Class I Cavity Preparation

No doubt dentists have to be proficient in cavity preparation, it is part of our basic training. But just how to we master the cavity prep? I have laid out the steps for the Class I cavity prep on the blog over at TheNEXTDDS, follow the link or click the image below to learn more.

Any questions, comments? Feel free to drop me a line here or on the blog at TheNEXTDDS

Revenge is a dish best served with...Novocaine?

Did you hear about the dentist in Poland who extracted all of her ex-boyfriend's teeth because he dumped her??

Olszweski, who was having a tooth ache and needed an extraction consulted his ex-girlfriend who he had recently dumped - and who happens to be a dentist, with the problem. When he woke up from his anesthesia, his mouth was empty!

I say serve him right! lol  As for the dentist, she could face three years in jail and a malpractice suit. Yikes!

Read article here. What do you think?

PS: to my present and future dentists, remain professional at all times. Some nut is not worth all the money you spent on dental school, all this hard work and most definitely not your license.

Finals

Enough said....

BUT, after next Wednesday I will no longer be a D2!

The Making of a Three Unit Bridge 1

I worked on making a three unit bridge from tooth #19 through to tooth #21 earlier this semester. Tooth #19 and #21 were prepped for PFM crowns and served as abutments for pontic #20.

1. Impression was taken of the maxillary and mandibular arches, then mounted

2. #19 and #21 were prepped (not pictured)

Mandibular cast  showing #19, Pontic space (#20) and #21

Pontic in place

Pontic in place - #20

Cast of the lower arch with pontic in place

Ellmann Shell was made for fabricating a provisional

Ellmann Shell

Ellmann shell made to fit

Provisional 3-unit bridge

Exciting News!

So I'm at home yesterday... I made dinner, took a shower and got settled to start my study routine. Right as I was about to start I received a phone call from my mom, "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh" she's screaming. At first I'm terrified, then she starts to say "I'm soo proud" then I'm excited. "What is it?" I say. Turns out...

I passed my National Boards!!!!!!!!

She received that wonderful piece of paper in the mail when she got home from work. Such exciting times! Needless to say, no studying was done yesterday. 

Happy Happy Happy!!

I've been featured!

I'm so happy to be featured in OnlineColleges.com's Top 50 Blogs for College Students. I'm happy I can be a great resource for those looking for information on pursuing a career in health care, particularly dentistry, and I'm happy I can give a glimpse into the life of a dental student.

Here's the top 50 list. Find me under Education. There are so many other cool blogs out there too!

Just call me Super Woman

Like I said - it's a busy semester! Somewhere between my 13 classes, labs, studying for the National Boards, my other academic extracurricular activities, I found time to do a little work on my research project (that I did the bulk of last summer) and present it at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), this weekend.

Me, presenting my research at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) annual meeting this weekend.

Shifting Focus

I finally took the boards and I'm half way through a very busy semester. I'm now awaiting my scores but in the meantime I can go back to life as it was, before the stress of studying and sitting the National Boards.
It was a pretty grueling couple of months, trying to manage a million and one classes and labs, going home beat and still mustering some gusto to go through a couple dental decks, a couple pages in the First Aid or a practice exam. I pray all my hard work paid off.

The exciting news is... I get to focus a little bit more on blogging! I haven't been documenting (taking pictures) of my lab projects since my last post but I can't wait to start again.

Hope you guys are having a great semester. Congrats to those who sat and passed the boards, and good luck to those who have yet to take them!

Update!

Wow! It has been about a month since I last posted. This semester has been really really hectic plus I have been arduously preparing for the National board exams. I'll take them soon so as soon as that is over with I'll start posting again.

Thanks for your patience, and send up a word of prayer for me for the boards!

Enjoy your Spring Break!

Access Opening on Molar Teeth

You may have seen my post a couple days ago when I started access opening on anterior and premolar teeth. (if not, see here). I have continued this process with accessing molar teeth.

Real Human Teeth embedded in a plaster block

The tooth at the very right is actually a pre-molar

Molars accessed

If you look really closely, you may be able to see a couple canals

Filing and measuring

See access opening on anteriors and premolars here.

Here's a handy guideline on access cavity preps.

Fabrication of Removable Partial Dentures

You may recall my post some time ago about Removable Partial Denture Design. If not you can find it here. Now that the design is complete, it's time to fabricate the denture.

Here's the RPD Design

This, according to the Kennedy classification is a Class II modification II arch.

After an alginate impression is made of the arch from the dentoform, it is then poured up in plaster.
 Though not very visible, the design/outline of the RPD is made on the cast
Wax is placed to block out undercuts

A record base is then made of triad material following the outline that was made on the cast
It is then cured, which makes it hard

Wax is then added to the edentulous spaces until contact is made with the lower arch

Alu-wax is added to articulate the upper arch with the lower arch

upper cast with record base in place along with with alu-wax
to articulate the lower with the upper arch

Lower arch. You can see remnants of the alu-wax where articulation was made

Upper and Lower arches articulated

Front view

Lateral view

The saga continues next week. Stay tuned.

Endodontics: Access Opening

We start endodontics this semester. So far we've been learning how to open a tooth and access the root canal. We were also introduced to some of the basic instruments of the trade as well as the type of burs used to access the canal.

Our instrument cassette

All things sharp and pointy

Endo Access Kit

Burs used for accessing root canals

Here are some of the teeth that I've accessed so far. Some are missing since I turned them in for grading.

Open access on a canine

Open acess on pre-molar

Steps to follow for accessing the canal:

•  High speed hand piece with EAD4 bur to enter through enamel and dentin;
•  followed by the use of a slow speed hand piece with the EARC4 bur to access the root canal and plane the canal walls.
•  At this point a broach can be used to remove pulpal tissue. 
• Using high speed han piece again the EARC4 or even the XGATE can be used to shape the access opening with guidelines for the particular tooth you are working on, eg: triangular outline for a maxillary central incisor or Oval outline for a canine.

Sorry for the crappy photos.

Roller Coaster Ride

This week I started my second semester of my second year! Man, time is flying (though not fast enough). Of course, the further I matriculate into Dental School the more hectic my schedule gets. This semester I have a whopping 13, THIR-TEEN classes plus clinic rotations to keep me well occupied and on my toes. Classes this semester include:

• Oral Pathology
• Anesthesia & Minor Oral Surgery
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Removable Prosthodontics II
• Fixed Prosthodontics II
• Fixed Prosthodontics II Lab
• Periodontics
• Therapeutics
• Endodontics & Pulp Biology
• Endodontics Lab
• Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology
• Treatment Planning
• Dental Practice Readiness Course
• Clinic Rotations

Add studying and sitting the NBDE 1 to the mix as well as my campus organization leadership responsibilities, conferences, seminars and research and we've got ourselves one ca-raazy semester.

Join me on this journey. Buckle up!