Combining Blogs--Addl. Credit Project

I am working with Prof. Kami Hanson on fulfilling 4 extra elective credits. I will be blogging about both clinic and this project here.

My main topic of interest is ... Are dental professions maximizing the preventative effects of RX strentgh fluoride?

-Do dental professions believe that acid is produced daily and that fluoride can help remineralize?
-Why wait till demineralization is visible clinically or radiographically?
--Who do they write rx toothpaste for?
-Why not recom it to patients who have newly errupted teeth, restorations (esp. sub-gingival crowns and bridges), active carries, reccurent decay, pregnancy, cancer patients, ortho patients, etc...
--Why not have everyone on rx toothpaste who can use and store it responcibly?
-Why not give this away for free or sell at a reduced price in low income programs. (WIC, The Health Department)? My mom is a nurse at Logan Region and guesses they see an average of 15 Medicade children a week!! They are getting pulpotomies and SS crown on every tooth!! Thats general anesthesia, a few nurses, assistants, and half of a Specialists day. How much is that costing the government?
--Why not have a school district hygienist applying a varnish and doing screenings? Even if they only get seen once a year! This could not replace regular office visits but where there is smoke, there is fire! An Eight year old has way too many permanant teeth to be destroyed by dental neglect! Even good parents don't always get their children into the dentist regualarly! I just think this may be one more way to bring down the cost of healthcare. Prevention and catching early is far better tx and much less expensive!

--Are cancer instutions explaing the hit that their teeth may take with their chemo and radiation treatments? If those doctors can perscribe any medication, why not some rx toothpaste and possibly at home varnish. I know varnish is professional use only, but why? It is not that hard to apply yourself. Patients store and use lots of medications responcibly. Why could they not do the same with varnish? I would want my loved ones who were undergoing chemo and ratiation to have all the defences availible to them.

I just don't see rx fluoride toothpaste being recommended in the offices that I have worked at until incipient carries is visible or a patient has LOTS of cavities! I think that the public is catching onto prevention! It would be a great service and they would appreciate being educated and offered this extra tool that may increase the life of their restoration and may help prevent new decay.

Sep 24th

I had a good patient this morning. I got two quads of a two done and had plenty of time to scale. I thought that I had done a great job...Nope four big errors. I can't believe how deep we can scale! I need to learn the art of exploring. I don't have that! Or art of scaling... I have a lot to learn! This morning was discouraging! In the afternoon I was just going to see a child for an hour, then start a new patient. Well, one hour is not enough when they need to do HHX, and x-rays. I was racing and wasn't ready at 1:30, which was a good thing because my other patient didn't show up! So I did the diagnadent, air-powder, and sealant pe's. FYI: Don't try to "fart" your way through them like I did.... they don't like that!

EagleSoft Patient and Power Out

Today Candace decited to do an Eaglesoft patient. Because I didn't was to be left behind I had to do it too. By the way you need to put in the probe depths, existing restorations, and go through all those exams and write a note! I recom. you read the directions first! I did the exams and note, had someone watch me save it, then my instructor said it wasn't there at the end of the day when I was already behind that afternoon. So I did it again! The following week she still couldn't pull it up. I went to do it for a third time, but it came up on my computer. Anyway, we got it figured out but it was not one of those easy things to figure out if you don't know what your doing!!
Then this afternoon I had my third WSU class 2 patient and my instructor told me with an hour and half remaining to only try and do 1quad, which is probably right??? But I had to get the other two patients back for two more appointments each! I will never finish my requirements at this rate!! She must know I need extra time because I'm not very good... But anyway, this was the day the power went out!! Almost any other setting I would think this is awesome becuase I'm getting out of working. But it actually stunk! I wanted to get work done and thats so not me! This is what hygiene has done to me!

Sep 10th

Today was very stressful!! I didn't realize till the end of afternoon clinic that there are about 6 patients with the same spelling of first and last name. I had scheduled one, put the tx plan in another, digital x-rays in another, and written in another person's chart!! It was such a mess! So Tori and I pull all the charts with the same name and several students had made the same mistake as me, but theirs hadn't been corrected. It was bad! The only good thing that came out of it is that according to the chart I was expecting a 1b, and she is a good two!
And seeing two kids with sealants is hard too. It was a good, but tough day!

First day of Patients !!!

I was very nervous to see patients today but luckily everything went ok. This morning I saw a class 5. She was super nice and quite easy. I was happy that she has four quads worth of teeth considering she is 87. And this afternoon my patient cancelled and there was someone in the waiting room who wanted to be seen...My MOCKBOARD PATIENT!!! That was so lucky!! Today was a good day!!