I like vanilla....

Life is rolling along on a nice even path right now. It's, almost, a little boring, a bit vanilla in nature if you will. We are still busy with school and work, and socially packed weekends, but there doesn't seem to be this frenzied panic that permeated the early part of this year. I finished a big project that was due for school a week or two ago and I think that has contributed to my new found calm demeanor. I fully expect that to cease as the semester starts to come to a close and other papers, and projects show themselves on my to do list.

I am thoroughly enjoying our clinic sessions at school right now. I have completed 6 patients to date, and with each completed appointment I feel such a sense of joy and satisfaction. My patients leave with gleaming, clean, white smiles, and (hopefully) some new oral health knowledge to help keep them that way. I have had 4 patients tell me that not only were our sessions a great learning experience for them, but that they are actively utilizing the knowledge that I'm imparting to them. This truly made me smile. Educating people on oral health is a big part of what being a Dental Hygienist is all about. Cleaning a person's teeth and then just handing them off to the dentist without discussing how to stay in a state of health does that person a disservice. But what also does them a disservice is to nag them to floss and make them feel bad about not doing it. I try to strike a balance with how I approach people and I try to come up with solutions that they can live with. I do not want to be "that" hygienist.

I really, really, really enjoy what I do. I honestly look forward to these classes every week! I know that not every patient will be compliant, nor will they all show and be happy to be there. But hopefully I can be a calming influence on them while they are in my chair. I work pretty hard to be even keel and to listen to them and any concerns they have. The more relaxed someone is while there, the more likely they are to listen to me and what I have to say.

I have one more month left in this semester and then we switch gears to summer and two relatively difficult classes. Pharmacology and Local Anesthesia. Needless to say I'm not taking any extra classes from this point out as Fall semester promises to be challenging as well. I love what I do, and despite all the detail stuff we are dealing with in class, the basis of this profession continues to fulfill me.