Radiography

Earlier this quarter we had a day scheduled in the Dental Hygiene Clinic to get introduced to taking digital X-rays. Well it turned out that I was sick that day and I missed out. The other dental students had a good time, so I was feeling a little left out.

Well, I got to make up the session today. It was really interesting and exciting to learn how to use the X-ray machines and how to interpret the X-rays. Because I missed our previous session, my make up session was a one-on-one session with one of the hygiene professors. It was nice because I got to ask all sorts of questions. She was super nice and helpful. We took a set of full mouth digital X-rays and a Panoramic digital X-ray.

It is these experiences in clinic that help me remember the excitement I have for dentistry. I can't wait to get into clinic. It also got me a little more excited for my RUOP (rotation in a public health clinic). I was realizing today that even though I can't practice any "real" dentistry in my RUOP, there is still a lot I can learn.

Winter Quarter

This quarter is definitely less hectic than last quarter, but I think the material we are covering in our classes is more difficult. This quarter we are taking the following classes:

Pathology, Oral Histology, Dental Materials, Occlusion, Periodontics, physiology, and Intro To clinical Medicine.

To be honest, I haven't been updating this blog much because I've been pretty burned out. Autumn quarter was a beast, and in many ways this quarter just feels like an extension of the fall. Plus, a lot of classes we are taking this quarter are just plain boring (DISCLAIMER: this is just my opinion). There are plenty in our class that find the world of Histology and Pathology fascinating and captivating. I guess to a point I find it all fascinating also.

On the bright side we are getting to learn some pretty cool stuff that is more applicable to Dentistry. Our Occlusion class for example is great and very applicable to our future careers. We are currently using full mouth molds and our articulators to create wax ups that will actually function properly in the mouth. Dental Materials, another applicable class, can be pretty dry, but our local professor keeps us intrigued by related the science of the class with everyday dentistry.



Sorry for the Nasty Beard...... It was midterms.

On another note, A good friend of mine, Dr. Reid Folsom, gave me a pair of his old loupes this last weekend. He has moved up to higher magnification loupes and didn't use this old pair anymore. I haven't got a chance to use them yet, but I can't wait to try them out. They also come with an attached LED light (like head lamp). For those of you that aren't familiar with Loupes, they are expensive. I think most students probably pay around $1,000 or so for a pair. So this was a very generous gift and I'm very grateful. So thanks again Reid!!!