So today was my first day shadowing Brenda, a Registered Dental Hygienist at Today’s Dental. It was an awesome experience! I need 16 hours of “observation” before I can even apply to the Dental Program, which is why I am shadowing. Plus I’m getting an actual feel on what it will be like as a RDH. I learned some very interesting things today. Let me share them with you now...
Did you know that you are supposed to brush your teeth AS SOON AS you wake up...before eating breakfast or drinking anything? I had known people who had brushed their teeth before breakfast, but do you know WHY it is important? Here’s why: bacteria and plaque form on your teeth overnight and then you eat your breakfast and drink your coffee which bakes it on even more. Then when you go to brush your teeth after, it has created a shield, blocking you from removing the bacteria in your mouth. Brenda gave the following analogy: “You don’t want to eat your breakfast on dirty dishes, do you? Your teeth are the dishes, and you want them clean before you eat or drink anything.” Good illustration, I thought.
Also... Did you know that people normally chew on only ONE side of their mouth? For you weird ones out there, you may chew on both. Anywho...guess which side of your mouth is cleaner?...the one you chew on!!! Most people may think it should be the opposite but actually since food is being chewed on that side, it is pushing around the tarter and plaque which is keeping the bacteria from forming in one spot. There ya go.
Overall, I had a really great time. The people there are extremely nice, and encouraging me to do what I love. I got really excited being there today, and I felt really comfortable. I also got to do the x-rays on the patients! How awesome! I can’t wait to go back next Tuesday! :)
Ria is one of the four “detectives” on the show who solve the cases and she is the “natural”. She is the young latino girl in the picture above. It was awesome to talk to her mom because she gave me some inside scoop! They are shooting at the end of this month for the next season! She also told me that her daughter’s character is going to change a little. They want to make her look younger (she is 26 but playing a 24 year old) and they don’t want her character to come off so “tough”. So that just totally made my morning even better!!! It was awesome. Also Brenda’s oldest daughter came in and told Brenda that she is having a baby boy! She has just found out the gender that morning. What a miracle a child is! 
The next patient brought things back to reality because she had just lost her husband last Tuseday. He passed away in his sleep about the same time last Tuesday as the time she was coming in for her appointment. So you can imagine the emotions she was feeling. She is an older lady, and if you would like to pray for her, her name is Carmela. She’s just having a hard time in dealing with her husbands death and the whole process that goes with it. (Isn’t it crazy they make people deal with all the legal stuff during their time of mourning...it stinks). The third patient was hilarious. She was like a 30 year old with a 5 year old personality. She could not sit still for anything and she just kept talking. She was so funny! She told me she hates the dentist and that they need a seatbelt just to keep her in the chair! She has veneers, a tooth implant, fillings, a bridge and almost anything you can think of in her mouth. Our last patient had anesthesia before we worked on her teeth but she had good teeth naturally. We put varnish on her teeth, which is a protective covering of the margins of your teeth. Brenda basically painted it on with a teeny tiny paint brush. It was cool. So I had a very fun and interesting last day. It was sad to leave, but they did say “We might see you soon!” You never know what God has in store ;)
