The Final Stretch

Two more weeks until we are officially done with our first year. I'm stressed out and running on empty. The end is finally in sight!

6 finals in 6 days starting on Wednesday.

Injections........Yikes!

Today was Injection Day. I had it highlighted on my calendar and knew of its existence for the past 7 weeks and it finally arrived. Last night I went to sleep smiling and giddy with excitement (and some anxiety). There are certain rights of passage in dentistry - the cadaver lab, the creation of our first gold crown, and the IA (inferior alveolar) nerve block. Among this list for first year accomplishments, the IA nerve block tops the cake.

Burying my nose in books and power point slides leaves me forgetting that I'm actually going to be a dentist someday. However, it is these experiences that wake me up, like a cold splash of water to the face, and I remember that someday I'm actually going to be practicing dentistry. This is good stuff.

I should also note that this is an exclusive RIDE first year elective. A really cool bonus to being in RIDE if you ask me.

I partnered up with Camille. First round - Camille was Docter, and I was patient. I had a bit of anxiety, but we were both fairly relaxed and excited to get started. Humor can go a long way in these situations.

Camille and I trying to find the location of the maxillary infiltration........ this is a pretty scientific approach.


Camille started with the IA block. In the picture below, she is getting some guidance from Dr. DiMarco. Dr. DiMarco is such a great person to have teaching this class. He knows the ins and outs of Local Anesthesia - so much so that he is the author of the book we use for this class. It gave me a lot of confidence and peace of mind knowing he was there for every step of the way.


I had a little anxiety but Camille did Great.... she's a natural.


Next it was my turn. The worst was over and I was getting excited to wield the syringe.

Waiting for the professor -
Applying the topical anesthetic for the maxillary infiltration.


Talking it over with Dr. DiMarco


Going for it.



Here are some other pics from the day -


Waiting to begin:
Practice loading the syringe and aspirating red fluid


Working with Dr. McCoy.

Dr. McCoy is teaching another elective about placement of rubber dams. I got so frustrated with my rubber dam today. They are really hard for me to place right now, but I'm hoping with time they will get easier.

This is Liza with her rubber dam on - looking awesome.

Dental Camp

We had the chance to volunteer at the Dental Camp at the EWU Hygiene clinic last week. It is an opportunity for high school kids to come spend a few hours in the clinic and learn what dentists do. The students get to do a lot of hands on activities - We helped them make impressions on dentiforms (a fake set of teeth) and pour cast models of the impressions. They also got the opportunity to practice their waxing skills and fill a cavity preparation with composite filling material.

One of the groups that we mentored was part of a program called GEAR-UP. It is a federally funded program that helps first generation bound college students get ready for college and expose them to many different career options. I think it is a pretty cool program and I'm glad they chose the dental profession to be part of the experience.

I really enjoyed talking to the students about dentistry. I enjoyed encouraging them in their projects and encouraging them in pursing dentistry related careers. I know that at their age, this experience isn't going to determine the outcome of their course of study or the career path they will choose. But hopefully, sometime in the future, they will remember that they were really good at waxing teeth, or that they poured up a flawless study cast and those memories will lead to a more thorough investigation to what dentistry is all about.

Here are some pics -




This is Dr. Gandara. She is the organizer and coordinator of the event. I have been very impressed with Dr. Gandara. She is a very genuine person and really cares about helping others. That kind of attitude toward dentistry is very contagious.

Final Crown

My final gold crown. Far from perfect, but worth remembering.

Only 5 more weeks left!