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Like I mentioned in my last post, I'm taking two labs this semester: occlusion and direct restorative (simulation). I'm absolutely ecstatic because I feel like I'm actually doing dentistry, and it's so much fun! To tell you about it, I'll break it down by class:
Occlusion
Our first session in occlusion was taking impressions on our dentaforms. Most of my classmates (including myself) have never taken impressions before, so it was completely new territory. It's quite simple really, but as with all things, it takes some practice to get the hang of it.
I didn't get a picture of the process because my gloves were covered in sticky alginate, but I found this one on the internet. See link in caption below:
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| http://www.healthscienceeducation.com/products/health_science/career_pathways/dental_diagnostics.htm |
Last week, after practicing on our dentaforms, we got to go into the clinic and take impressions on each other. Working as a dental assistant last year, I saw countless impressions be taken, and boy is it harder that it looks!
It seemed like everyone in our class struggled and had to try so many times that we all had rashes and cracked lips for a few days.
Luckily, my partner Natalie is a good friend of mine, so we had a lot of fun throughout the process, even though we were miserable for a few days after...
Direct Restorative:
In sim lab, we finally got to start drilling! Many of my friends at other schools started last semester, and hearing their stories, I was so excited to hold a handpiece! Our first assignment was to drill different shapes into a block, practicing different angles and techniques. Once we got the hang of that, we got to practice on our mannequins. I only got a picture of my first attempt (which is NOT good!) but as an example, you can see what we were doing.
Our first assignment was a Class I composite prep on #29.
