clinics...

[zeben1a]

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hello

Im soon done with my preclinical courses and will soon start meeting patients etc. I am actually little worried, Im not the best with drilling cavities and also I am so worried to do mistakes etc. Is that normal? I feel like none of my colleages are worried, maybe because most of them have experience from before. I have never worked as an assistent to a dentist or in a clinic, so this is my first time (In case someones wondering, im a foreign student )

Can someone maybe share some tips and tricks? Do's and donts? Maybe some stories about your first patients? Is it normal to do mistakes or is that a big no no? Were u supervised all the time or do you do everything yourself? Anything to calm me down 🙂

stay safe during this period guys!

 

[oralcare123]

Show confidence, patients don't like hesitation. Be polite, but firm. Never let anyone disrespect you
Treating natural teeth is much easier. Start slow. Prepare well before procedure
After all remember, that patients signed up for that. You are a student and you don't have to behave like a graduated dentist nor provide the same speed or even quality of care, even though it is a goal
Clinical procedures usually start from very simple, so you will learn gradually

 

[Iron15]

You will make mistakes. A lot of mistakes, just accept it. The most important thing is to learn from them. Before every procedure you should go through it in your mind from start to finish. Always have a picture of what the end result should look like. You will be fine. Practice practice practice

 

[Dynex2013]

real teeth are much easier than plastic teeth. go into each procedure with a high level of competence and confidence. no one expects perfection, you're in DS. gl.

 

[Molar Whisperer]

I will put myself back in time for my first filling. For my first experience, I didn't have many choices of fillings to do so I foolishly picked tooth #21 D cervical caries (#20 and beyond were edentulous). I couldn't get the patient numb. I couldn't manage the tongue. I couldn't see what I'm doing. I got a F for the day...all for lost sleep the night before. Because I didn't want to experience that nightmare again, I got good at giving IA blocks and 25 yrs later, I'm still trying to get better.

After getting your patient profoundly numb, just prep the tooth like a typodont tooth while getting used to the water, tongue and cheek, and the limited vision. Ask the instructor if he or she wants to see the ideal prep first and then remove all the caries and unsupported tooth structure. Patients don't like to be in the chair too long so have confidence in yourself and get the prep done without stopping too much and poking around. If you can't see, the instructor can't see as well.

 

[Inkdot]

I can relate to your anxiety like it was just yesterday for myself.

I think a solemn piece of advice I have for you is to trust your supervisor, ask them to check every procedure you carry out (giving LA, the rubber dam application, the cavity preparation, the restoration etc.) and proactively reflect on their feedback. For your first few clinic sessions especially I would recommend spending a couple of hours scouring the patient's medical history, looking up conditions that may affect their treatment as well as any medications they may be taking. Familiarise yourself with their previous dental experience and any radiographs they may have on file. Prior to them attending your clinic session, ask them what their presenting complaint is so you have a rough idea for what you will do during the clinic session.

Ruminating on my clinical experiences, I think the biggest take away I have is to adapt to the situation at hand and be incredibly flexible. This does take nerves of steel to some extent, because clinic will never go precisely as you have planned. Your success in the situation depends largely on your ability to think quickly and calmly under pressure, apply theory and practical skills in accordance with the supervisor's direction.

It is perfectly normal, expected even, that you will make mistakes. The important thing is that you are able to both pre-empt and learn from them. Quite generic advice, but a necessary truism to assert in this instance I believe. If you did not make mistakes during your formative years, then you would already be a well established and practising clinician and there would be no need for you to undertake the degree!

In terms of not being confident with cavity preparation, that is very natural. In preclinic, we are taught to be meticulous and perfect with our cavity preparations for the sake of training our manual dexterity and applying anatomical knowledge, so that we are able to see the importance of conservativeness. It is important to realise, however, that real teeth are not like the ideal plastic teeth that we practice on in preclinic. Real teeth have significant anatomical variations between individuals, therefore cavity preparation in real teeth is largely situational and therefore less rigid. You may, for instance, need to incorporate auxiliary retention features even for a resin-composite preparation, because there may be insufficient enamel to bond to. This may involve cutting a groove on the axial wall or facioaxial line angle - something which may not have been taught to you in preclinic. It is unexpected, as clinic typically is, but it shows you also how dentistry is open to creativity and problem-solving. Being less 'textbook-like' in approach in clinic should be the norm, therefore I would encourage you to approach your first day with an open mind.

 

[Utdarsenal]

On my first patient, I numbed the wrong side! haha. I was so nervous and wasn't thinking properly. You'll be absolutely fine. Just make a mental guide (or write it down on a paper) of everything you have to do step-by-step and go checking them off as you go. Maybe watch some youtube videos just to get a feel for it. Remember that worst case scenario, someone is there to bail you out. Try to do it all on your own but if you must, get help. No shame in that.