Second Quarter Is About To Start

I'm back from my hiatus. Between finals and, well, finals . . . I needed to take a moment to smell the roses. Plus there wasn't really that much to write about. School starts on Monday. The second quarter will finish up on December 16. We'll have about 2 weeks of vacation, and then we'll start the infamous third quarter. According to upperclassmen, the third quarter is as hard as it gets.

Over the break, I took my wife to a bed and breakfast down in Half Moon Bay. Grandma came out to visit and took care of the kiddos. It was nice to have a break and get rejuvenated. And, now I'm ready to get back to business. Bring it on.

This next quarter will be very similar to the first quarter. The major difference will be more lab work (i.e. more preclinical work). Last quarter, our entire Thursdays were dedicated to Operative dentistry. This quarter, in addition to Operative on Thursdays, we will have Fixed dentistry all day Wednesday. That means lots and lots of lab projects. It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

Make sure to check back for daily updates starting on Monday, October 3. See ya then!

Friday, September 9, 2005

It's been a busy week. The quarter is winding down and I've been trying to get everything wrapped up.

Today we had our last Anatomy quiz. And, after biochem, we were done for the day. I headed down to the CDA convention in the financial district. I was really impressed. I scored a free iPod mini for listening to a presentation on Cerec, and a new Oral B Triumph for listening to their presentation. I didn't sit in on any of the classes this year. I don't know enough about most of the topics being discussed to benefit from attending. So, I moved from booth to booth (there were hundreds) checking out the goods.

On Monday, we have our last biochem exam before finals. I'm looking forward to the one week break we are going to get. I'll be studying all weekend. I won't be making any posts until the new quarter starts, unless something unique happens.

Friday, September 2, 2005

I cut a couple of class II preps in the morning, and I tried to condense another amalgam prep. One of my class II preps turned out great, but I obliterated the pulpoaxial line angle on my other prep. My condenstation looked alright, but not good enough yet.

We had a biochem lecture on enzymes. Following that, we had an anatomy lecture on the urinary system and on the posterior abdominal wall. In lab we dissected the kidneys and removed the intestines. I like Pacific's curriculum for non-clinic courses. The professors limit the material we are required to master to what is commonly tested on the boards. I say keep it as simple as possible, and that is what they do.

Thursday, September 1, 2005

Going into school early paid off today. I was able to cut a MO on #19 that good enough to get checked off. Thank goodness for that. In some students mailboxes today, invitations were placed to attend remedial operative every Saturday from 9am to 12pm. While I'm glad I avoided the invitation, I'm also impressed. The faculty are willing to give up their Saturday mornings to make sure students can master these skills.

In lecture, we learned the specifics of how to cut a DO (distal occlusal) prep on #12 (a premolar) and how to place a rubberdam. They made it seem like both would be difficult, but I found the opposite to be true. Both tasks were fun. I need more practice placing the rubberdam, but it was easier than the powerpoint presentation made it sound.

I spent the entire day cutting class II preps on teeth. I also found some time to practice condensing amalgam in to class I preps. In the afternoon, we had a brief demo on condensing class II preps with amalgam. The only difference is that we have to place a metal matrix band to support the amalgam between the teeth in that box that I've been trying to learn to cut for the last couple of weeks.

My handskills are coming along nicely. Our row instructor demands perfection, and although we aren't turning out perfect preps, I'm impressed with the work that is being done in our row. I'm glad it's as tough as it is.

As an aside, if anyone here is from the New Orleans or Mississippi area or attending school down there, I'd like to say we are thinking about you. We are gathering money to send to the area to help out. I've been tempted to use my airline ticket to fly down and help out however I can. The destruction is awful and my heart sinks when I read the news stories and see the pictures. My family is praying for everyone down there. I hope for the best for eveyone who has been affected by this terrible tragedy.