Culminating Blog Reflection

     The way I used communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration to complete this project was quite simple. I had great communication with my mentor so I could get my hours done, and also so she could help me understand everything that I was observing. Communication was a key part in getting hours done for this project. The creativity part of this project was pretty hard because my topic was pretty straight forward, so I tried being creative with my paper by putting in many resources and different opinions. My research paper also consisted of most of my critical thinking. It took me a very long time to complete my paper even with all the hard work and critical think I put in. Putting the whole project in the presentation is where it all collaborated. I got to reflect on the whole project and see all the different aspects to it. 

       From this project, I realized that my dream job as a dentist was just that. A dream. I now know that I can't be a dentist because of all the circumstances they're surrounded by. I didn't take into account the amount of blood and germs are around dentists and also the patience they have to maintain while doing procedures on patients. I personally can't be around germs and blood 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Although I know I can't be a dentist, this project helped me develop confidence and patience when dealing with patients. This project also helped me a little bit with my fear of germs, but there's still a part of me that can't be around them for too long. Over all, the capstone project saved me a lot of time deciding on what I would want to study after high school. 

    Some challenges I had included transportation, and my fear of bacteria. It was always hard finding a way to get to my mentors office since my parents worked, and they didn't let me take the bus. Because it was small challenge, I overcame it in the end by getting my hours done. The hardest, and main challenge I faces was the germs and bacterium around the stations. I had the hardest time watching Dr. Legaspi perform procedures on patients because of the blood and other germs that would come out of the mouth. I feel accomplished knowing that I got all my hours done and not giving up.

Capstone Log 12

Hours for May 14, 2014: 1 hour

Running Total: 25 hours

Finally done!! For my last hour, Dr.Legaspi told me that the reason my my teeth were hurting was because my wisdom teeth are coming in. They're not quite ready to be extracted, so she recommends me to wait until summer to remove them. I wish I could remove them already to get it over with, but if the doctor says to wait, I'll definitely listen. Other than hearing about my teeth, I helped an assistant get a tray ready for a cleaning, and also for a crown replacement. I feel like I know which instruments and items are used for each procedure which is a personal growth for me. I watched the procedures and that pretty much the hour I spent there. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see a different procedure for my last time there, but I'm happy over all with the experience I gained. 

Capstone Log 11

Hours for May 8, 2013: 2 hours

Running total: 24 hours

Are you a young adult with minor tooth aches? Well, I am. I was telling Dr. Legaspi how recently every time I ate, it would hurt the teeth in the back of my mouth. She kindly walked me through how to take x-rays as she took my own. Since there was a patient waiting with an actually appointment, she told me that she would look at my X-rays and get back to me tomorrow. As she got the patient settled in, I filed some folders and pulled folders for tomorrow's patients. Filing folders isn't what I really want to do, but I'm happy to help them sonce they're helping me. Since I've seen Dr. Legaspi perform cleaning, I decided to read a textbook that one of the assistants brought for me to read. She was explaining to me the different types of dentists such as endodontists, orthodontists, and oral surgeons. The book she gave me elaborated on each of the jobs. I didn't know there were so many jobs for each type of doctor, so learning about the jobs was interesting. After reading for a while, a man came in who was a new patient. He filled out a few forms, then I helped the assistant take his x-rays. I could tell that the man hasn't been to the dentist in a while because the appearance of his teeth. Soon enough, Dr. Legaspi told him that he had two major cavities that couldn't be filled because they were so deep that it was near the root. The option he chose was to get a root canal, so doctor had to refer him to an oral surgeon. I felt bad for the man because he barely spoke English and he seemed so lost during the whole process. Over all, I felt like today was a good way to spend an afternoon! For my next hour, I would like to see the results of my x-rays, and to see procedures I have yet to see. 

Capstone Log 10

Hours for May 7, 2013: 2 hours

Running total: 22 hours 

Today I started off my hours by doing some filing and a bit of office work. After I was done, I got to watch a man with dentures get an impression so he can get new ones. Since he only had a few real teeth left, they had to match the new dentures to the color of the real teeth that were showing. It was pretty unfortunate that the teeth he had left were very yellow and looked unhealthy. I could barely understand what he was telling me because the dentures made it difficult to understand. It saddens me to see people who are in situations like his,because if they only took care of their teeth, life would be easier. After the patient left, I observed the steps in making the mold for the new dentures which should be ready in two weeks.The process seemed pretty easy, but there were many steps to memorize. Memorization skills are much needed to be a dentist, and I wonder how they can memorize so many steps for different procedures. I personally would have a difficult time memorizing so many steps. After the mold another patient came in for a cleaning and he asked Dr. Legaspi if she could hurry because he had a baseball game. Dr. Legaspi did her best to rush, but he was still a little late which made him upset. Seeing a patient act this way made me a little disappointed, but Dr. Legaspi told me that it was okay and not all patients would be happy with her service. I then watched Dr.Legaspi fill a cavity to a woman who rarely went to the dentist. Her last cleaning appointment was two years ago, but she only had one cavity. It taught me that the way you take care of your teeth is very effective even if you don't go to the dentist. For next time, which will be my last time, I hope to see more patients with different operations. 

Capstone Log 9

Hours for Friday, April 19, 2013 :1 hour
Running Total: 20 hours

I haven't been in the office in a while, but because of the star testing schedule I took the opportunity to get in an hour! This morning, I helped the doctor and assistant prepare for a teeth cleaning, and also got the folders ready for the patients that were coming in today. I observed the procedure where a woman got her teeth polished and cleaned. Although I have seen this procedure done many times, it was still interesting to see how the woman reacted to the instruments since her gums were very sensitive. I felt sorry for her because her age also contributed to her sensitive gums, and it wasn't only due to poor care.

Capstone Log 8

Hours for March 20, 2013: 2 hours
Running total: 19 hours

Today was a bit slow, within the two hours I was there, there weren't many patients to watch. To start off with, I watched Dr. Legaspi perform a cavity filling and a deep cleaning procedure. The woman seemed a bit uneasy, but I've seen worse. She got through the procedure without making a single groan! I was then taught how to fill out the envelopes for the sterilizing machine to check if everything is working okay. One of the assistants was showing me how to put the which instruments in the bags for sterilizing. Who knew there was a whole color coordination process for sterilizing tools? I didn't! I learned that all the colors on the instruments meant that they were used for different procedures. While watching her, I got a bit confused because there were so many different colors and instruments going in different bags. I know if I became an assistant it would take a long while to memorize all the things she knows.
They then showed me how to do the x-rays for the patients, and I learned that if you don't get the x-ray at the right angle, you'll have to do the whole thing over again.
A younger girl then came in for a cleaning and I observed that she took very good care of her teeth. I saw her x-rays and how her baby teeth were coming out to make room for her new permanent teeth. Dr.Legaspi said that if her loose teeth were bothering her, they could extract it, but for now they should just wait for it to come out. She seemed happy that she got to keep her teeth! I feel happy when I see the patients smile because it means that they're happy to be there. For next time, I hope to see more smiling patients with new procedures!

Capstone Log 7

Hours for March 19, 2013: 2 hours
Running total: 17 hours


It amazes me how some gums can bleed so much. Today, an older woman came in to get a temporary crown. I've watched this procedure a few times before, but this one seemed a bit different. The woman seemed very uneasy and in pain for most of the procedure. From seeing Dr. Legaspi inject her with the anesthetic, to watching the her gums bleed, I felt my stomach turn a little like it did last time. The assistant told me that it takes a while to get used to, but I can't imagine a time where I won't feel a bit sick from seeing someone's gums bleed over and over again. Continuing to watch the procedure was a bit hard, but the rest was simple. Later, a man came in to bleach his teeth which took about a little over an hour. When applying the solution, the patient has to keep his/her mouth open for more than an hour with the application of the solution every 10-15 minutes. The patient has done this before, so he wasn't as restless as I would have expected any other person to be. Seeing the issues some patients have makes me realize that now is the time to take care of my teeth so I won't have to spend hours in a chair with my mouth wide open.