Farewell

When working on a hard case of periodontitis there is a strange connection built between hygienist and patient that makes the end of the treatment phase an even weirder moment. Perio treatment is rough and painful and often times very scary, especially for those who have been through it before. It's not uncommon for patients to cry or be very upset when they learn about the poor conditions of their gums and bone and that they'll have to come in for 3-4 different appointments to get their teeth properly cleaned so they can start over and have any chance of regaining oral health. That moment is key for me as a hygienist. That is when I can either ruin all hope and increase fear to astronomical levels or when I can actually earn a very deep level of trust and confidence from the patient. Obviously, I try for the latter.
After working to develop that trust you are continuously working to keep the patient calm and happy and hopeful during that first appointment where you're probably deep scaling one quadrant of the patient's mouth. Maintaining a good balance of anesthesia and deep scaling is very important. When working on a patient with this type of condition presented I see and actually feel the patients pain and anxiety inside.
At the second appointment, the patient is hopefully feeling a little better about things and you are able to get an idea of how the patient's home care is going. You are able to get a little bit more done because the anxiety is reduced and the patient is sometimes motivated by the cleaned quad to improve their oral hygiene.
By the third appointment, the patient and hygienist are usually on a first name basis and there's been ample opportunity to get to know a lot about them. You're excited for them to be finishing up their treatment and to see how they've been doing all this time. I usually like to go over and make sure the rest of the mouth is still clean so I scale and polish everywhere. I really like it when I'm able to scale the already cleaned quads without using any anesthetic at this point. The patient is also excited to see you because it's the last time and they're eager to hear how they're improving and to learn what more they need to do.
Finally, the hardest part: the release. Letting that poor injured bird fly on its newly mended wing in the wild for the first time. Well... not exactly but sometimes it does feel like it. You wonder if they'll be able to keep everything healthy for the next 3 months or if they'll ever come back and you'll be able to see them again. You schedule a recall and give them all the tools and knowledge you can to help them out but in the end it's up to them and you just have to wait and see.

On My Own!

Okay so I heard about a job at the Community Health Center in Brigham City and I went for it, I applied and thought I was too late since the job add was no longer running. Oh well... Then I get an email back from the center telling me they couldn't read my resume due to the program it was created in. Oh great! So they're still looking but now that they couldn't read mine they were probably just letting me know out of courtesy but I might as well send them a new version just in case. Needless to say I was rather shocked when I got the call to interview with them. I've never actually had a real job interview before. I've had a few jobs but they've all been through connections with my parents, friends or other family so I was very nervous for this one. When I went up for the interview it seemed to go well, the dentist, clinic director, and dental assistant were all interviewing me and they had very easy questions like why I love what I do and how I strive to better myself. The odd thing to me was that the application said they required a fluency in spanish so I was expecting them to test me by holding the interview in spanish. Instead all they did was ask me if I spoke spanish to which I replied "intento, pero quiero practicar mas." and when they replied in english yet again I went on to explain how I translated for my patients and fellow students in the clinic at Weber State. I have to admit: not my best answer.

When the interview was over they thanked me and walked me back out to the front. As I was leaving I saw a very well dressed hispanic girl in her mid 20's with gorgeous curly hair in the waiting room. My first thought was: I didn't really expect them to have patients that done up since it is a non-profit clinic that helps make dental and health care more available to patients that don't have insurance and a low income. Then it hit me... She's probably interviewing and most likely a native spanish speaker like most of the staff that is already working there. Of course they'd pick her over me. Oh well again... the interview was a good experience for me anyway.

Imagine my shock when I get a call the very next day from the HR director in Salt Lake City offering me the job! What the?! I don't really get it but I'm stoked and even more excited because it is the first job I have ever acquired completely on my own from my own credentials and not just based on who I know and who already trusts me. I don't start until December due to all the forms and paperwork that needs to be done and processed first but that is even more perfect since my sister is coming out here this month so I'll still have three days off each week in which to spend playing with her. It couldn't have worked out any better and now instead of just Thursday and Friday, I can add a ten hour Wednesday to my work week! Yippie!