My first day at the office was light but action packed. While there were not a ton of patients today, there were two emergency cases first thing this morning. After a long holiday weekend this is typical and not surprising.
First thing this morning a severely cracked tooth was treated. I learned the methodology for this procedure along with the necessary requirements to do the procedure in the first place. Since there was not much tooth left to work with, the root and small remainder of the tooth was removed. This tooth had previously had a root canal performed on it, so it was quite brittle and difficult to remove because it broke into several pieces and chipped as it was removed. Eventually the whole tooth was removed successfully. This was a fun challenge to start the week at the office!
The rest of the morning was routine cleanings and small fillings performed on teeth. However there was one case where a partial denture was adjusted. This was an interesting learning point for me as I learned about the difference in building both partials and full dentures with a computer and its differences with that process and that of the process of building 3D models and sending them off to a lab in order to make the dentures. I also learned about the attachment of partials in contrast with dentures, and how it is important for them to not irritate other already existing teeth.
My favorite part of today was watching the usage of a tool that I had never seen in my trips to the dentist. Dr. Sims has a probe with a tiny light and extremely clear camera attached to its end. This allowed Dr. Sims to probe around a specific tooth and capture clear images of the tooth from different angles, at a level so zoomed in that the human eye can better see cavities or even the slightest cracks. I was impressed by the quality of this camera and its quick usage that allowed Dr. Sims to identify the causes of mouth aches and pains that patients complained of.
Today was eye-opening for me into the world of dentistry, and I cannot wait to treat different cases and learn about different techniques and tools in the upcoming days!
