Last week, the dental clinic was closed for spring break. The plan was that the clinic was going to undergo a much needed makeover during this time, as new equipment and operatory chairs were supposed to come in. The anticipation to see the new clinic was building as I drove over to the clinic yesterday, but to my disappointment, everything was the same. The dentist wasn't too pleased with this, but word from the dental clinic manager was that the new equipment was going to come in this Thursday and Friday for sure. I can't wait to see how everything looks next week.
I assisted on a composite filling and an extraction. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, so I'll keep this one short. One thing worth mentioning though: dental school requires that I collect teeth to practice on. I'll be leaving a jar filled with bleach at the clinic, and the dental assistant will make sure that she fills that jar with pretty little teeth for me. It sounds kind of creepy to me to collect random people's teeth, but hey, it's what I have to do.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A Conversion Story
It never really gets awkward in the dental clinic, but Monday happened to be an exception. Things were going fine before a patient decided to voice his displeasure with the program. This was his second visit to HHH, and the first where he would get dental work done. Normally, when a patient is scheduled for multiple fillings, he/she gets one filling done per visit since the dentist only has an hour with that person, and each filling buildup takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes to complete. I don't know how the communication process broke down, but he assumed that he was getting the whole front of his mouth fixed in one visit, which happened to be three time-consuming fillings on his front three teeth. He entered the clinic cheerfully thinking that all of his fillings would be done today, but he quickly became sour when the dentist informed him that only one filling would be done. The smile vanished from his face, and harsh words spewed from his mouth as if he was entitled to getting all the fillings done in one day. All during this tirade, the dentist listened and tried to calmly explain to him the standard procedure that goes on at the clinic even though he was having none of it. What did I do to help remedy the situation? I stood off to the side, not knowing what to do.
Finally, he allowed us to proceed with the one filling, even though he was still clearly upset over it. Instead of assisting in awkward silence, I decided to start up a conversation with the dentist about a concert I attended a few days before. Tony Melendez came to UST for a praise and worship Lenten renewal concert. What was amazing about Tony was that he played the guitar with his feet. When his mother was pregnant with him, she was given a medication containing thalidomide, which caused him to be born without arms. He didn't let his disability conquer him as he learned to do everything with his feet, even play the guitar. As if his life wasn't difficult enough, he later found out that the thalidomide also disabled his ability to have his own kids. After telling this story to the dentist, I remarked how amazing he was that despite all of his hardships, he still praised God for all his glory, and how grateful he was for everything he had in life. All during this time, the patient was listening, and I could see a slow conversion creep into his face as he realized how trivial his problems were compared to what Tony had to face. After we finished the filling, he apologized to us for his behavior and thanked us for our service.
It was easy for me to look down upon the patient, but I understood where he was coming from. He said that his teeth was one of the reasons he couldn't get a job. I know he anticipated getting his teeth fixed as soon as possible so he could return to employment, and it was a letdown when he found out he was misinformed about the treatment plan. In his own words, he said it was like "telling your kids you're gonna take them to Ben and Jerry's later on in the day, but then night comes and they close." I have to admit, that was a cute way of describing the situation.
In the end, I'm glad he had a change of heart after hearing about the armless guitar player. It's amazing how Tony Melendez continues to inspire, in more ways than one.
Finally, he allowed us to proceed with the one filling, even though he was still clearly upset over it. Instead of assisting in awkward silence, I decided to start up a conversation with the dentist about a concert I attended a few days before. Tony Melendez came to UST for a praise and worship Lenten renewal concert. What was amazing about Tony was that he played the guitar with his feet. When his mother was pregnant with him, she was given a medication containing thalidomide, which caused him to be born without arms. He didn't let his disability conquer him as he learned to do everything with his feet, even play the guitar. As if his life wasn't difficult enough, he later found out that the thalidomide also disabled his ability to have his own kids. After telling this story to the dentist, I remarked how amazing he was that despite all of his hardships, he still praised God for all his glory, and how grateful he was for everything he had in life. All during this time, the patient was listening, and I could see a slow conversion creep into his face as he realized how trivial his problems were compared to what Tony had to face. After we finished the filling, he apologized to us for his behavior and thanked us for our service.
It was easy for me to look down upon the patient, but I understood where he was coming from. He said that his teeth was one of the reasons he couldn't get a job. I know he anticipated getting his teeth fixed as soon as possible so he could return to employment, and it was a letdown when he found out he was misinformed about the treatment plan. In his own words, he said it was like "telling your kids you're gonna take them to Ben and Jerry's later on in the day, but then night comes and they close." I have to admit, that was a cute way of describing the situation.
In the end, I'm glad he had a change of heart after hearing about the armless guitar player. It's amazing how Tony Melendez continues to inspire, in more ways than one.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A patient's big "break"
Today's schedule: one filling, one extraction, and one alveoloplasty. I assisted on the extraction, which went relatively smooth. It was just a typical day at the clinic. Joking around with the staff, talking about dental school, and assisting the dentist - it's what we do.
There was a man who came in today who wasn't on the schedule. He wanted to see if there was an opening because he broke his tooth earlier in the week. Luckily for him, two patients before him did not show up, so we slid him in. He was probably in his late 20s, and he told us that he broke the tooth while eating pizza. As a result, there was a gap in the front of his smile. The reason why he wanted to fix it now was because he happened to have a job interview on Wednesday and did not want the gap to be a distraction to the interviewer. He told us that he applied at Lupe Tortilla Restaurant to be a waiter and was finally given an interview. The dentist placed a metal post in the hole vacated by his broken tooth and filled it with a composite resin. What amazed me was how quickly she was able to shape the resin into the shape of a tooth. The shade of this temporary tooth matched the shade of the rest of his teeth perfectly. When the patient saw the finished result, he was extremely grateful and told us how relieved he was that he no longer had a gap. He felt like this job interview was his one big break in life. By the way he talked about the waiter position, one could think that he was interviewing to be the CEO of a huge corporation. This made me realize that for these less fortunate people, any job is a big step in the right direction for them. I was happy that he was given this opportunity and wished him the best of luck. The patient left the clinic feeling excited and confident.
I guess the message from today's post is: be thankful for what you have in life. Don't take for granted the many blessings you have. What you perceive to be small and petty may actually be another person's treasure.
There was a man who came in today who wasn't on the schedule. He wanted to see if there was an opening because he broke his tooth earlier in the week. Luckily for him, two patients before him did not show up, so we slid him in. He was probably in his late 20s, and he told us that he broke the tooth while eating pizza. As a result, there was a gap in the front of his smile. The reason why he wanted to fix it now was because he happened to have a job interview on Wednesday and did not want the gap to be a distraction to the interviewer. He told us that he applied at Lupe Tortilla Restaurant to be a waiter and was finally given an interview. The dentist placed a metal post in the hole vacated by his broken tooth and filled it with a composite resin. What amazed me was how quickly she was able to shape the resin into the shape of a tooth. The shade of this temporary tooth matched the shade of the rest of his teeth perfectly. When the patient saw the finished result, he was extremely grateful and told us how relieved he was that he no longer had a gap. He felt like this job interview was his one big break in life. By the way he talked about the waiter position, one could think that he was interviewing to be the CEO of a huge corporation. This made me realize that for these less fortunate people, any job is a big step in the right direction for them. I was happy that he was given this opportunity and wished him the best of luck. The patient left the clinic feeling excited and confident.
I guess the message from today's post is: be thankful for what you have in life. Don't take for granted the many blessings you have. What you perceive to be small and petty may actually be another person's treasure.
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