Education

Starting off as a dental assistant I realized that most things we learn in school are not used in most practices. So I already had a head start on the things "I" believed were more important to keep in my memory, not saying that was the smartest idea. Yet, a couple things I kept fresh in my memory included local anesthesia and Periodontal issues compared with the systemic link. I have only given Local anesthesia to one patient outside of school yet I felt completely prepared. As weird as it sounds I brought in a chart we made in class that gave all the locations for different areas to anesthetize. It also told me whether to use a long or short needle, angulation, depth, and amount. I am very happy that I thought to save this chart because it truly was a life saver, for me and the patient. The patient was very happy said they felt no pain and no anxiety which is good meaning I held composure and did not let them know that they were my first patient! Another important lesson I brought with me from school to the office was the Oral systemic link. My perio teacher pushed the subject on us so much I can't help but to remember. I feel totally comfortable teaching each and every patient the concerns of periodontist and how it relates to the rest of their body. I believe the quote is true. I do not remember everything from school I honestly think I remember less than 50% of the material yet I feel like I have a very good education. I can talk clinically to a group of scholars and I can teach a novice important material. Critical thinking and problem solving go hand in hand and are used for different situations I don't believe that one is better than the other but that they help the person analyze a situation to find out the answer. Both are used in the dental hygiene setting to find out what is causing halitosis to finding out a solution to get your patient to be more attentive to their oral health care.