If they only knew!

Another interesting day at work today. If these people only knew I really didn't know what I was doing half the time and just faking it.

The dentist was busy with another patient so he wanted me to work on this girl's new appliance. I know how to check the bite, but I had never actually fixed the problem on the appliance if it was off. So he points out that I needed to file down any high spots and he would come back if I needed any help. I thought, you poor, poor girl. You have no idea who is working on you. I was chuckling inside and thought, this could be interesting, since the doc knows that sharp appliances do not like me. Those sharp evil tools always seem to find a way of taking slices and chunks off my fingers and hands and I have the scars to prove it. But not this time.

I ended up getting the job done and sent the patient off with her none the wiser. I do have fun with some of these patients though. I can get them to talk and laugh, but I think they are a little intimidated by the dentist.

I think I'm getting too comfortable there though. Today I brought my new Keith Urban cd in to show the other assistant. Actually, I just brought it in so we could both drool while catching small, short glimpses of the cover. Good thing we wear masks, so the drool is caught right away! :-)

The dentist and wife/secretary have this thing about playing classical music without words(We have lots of Amish patients). At lunch, the hygienist will switch it over to some hoppin music and our game is to guess how long it will take the dentist's wife to change it. Too bad I'm not a gambling person, because I've been pretty darn close. So, nasty person that I am, I asked "Betty" if she wanted to listen to a little of it...if I dared. Her eyes got big and said sure...go for it. Well, I'm not that nasty, so I asked the wife if I could put it in just for a little bit and she actually said YES!! So I played it and the dentist actually knew one of his songs. Not bad!

Betty actually told me today that I am catching on quick to the quirks of both the dentist AND his wife. She can't believe it and said I remind her of her starting out. I guess I just feel comfortable enough and I just observe alot. I've had to...it's how I've picked things up.

Oh and yesterday we had an interesting case. For those of you who are squeamish....don't read this paragraph. We were extracting two teeth from this man who doesn't take care of his teeth. If they go bad he just gets them extracted. Ewww! After the teeth were extracted(those teeth sure do come out WAY too easy), the dentist saw that part of his jaw bone protrudes too much for a partial to fit so he proceeded to slice open the gums, flip the skin back and clipped and file the bone away. Now, mind you, the first time I was observing something such as this, I had to leave the room because I was about to pass out. I think it makes a difference being in the chair and assisting, because NONE of it bothered me. I thought for sure the clipping and crunching of the bone would have sent me into dreamland. I was very proud of myself.

It sure does remind me to take good care of my teeth anyway.