more since the plates are a lot smaller than the Schick sensors. But I do like how instantaneous the Schick sensors are. You don't have to load them into the drum.

All in all last week was LONG! But that because we learned a lot and it felt like too much to take in. I still feel behind and I think that is always going to last. I am just relieved that I got three PE's passed off today (two in clinic and one in radiology). Oh boy will I be glad when I don't have to do PE's anymore! :)