Clinical Rotations HST II Dentistry

Dentistry• One of the oldest surgical professions• Original surgeons were historically dentists

and barbers before that

• Dentists invented anesthesia like ether, chloroform and laughing gas (nitrous oxide) as well as surgical instruments and techniques borrowed by general medicine

Dentists have special skills different from medical doctors:

• Manual dexterity• Good engineering skills• Patience with detailed work• Good patient relations should pt. be awake and

in pain• Extreme sterility techniques• High patient satisfaction when they relieve pain• Just as many specialties as general medicine

• Pedodontics• Prosthodontics• Maxillofacial surgery• Endodontics• Orthodontics• Periodontics• Oral surgery• All require advanced residency training

• DDS or DMD degrees• Four years of pre-dental (same as pre-medical

undergraduate coures)• Four yrs. Dental school• No internship or residency REQUIRED;practice

day you graduate

Dental Hygienist

• Undergraduate profession• Similar to nurse in training but dental oriented• Many larger colleges offer D.H. as a major like

two years of nursing school in college• You can graduate college with a B.S. majoring

in dental hygiene science

Dental Lab Technician

• Works with DDS to make tooth impressions (trays). Negative impression to make positive copy in the lab

• Can own their own labs• Two years of college/technical training• High demand for good, artistic talents in the

field

Dental Assistants

• Assist DDS’s in office • Can sit for certification exam• Good part or full time work, especially

through college• Exam tests knowledge of radiology, sterility

and medical/dental terminology• Dentists usually pay for exam and coursework

Autoclave (sterilizer)

• Only one way to prepare dental instruments for re-use: autoclave after soaking in detergent/brushing debris/ ultrasound for micro- debris loosening, then wrapping/ steaming under pressure

• All contact surfaces in DDS offices must use disposable contact films (protective barriers)

• Fomite surfaces must be disinfected• Wash hands between patients

• Facemasks at all times to prevent spread of disease by droplet from DDS/hygienist/asst. to pt. and vice versa if they cough, vomit or sneeze

• Wear Dosimeter at all times for radiation exposure monthly reporting. Radiation measured in Rads or Roentgens

Dental anatomy

Tooth Surfaces

• Anterior• Posterior• Distal• Mesial• Labial Lingual• Buccal• Occlusal

Charting Teeth

Deciduous Teeth (10)

Radiolucent vs. Radiopaque

Instruments:

Explorer

Ready to Autoclave

Tooth impressions using alginate or epoxy for the negative tray

• Plaster used for the positive working model

Alginate Negative

Dental pts. examined in supine position

Gingivitis

Root Canal

Implants

Crowns

Filling Caries (cavities)

Only four years of professional school!