Great outreach yesterday at the West Side Community Center in Buffalo! The Center holds health fairs every month or so to help educate, and raise awareness about health issues. Of course, there's some freebies to be had as well, but it's a great way that healthcare community here in Buffalo seek to reach more people. A dental hygenist from the University Pediatric Dentistry Clinic, a few other dental students and myself manned our table in the main room of the center, along with many other groups. There was a large spanish speaking population so it was an awesome opportunity to interact with a unique population. Nadya, the hygenist was conducting oral health screenings for anyone interested, and there was definitely interest. We collectively informed patients about the services we have at the school, and what they can to do maintain superior oral hygiene Of course there were free toothbrushes and floss.
I took some time to walk around and was enlightened by the different groups present. One doing cholesterols, a group of social workers, a kidney health organization and a representative from a smoking cessation group were present, to name a few. I almost always stop by the smoking cessation tables with the hope of learning something new to help future patients and friends quit smoking.
A dental student's journal.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Fluoride-Free Toothpastes
No, no and no! For any patient in the market for a new toothpaste, the only thing that really, REALLY, matters if the product includes Fluoride! There's an increasing population of "green-minded", organic shoppers, which I personally can relate to, but on the issue of oral care, fluoride is essential. Here's why:
Our teeth are comprised of a hard outer coating of enamel, which is chemically made up of calcium and phosphate. When we consume carbohydrates, bacteria on our teeth ferment these carbohydrates, producing an acidic environment, which in turn begins to decay our teeth, creating what dentists call a carious lesion. These days, if carious lesions are caught early, they can be remineralized, naturally, or with the use of fluoride or calcium/phosphate products such as MI paste. So Fluoride not only protects our teeth from caries lesions, but it:
1. Increases the acid resistance of enamel
2. Has antibacterial properties - inhibits bacterial enzymes
On the topic of fluoridated water, this is also an essential for ideal oral health. While we can get fluoride from sources such as marine shellfish, tea and toothbrushing, the concentration of fluoride in water is so low that toxicity is unfathomable. In the United States, fluoridated water is kept at a concentration of 1ppm (part-per-million) or 1mg per 1L. Fluoride is only found to be toxic to humans at concentrations of 1500ppm, or 5mg/kg. At this rate you would need to drink more than 1000L of water to have a potential subacute poisoning! While this will continue to be a controversial topic, dental professionals will continue to advocate the benefits of fluoride in oral health. Nonetheless, the concerns of the public are heard, and if scientific data arose proving against what is currently supported, the tides would change, but for now, fluoride is definitely a mainstay!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Buffalo-Niagara Dental Meeting
Just got back from the Buffalo-Niagara Dental meeting today and the whole thing just makes me even more excited for the future. New gadgets, ideas, research, and people passionate about their cases and products, even if they're just selling you something, it's great to learn about all these things. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students all got today off for the meeting, which is totally worth it. If it were up to me I'd say even the first years should go, although I could understand why the school decides differently.
We were required to attend two talks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I was really interested in a number of them, but I ended up deciding on the morning talk by Dr. Carla Cohn on Pediatric dentistry. Dr. Cohn practices in Manitoba, Canada and really had a ton of great things to say, that I was happy I could follow, and see myself using in the future. For instance, her emphasis on prevention, and having a protocol for prevention was an idea we've heard so many times, but it was incredible to see someone take it to the next level. After that talk I think it'd vital to have a formal documentation of the patients diet and eating habits. Education also is huge. Just a few notes I took from her:
- Demineralization on the lingual of primary molars = red flag for future caries
- Use POSITIVEs, rather than all 'donts' when counseling patients on dietary changes - suggest substitutions
- Look into fluoride varnish, trays are a thing of the past for children
- Lap-to-lap exams can increase child's comfort and be as informative as a chair exam
- Brush child's teeth from BEHIND, not in front
- Parents should brush child's teeth until they can tie their shoes, or write their name in script
- Advise patients to use a "rice sized" amount of toothpaste and smear it on the brush, rather than a pea size
- Ease patients into your chair, show and tell to make the experience comfortable
Dr. Cohn's website is Dr.CarlaCohn.com if anyone's interested in more info!
The second speaker for the afternoon was Dr. Howard Pranikoff who is an endodontist practicing in Daytona Beach, Florida. His talk was on Endodontic Headaches, which was a series of complex endodontics cases that he's had over the years. Definitely broadened my perspective on endodontics and definitely deepened my interest in the field. I didn't take as many notes on his talk unfortunately, since it was mainly based on the radiographs he was presenting. He did mention a couple things that are noteworthy for young dentists' success.
1. Single Tooth Anesthesia by Milestone, which is an anesthetic delivery device that patients love and barely feel.
2. Genuinely care for patients
I also had the opportunity of meeting a couple of dentists which was great. I'm headed back tomorrow and hopefully will run into some more people. The whole experience was great and it really reinforces what we're learning and motivates us to learn more. One more little tidbit for the organic naturalists. If anyone's looking for a means of treating early caries naturally, xylitol gum is completely natural but needs to be chewed at least 4 times a day to have an effect. Tomorrows talk I want to attend is on Massage therapy And TMJ Dysfunction. Should be interesting since TMJ is something most dentists don't treat much of, and physicians often write it off as a dental speciality. I was happy to see someone stepping up to help these people who are in dire need.
Cheers!
Monday, September 17, 2012
First Patient!
Friday was big. Not really procedure wise, but career wise, I actually treated my first patient! :). The patients presented for a periodontal recall appointment. They got the whole deal - complete with vitals, extra and intraoral exams, cranial nerve exam, periodontal charting, including pocket depths, mobility, plaque indices, oral health instructions, and a thorough examination of the gingiva levels, and junctional levels. After all that, we were onto scaling, root planing and polishing. Being the awesome novice dental student I am, the appointment took a little less than the entire 3 hours we were given (SKILLS...but not really). I'm sure in practice taking that long would be a quick way to go under fast, but for now, it's great. I'm really happy I got to do this so early on, cause it's like an extra boost of motivation as to why we're learning everything we are, and puts everything in perspective.
The major take-away I got was that being knowledgeable and competent are vital, but equally important is a sincere interest in people and communication. I honestly feel like I could have simply just talked to my patient for so much longer, but I was definitely concerned with completing all the tasks. I need to ensure that explaining procedures before doing them becomes routine. It felt very natural anyway, since dentistry really is a personal encounter. The setting of the dental office does imply some consent and openness to work in someone's oral cavity, but I think people appreciate the added consideration of letting them know what you'll be doing, before touching areas of their head and neck. Probing really isn't my favorite, but after doing it so many times it's becoming pretty routine. I was particularly happy my patient thought I was the gentlest he's had (:D!!). I remember the one thing in the back of my head was something my friend's grandfather told me when I told him I was going to dental school - "You better have golden hands". Thus far I'm probably a bronze, but practice will most definitely make perfect!
Aside from awesome clinical experiences with real people, the semester's moving along nicely with a whole ton of lab work. For removable, we've placed wax rims on the record bases we did to approximate the position of the teeth we'll be mounting next week. We then took a bite record of the wax rims in occlusion to aid with mounting. Placing the rim wasn't bad, but I'm ever grateful for the help of classmates in using the facebow to mount the record bases on our articulators. To do that we had to fix them to the manikins, secure the relationship of the maxillary, then transfer it to the articulator, then mount the maxillary, then the mandibular using the bite record. Its crazy how long a way we've come with the facebows and articulators. From struggling through using it last semester on each other, to now. I really can't wait to actually use them for a real patient.
For indirect we had a great exercise in the second floor simulation clinic where we had to prep #30 for a crown using water, then take an impression. Drilling and not having the tooth turn black and brown was awesome, but the water really does make things tricky visually. Mirrors are flooded, and when you think you're cutting a beautiful chamfer margin, you realize it's actually just water being splashed away by the bur. All in all, really fun working in an operatory setting. Hopefully this becomes a more frequent occasion.
After a nice three day weekend we're diving back in tomorrow starting with amalgams in direct. Pathology Exam 1 on Friday, Oral Sciences Exam Monday. If anyone's ever bored with Pathology, or any studying in general I'd reccommend creating an account on DrBicuspid. They've got great news and case studies that are really interesting. Being bored after hours of Path just now, I came across one that was completely applicable to the neoplasm chapter we had in Path. Being able to actually evaluate histological sections and answer questions makes me feel like an almost doctor :).
And, back to the books!
Cheers.
The major take-away I got was that being knowledgeable and competent are vital, but equally important is a sincere interest in people and communication. I honestly feel like I could have simply just talked to my patient for so much longer, but I was definitely concerned with completing all the tasks. I need to ensure that explaining procedures before doing them becomes routine. It felt very natural anyway, since dentistry really is a personal encounter. The setting of the dental office does imply some consent and openness to work in someone's oral cavity, but I think people appreciate the added consideration of letting them know what you'll be doing, before touching areas of their head and neck. Probing really isn't my favorite, but after doing it so many times it's becoming pretty routine. I was particularly happy my patient thought I was the gentlest he's had (:D!!). I remember the one thing in the back of my head was something my friend's grandfather told me when I told him I was going to dental school - "You better have golden hands". Thus far I'm probably a bronze, but practice will most definitely make perfect!
Aside from awesome clinical experiences with real people, the semester's moving along nicely with a whole ton of lab work. For removable, we've placed wax rims on the record bases we did to approximate the position of the teeth we'll be mounting next week. We then took a bite record of the wax rims in occlusion to aid with mounting. Placing the rim wasn't bad, but I'm ever grateful for the help of classmates in using the facebow to mount the record bases on our articulators. To do that we had to fix them to the manikins, secure the relationship of the maxillary, then transfer it to the articulator, then mount the maxillary, then the mandibular using the bite record. Its crazy how long a way we've come with the facebows and articulators. From struggling through using it last semester on each other, to now. I really can't wait to actually use them for a real patient.
For indirect we had a great exercise in the second floor simulation clinic where we had to prep #30 for a crown using water, then take an impression. Drilling and not having the tooth turn black and brown was awesome, but the water really does make things tricky visually. Mirrors are flooded, and when you think you're cutting a beautiful chamfer margin, you realize it's actually just water being splashed away by the bur. All in all, really fun working in an operatory setting. Hopefully this becomes a more frequent occasion.
After a nice three day weekend we're diving back in tomorrow starting with amalgams in direct. Pathology Exam 1 on Friday, Oral Sciences Exam Monday. If anyone's ever bored with Pathology, or any studying in general I'd reccommend creating an account on DrBicuspid. They've got great news and case studies that are really interesting. Being bored after hours of Path just now, I came across one that was completely applicable to the neoplasm chapter we had in Path. Being able to actually evaluate histological sections and answer questions makes me feel like an almost doctor :).
And, back to the books!
Cheers.
Monday, September 3, 2012
B28: A Second Home
So to all the first years out there feeling like they're basically medical students, except for a class in dental anatomy, set your gaze upon second year, where you'll truly feel like a dental student. A couple weeks in, I definitely love it. We've been busy going through the motions of making dentures in removable prosthodontics, doing more difficult restorations in direct, and taking a step-by-step approach to making a crown for #30. Really need to get back into the lab and practice that crown prep again cause I get the feeling those are going to be really important later on. After watching Dr. Levy do a ton I'd be ashamed of myself if I wasn't preparing proper crown preps.
I heard before that removable would be the killer class and I guess there's some truth to it, but if you really love what you do, it's a great time. The hardest part I'd say was getting the feel for the materials since you work with so many different ones, with different handling characteristics, and there's a bit of a learning curve to everything. Ivolen is definitely my LEAST favorite thing ever. It's a putty like substance we work under a hood with to fabricate a custom tray. The working time is fairly limited, so you need to be quick with the mixing of the powder and liquid, and precise with the trimming so it fits the patient (or cast in our case) properly. Thankfully I got those signed off, so now it's onto the impression, then beading and boxing before pouring up the cast :).
This week we've got a ton of things due, and a practical exam - preparation/restoration of #12, #5 DO. Originally an MOD but switched to DO because Sabatini fully understands our pain. The month off from working with handpieces really took a toll but after a weekend in the lab it shouldn't be so bad tomorrow. Record bases for our dentures are due and Triad custom trays with wax rims both being submitted for grades. Wax rims...not fun until maybe the 5th one you make, when you become one with the wax. I'm sure the faculty's intentions are good in assigning us exact measurements for every dimension of these wax rims, but they have been quite troublesome. I had a little better luck with the record bases after going through many packs of pink Triad material, and shellac (gutta percha). Triad I really didn't mind, but shellac definitely took some time. At this point I can say I almost enjoy working with the shellac because once you get a sense of how much heat the material can take before burning, it's really adaptable and somewhat fun (unless you get burned...which is kind of inevitable in the early stages).
For our crown preps we took an impression and poured up some jade stone casts which are totally cool. The impression looked deceptively simple, but took me 4 hours to get it right. However, I wouldn't trade the fulfillment of finally getting it right for anything else. To take the impression your assistant fills the custom tray with purple heavy body impression material while you carefully cover the prep, adjacent teeth and occlusal surfaces of the arch with blue light body to capture the detail. Then, the custom tray needs to be carefully placed on the arch, pushed down to capture the vestibule, but in a way that you don't get bubbles. Far, far easier said than done.
So dental school really feels like dental school now and it's fantastic. I'm going to try to get some pictures up here cause I'm really loving the way some of my trays came out! Quiz and a practical tomorrow so its about time for some sleep!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
In a little over 12 hours dental school will be in full swing, complete with a packed schedule, lab work, clinical rotations and of course, exams. After thoroughly feeding off the 1st years energy and orientation, it's about time to get back to reality. I've gotten a little back into things with a few preparations and restorations the past couple of days, but today I just took for myself.
Checked out the progress on our new capoeira space on Utica, Solrise Farm and Cultural Arts Center. The place is nothing less than incredible and I'm really excited to see us grow. They've got a ton of tomatoes, corn, plants that looked like mini squash, and a ton of other things. There's a flower we ate that I forget the name but I really need to find out what it was. Bright orange, and had a spicy kick. I'm beyond jealous of Emily and Corazel who live on the upper floor and maintain everything. The studio floors were just being coated with polyurethane so we had practice at LaSalle Park on the west side overlooking Lake Erie. Had a roda for the entire time and it was great seeing everyone again and catching up.
After some grocery shopping, and general hanging out all day, I decided to treat myself to a "last supper" of sorts - Lobster stuffed salmon (courtesy Wegmans), over a spring greens salad with avocado and tomatoes.
Looking forward I think this year's going to be a little different than last. I've discovered my interests, in and outside of school and where I really want to place my efforts. Coming in first year, I think it was natural to be riding the hype of dental school, and see yourself giving your life to it. Dr. Comfort, the speaker at the white coat ceremony said it best in that dental school isn't who you are, it's just something we do. As dental students we have the opportunities to reach so many people, and really make an impact. At the same time, as dental students in Buffalo, we have limitless opportunities to grow as individuals.
And so it goes.
Checked out the progress on our new capoeira space on Utica, Solrise Farm and Cultural Arts Center. The place is nothing less than incredible and I'm really excited to see us grow. They've got a ton of tomatoes, corn, plants that looked like mini squash, and a ton of other things. There's a flower we ate that I forget the name but I really need to find out what it was. Bright orange, and had a spicy kick. I'm beyond jealous of Emily and Corazel who live on the upper floor and maintain everything. The studio floors were just being coated with polyurethane so we had practice at LaSalle Park on the west side overlooking Lake Erie. Had a roda for the entire time and it was great seeing everyone again and catching up.
After some grocery shopping, and general hanging out all day, I decided to treat myself to a "last supper" of sorts - Lobster stuffed salmon (courtesy Wegmans), over a spring greens salad with avocado and tomatoes.
Looking forward I think this year's going to be a little different than last. I've discovered my interests, in and outside of school and where I really want to place my efforts. Coming in first year, I think it was natural to be riding the hype of dental school, and see yourself giving your life to it. Dr. Comfort, the speaker at the white coat ceremony said it best in that dental school isn't who you are, it's just something we do. As dental students we have the opportunities to reach so many people, and really make an impact. At the same time, as dental students in Buffalo, we have limitless opportunities to grow as individuals.
And so it goes.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Back for More- D2
Been back in Buffalo since the 3rd, but tomorrow the pace will definitely start to pick up. Jam packed day of Picasso training, supply distribution, computer updates and more. Looking forward to the Big/Little lunch though, after meeting a good amount of the first years I'm again amazed at the admission committee's ability to select students. While 2015 has it's own dynamic personality and atmosphere to it, 2016 definitely has some interesting flavor. Its awesome feeding off of their excitement also, because this time last year I was ecstatic. This year I'm just looking forward to getting back into the swing. Maybe it's the olympics inspiring me, but I think this year has limitless potential and I want to realize as much of it as possible.
Had a little bit of an organizationfest today. Upcoming events include:
1. Meeting with James Harris Friday 8/10 to discuss moving the Burmese outreach project forward. After getting involved with For Hope International this summer my heart for dental missions and serving the underserved expanded. Before now I never gave much thought to dental careers with non-profits, but so far it seems like an exciting path. I really want to see this happen.
2. Direct Quiz next tuesday 8/14. Haven't opened VitalSource in quite some time...
3. Perio Practical Practice 8/17
4. Toronto Tough Mudder 8/19. THIS IS GOING TO BE EPIC :D
5. Direct Midterm 8/21. Word from the grapevine is that it's going to be tricky. There are a lot of details from the readings and going through everything again is going to take some time. Should be all right in the end.
6. Perio Practical Exam 8/24
I think that's everything, for August at least. Schedule this semester's pretty intense but I really want to keep up with the Capoeira group downtown, especially since we've got our own studio now. Also, started a pretty interesting book - Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Dental Practice Growth Strategy by Fred Joyal. I was a little reluctant to buy it since it seemed to be just another lame dental business book, but he's got some clinical tidbits here and there that I'd like to integrate into practice.More on that in the future.
Had a little bit of an organizationfest today. Upcoming events include:
1. Meeting with James Harris Friday 8/10 to discuss moving the Burmese outreach project forward. After getting involved with For Hope International this summer my heart for dental missions and serving the underserved expanded. Before now I never gave much thought to dental careers with non-profits, but so far it seems like an exciting path. I really want to see this happen.
2. Direct Quiz next tuesday 8/14. Haven't opened VitalSource in quite some time...
3. Perio Practical Practice 8/17
4. Toronto Tough Mudder 8/19. THIS IS GOING TO BE EPIC :D
5. Direct Midterm 8/21. Word from the grapevine is that it's going to be tricky. There are a lot of details from the readings and going through everything again is going to take some time. Should be all right in the end.
6. Perio Practical Exam 8/24
I think that's everything, for August at least. Schedule this semester's pretty intense but I really want to keep up with the Capoeira group downtown, especially since we've got our own studio now. Also, started a pretty interesting book - Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Dental Practice Growth Strategy by Fred Joyal. I was a little reluctant to buy it since it seemed to be just another lame dental business book, but he's got some clinical tidbits here and there that I'd like to integrate into practice.More on that in the future.
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