More shadowing 2/21/13

Today I met with my mentor again and completed 6 more hours of shadowing. It was another busy day at the office. This time I felt more comfortable observing patients than last time. Many patients came in for a regular cleaning. I noticed that most of the older patients needed crowns on their teeth due to big cavities. They were also asked to come back in 4 months rather than 6. I was surprised to see that a lot of older people cared so much about their teeth an were very responsible with taking care of their teeth, I thought that they wouldn't really care as much. Before patients would come in me an dr woo looked at the patients X-rays an I found it really interesting to see how decisions are made based on the X-rays. Another thing I found really important at the dentist is that connection with the patients is really important because its good to have a good relationship with your patient so that they will feel comfortable telling you how their teethe health is. As every patient came in dr woo asked not only their teeths health but also on how the patients day is going. I feel like being a dentist is actually a very good job, I asked dr woo if she likes being a dentist and she said yes and said that whatever job you have it's important you enjoy it so that you are satisfied with your career. Dr woo also introduced me to her patients an they told me that dr woo is a great dentist, I agreed with them because dr woo is a great dentist. I also toke some more notes today an evaluated how satisfied patients looked with their treatment an everyone seemed so happy. Lastly I did a lot observing today and will go back to do more shadowing on April 3rd.

Today I met with My mentor, "Dr. Woo", and completed 6 hours of shadowing. I went in the morning at 8am and stayed their until 2pm. It was very interesting to be their experiencing what a dentist is responsible for and their overall job. Today at the office many patients came in and either and their teeth cleaned or had a cavity filled, etc. Before I stated shadowing my dentist i thought that being a dentist isn't a hard job but after being their today i realized that they have alot of responsibilities. Dentist usually have a busy day because of all the patients that come in. As every patient came in, I toke notes on what doctor Woo does and how she handles patients. I learned that its important that you ask the patient if they felt any pain or experienced anything unusual before you start a cleaning. It gives the dentist feedback on the teeth overall health. Dr. woo would also show me that its good to look at the x-rays first to see if the patient has any cavities. Then I saw how a regular cleaning goes. Some patients had a cavity filling today and their procedure was different because of the tools that are needed to fill a cavity. After every patient left Dr. Woo showed me how the area is cleaned and how the tools are cleaned. I also saw the lab room where the tools are cleaned and where x-rays are done. It all looked very unique to me because i never thought that a dentist would have certain machines for cleaning and doing x-rays. I enjoyed observing Dr. Woo today and look forward to meeting with her again. I accomplished many things, for example seeing a dentists day goes by. I will meet with my mentor again next Thursday and learn more about dentistry