First patient problems. Any advice?

[clavicula123]

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Hello!
I am new to this forum and i already found a lot of good advice, but i decided to ask some questions too.

I am still a student and I had my first patient past week. The girl had class III on her right lower canine.. she had alot of her tooth structure missing already. For my first patient I wanted to find someone with class I caries but I wasn't able to do so (we have to find and bring our own patients). That was actually my first time seeing caries. I was so afraid to start doing anything because I wasn't sure what to do and my teacher just doesn't care alot and lets us do everything alone and if you mess up it doesn't matter. And i don't feel comfortable working like that, I want someone to show me and explain me what to do. I also didn't know how much structure I should remove, where is the pulp, did I clean it all.. I have a lot of questions and I feel a bit down because I think everyone else is doing better than me.. also when I turn on the water spray and try to look indirect in the mirror I don't see a thing anymore.. I don't know, I am just struggling with everything - from the position to removing the decay.. I know this is my first prep and the case wasn't easy itself and that practice makes it perfect but.. it is so different studying for 3 years and watching pics of everything and then when the patient comes it is all so different.. any advice please? Thank you 🙁

 

[cacajuate]

Go express these feelings to your instructor. That person is paid to help you and should. If they don't, go speak to someone else about the instructor not caring. That is unacceptable of the professor.

 

[wiley123]

At your program do you spend a year or two in the simlab before working on patients? Your story kind of makes it seem like you go directly from a didactic program to cutting on people. Have you have much practice using indirect vision with loupes? I really hope your attending gives more constructive feedback, if he doesnt, you might need to talk to your dean.

 

[arrowhead76]

You definitely need to have a talk with your teacher first and then start working up the chain if they don't help you. These are all things you should be shown in person. You are right not to just start working on a patient- they could suffer from major mistakes. Ask other students in your program if you need to, but get those questions answered and possibly watch someone else do some work.

 

[clavicula123]

At your program do you spend a year or two in the simlab before working on patients? Your story kind of makes it seem like you go directly from a didactic program to cutting on people. Have you have much practice using indirect vision with loupes? I really hope your attending gives more constructive feedback, if he doesnt, you might need to talk to your dean.

We had last year one month practice on dental phantom and plastic teeth... and once or twice we were given extracted tooth.. and indirect vision with loupes, nope we didn't practice that

 

[clavicula123]

Go express these feelings to your instructor. That person is paid to help you and should. If they don't, go speak to someone else about the instructor not caring. That is unacceptable of the professor.

I don't think that will work unfortunately.. situation on our college is pretty bad.. and nobody cares for a lot of stuff.. but i will try

 

[THS]

I am seeing red flags all over the place here.
I have to ask, are you in the US/Canada? Or another country?

 

[Cello]

Good lord, this program sounds dangerous! Please tell me this is not a school in the US

 

[IOI]

In Ireland, at Trinity College Dublin, if you do not follow the instruction of instructor once or twice on plastic teeth, not patients, they will try to fail you off the program.