Ready? Set, Go!

First day of class and one word amazing. All the students are very friendly ready to take their career one step further. Both instructors are very attentive, they slow down if you ask. Have an answer to each and every single question. Need a laugh or two? Well this class is the place. When it is time to play we play but then when it comes down to learning open up that brain of yours and start picking and storing. I have to say I was a little nervous walking into class but here you make friends faster than you can microwave popcorn. I believe I am not the only one who is excited for these twelve weeks, I very much look forward to it! Strap on your seatbelt and get ready for the ride!

Class is coming to an end and the Denver Sat students are doing great! They have done such a fantastic job....I hope each and everyone of our students the best of luckon their finals!. I know they will do great.
Student don't forget we have job placement assistance available for those with B or better average.

The start of something great...

Day 1 was packed full of information. Nervous as we awaited what would come next and anxious as we all began our journey, the class sat quiet. Our teachers Sheryl and Amanty quickly brought the life into the room. In an instant I knew this class was going to be awesome. They have such passion and excitement for the job they do that I am sure it will spread to each and every one of us. In the first class we learned a brief history of dentistry, the anatomy of the mouth, and who would of thought...the correct way to number and refer to the teeth. They wouldn't be just canine teeth or vampire teeth to us any more. We also covered charting and how to mark the teeth depending on what was wrong with them. It is going to take a lot of work getting familiar with all of the new vocabulary and terms but I have no doubt that with the help of the upcoming lab, we will be able to pick things up more quickly with practice.

Crossing the Halfway Point

Saturday December 17th

Today was FRIENDS AND FAMILY DAY!!! It was so fun to meet the friends and family members of all the students in the class, and be able to practice our skills on someone other than a dental assistant student. It showed me that I have a lot to work on and will need lots of practice before I am comfortable working in a dental office. I think we are all a little nervous for the externships, but they will probably be a great experience that will show us what we need to practice on. We had a holiday party and can't wait to come back to class on December 27th! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Thursday December 15th

Tonight we took impressions so that each of us will be able to make our own bleach trays. Taking impressions for bleach trays is a little different because when you pour the models the base is much smaller and almost non-existant. Also, when you trim the models for bleach trays, the models are trimmed down to almost nothing before they are put in the machine that forms the bleach trays.


Saturday December 10th

I definitely need to practice taking impressions, pouring models, and trimming models. In addition to practicing impressions, we did re-takes of the x-rays on eachother so we could each grade our FMX. I had to re-take 3 of mine. I was also able to practice sealants one more time.


Saturday December 3rd

As we returned to class after a great Thanskgiving break, we had our mid-term exam! We had a written exam and a practical exam in which we identified instruments used in the dental office. We are a little more comfortable with what we have learned, but it will take time and practice for us to really master those skills.

Learning x-rays

Saturday November 19th, 2011

Today we continued x-rays. We did an FMX (full mouth series) on our partners. The anterior and posterior teeth were much more difficult to x-ray than the bite wing x-rays. I definitely do not feel comfortable using the x-rays because it is very difficult to place in the patient's mouth. After developing the x-rays, most of us found that we are going to have to re-do our x-rays. We are allowed to perform to FMX each before we are exposed to too much radiation in such a short time. Next week we do not have class, but HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Stephani

8 posts by current student blogger

Saturday October 22nd, 2011

Today was our first day of class and it was so fun to meet all of the teachers and all the students!!! All of us women are going to have so much fun getting to know each other and learning how to be amazing dental assistants! It was very exciting to finally find out exactly what the next 12 weeks are going to be like!!! Today we went over the basics of the mouth: the different surfaces of teeth, the numbering of teeth, and an introduction to charting. This will definitely be the foundation for the next 12 weeks and I can’t wait to learn more!

Thursday October 27^th, 2011

Tonight was our first Thursday night class, and I am so excited for labs each week!!! We were able to use a mouth mirror and observe the teeth of our partner! Then the 3^rd member of our group recorded all of the information on the patient’s chart. It was so fun to act out the roles of the dentist, the dental assistant, and the patient. We didn't really know what we were doing but we will learn in time as we get more comfortable.

Saturday October 29^th, 2011

We got to practice a child prophy on our partner! I did not realize how nervous I would be to sit in the dentist’s chair and use all of the instruments for a cleaning! I think I speak for everyone when I say that brushing another person’s teeth is much more difficult than brushing your own! I am not sure what the proper technique for a child prophy is but we are seeing what is comfortable. We also got to experience the important role of cleaning for dental assistants….no wonder dental offices are always so clean! Dental offices are lucky to have us to make sure that everything is super shiny and looks nice for all the patients! I definitely am going to need to practice brushing on some of my friends and family!

Thursday November 3^rd, 2011

We are learning about the human body and OSHA standards in a dental office. I can’t wait to apply this knowledge on the job. When I was younger I used to have to get impressions at the dentist and the orthodontist…and I hated it!! Little did I know I would let other people give me more impressions as an adult just for practice! Even though it is very fun to pour the alginate into the tray and take the impression of a patient’s mouth, it sure does not taste very good for the patient! It was so fun to look at our impressions and be able to identify all of our teeth and even some of our amalgams and composites. The best part was being able to take our impressions home and put them in the refrigerator. I can’t wait to bring them back on Saturday when we will actually get to pour our impressions!

Saturday November 5^th, 2011

After we took our test (the 2^nd one we have taken so far) and went over all of our homework (the 2^nd group of homework assignments that we have had so far), it was time to start the lab! I learned how to pour impressions and it is much more difficult than I thought it would be! I definitely made too much of my impression, so when we mold them next Thursday I will definitely have a lot to shave off! Then after we cleaned up our mess, we were able to practice a child prophy again. I felt a little better the 2^nd time. The flossing part is still the hardest, I am not sure what form we should use, but we will probably get more comfortable over time. The diclosing tablet still shows lots of pink, but practice makes perfect!!!

Thursday November 10^th, 2011

I was finally able to complete my impressions! I trimmed the models, and it was much more difficult than I ever thought it would be. So, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I am very happy that we are not being graded on our first impression model. I was a little frustrated that my model did not turn out exactly like it should have, but that is motivating me to practice impressions more during lab time. Since it is too dangerous to practice on each other, and we are all probably too old to put sealants on our teeth, we practiced on models. It is really fun to do sealants, but I am not sure exactly what that is going to look like on a real patient and if dental assistants can even perform sealants. Friends and Family Day is next month so that means we should all practice those new skills during lab time so that we can be our best when we bring in our friends and family members as our very first patients!

Saturday November 12^th, 2011

We talked a little bit about x-rays and we are starting to learn our strengths and weaknesses in the lab. Personally, my weakness is impressions, so that is something that I will have to practice more. Today we introduced the set-up of rubber dams and passing instruments, two things that I personally found very challenging! I have no idea what this will actually look like on a patient, but tried to put the rubber dam together on its own once. But I know that with practice all of these skills will become second nature. I can’t wait to learn about x-rays next week!

Thursday November 17^th, 2011

Tonight we each got to take 4 x-rays of our partner and develop the film! When I was in high school I took a photography class and the developing process in the dark room reminded me so much of my photography class! Except with the automatic processing machine it was much easier and faster to develop our “pictures” than the manual process that I used in high school for my pictures. It was really fun to mount our x-rays and look at them afterwards. I can’t wait to finish the full-mouth series on Saturday!

We are off to a great start with 4 new sessions starting in Broomfield, Denver and Grand Junction. Our new students are eager to learn and get prepared for their new careers in dental assisting. Dental assisting is still a top-rated career for job openings according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, with a 36% expected job growth rate through 2018, which is said to be "excellent."

According to Amady, Admissions Director and Career Counselor, graduates actively looking for dental assistant openings are having no trouble getting hired. Good news!