DH 211 Winter 2007

I can't say I've really seen any lesions in the mouth this year. Good for the patients, bad for me! What I have seen is a palatal torus, madibular tori, and linea alba. I've actually seen linea alba a few times. Most of the time it was bilaterl and very obvious. I made the patient aware and showed them the "marks" on their cheeks that was due to cheek biting. There isn't much you can do for it besides stop biting you cheeks. For the mandibular tori and the palatal torus, the patient was already aware. There isn't anything you can do about it besides get it removed if it bothers you, otherwise, it isn't harmful. Surprisingly, I've seen this in a few people and it was kind of exciting because I didn't think I'd see it in many when we first leared about it!

A Little Advice that helped me

This has by far been one of the toughest years of school. From it though, I have grown such much and learned more then I could ever imagine. First thing that I learned is its ok to cry! Theres going to be a lot of stress, and this will help you relieve some of it. Secondly, you are no longer in competiton with your classmates. Get along with everyone, and make friends. Only they know what you are truely going through, and its great to have that! Finally, study in groups! It will open your eyes to things you may not have thought about. Plus, you might just get a better understanding. This year goes by so fast(which can be a good thing), but just try to make the best of it!

Some Advise..

My advise to give to the new DH2's is to stay on top of your homework/readings. Once you get a little bit behind, it is nearly impossible to catch up, and everything you learn plays off of something that you've already been taught. Stay on top of and don't just learn it for the test and then forget it, you really need to remember this stuff!

As much work as it is and as frusterating as it can get sometimes, ALWAYS make time for yourself otherwise you'll never make it.

oral pathology

The only oral pathology I have seen this semester in clinic was a teenager with noctine stomatits, which was located on the hard palate. I wasn't sure what it was when I saw it, it looked like there was just a white coating on the palate with a bunch of little red dots. After looking at the extra-oral exam form, and being told by her dental student, I realized it was nicotine stomatits. Her dental student pulled me aside and asked me to really try and put an important emphasis on tobacco cessation since she was so young, and this was already developing. He said he has been trying for two years, but hoped that being a female, and someone new I might be able to change her mind. She was very open and willing to listen to what I had to say and said it was something to consider but that it wasn't the right time. It really makes you wonder what the right time would be..

Oral Pathology

The only oral pathology that I've witnessed in clinic was an atypical dysplasia. During the first week of clinic I was performing my intra-oral exam on a lady who was my first patient. As I began to palpate the lower lip for abnormalities, I noticed an area that was located inside the mouth near the labial commissure. The lesion was raised and viewed as a wart. When my instructor performed the oral exam check, I mentioned this area and her reply was it’s a growth that developed from the patient grinding her teeth at night. I noted this on the blue form for further evaluations and asked the patient did she have any questions or concerns with the lesion. Her reply was no and that she had the lesion examined by a specialist who stated she could keep it or leave it.

a feW heLpfuL hinTs...

First, I can't believe were almost done!! (Small celebration!! :) )

As for my words of wisdom to the new DH2's I would highly recommend to do the Wilkin's readings that are assigned, because not only do you use it for the class that it is assigned for, but you will use the same information in many other classes and in the end save yourself a lot of time when tests and quizzes get a little much. My other advice doesn't have much to do with the whole class aspect, but rather find support. I know from my own experience, I would never of gotten through this year without my classmates, so I also found that not having competetion with my classmates allowed me to use them when I felt something was challenging.

The one thing that I would not recommend doing, and from experience I can say it is not fun at all, but get behind on your readings or homework. There is a lot going on in this program at once, and if you don't "stay on top of your game." Things begin to pile up, and you feel as though you'll never get through it.

My last piece of advice that I would give to the new DH2's is, believe in yourself, beacuse you can do it, it's not going to be easy that's for sure, but it isn't impossible. IT CAN BE DONE!! :)

oral lesion

So my dad was patient and while I was cleaning (I do not know how I did not catch this during the oe) I found red, raised lesions under his tongue. I went into a total panic!! I measured it, it was 3 by 5 mm, and got dawn over to check it out. I thought for sure my dad had oral cancer and they were going to have to remove his jaw and peel back his face and he was going to look like the people in the pictures we saw in specialties! turns out, it was broken blood vessels!! which made me feel completely stupid, but that was the only abnormality I found in any of my patients mouth. I think I scared my dad too, which I hopefully I won't do to patients that I do not know.

Words of Wisdom

First of all, I want to say congrats to all the incoming dh2's!! What I really want to say is run away as fast as you can!!haha But seriously, this has been the most amazing experience of my life, but it has been hard. I know everyone is saying how difficult it has been, but you truly will not understand until you live it. 1) "Leave the drama with your mama." You are about to spend more time with your classmates than probably anyone else in your life right now. You do not want to not get along with them. You need them.They need you. I could not have made it through without anyone of the 27 girls. Respect them and do not be judgemental. Just have fun, relax, and open up to them. 2) Study, a lot, but take time for yourself. There is no possible way you are going to get 8 A's, and you will burn out fast which will only put you behind. Pick your battles.
3) DO NOT put floss on your instructional aid (you will understand when you get there)!
4) DO NOT be late for SADHA DAY! :)
Good luck, we are all here if you need us.

Welcome DH2s!

I don't think there is any advice that I can give that will make this first year any easier for you... Just perhaps let you know what you're in for! The first couple weeks can be overwhelming, but eventually things settle down and you fall into the swing of things. There is a lot of homework and a lot of quizzes, so try to keep on top of things. Don't procrastinate!
Learn to depend on your classmates. You're getting ready to meet some great girls! Come together as a class to get things done. Your best advantage will be to work together and not against each other because you can't do it all on your own! No one is going to understand what you're going through in this program like they will. You will definitely bond and I hope you are able to form some great friendships like I have!
If you have time, try to unwind when you can. Go out with friends, family... Enjoy Ann Arbor; it is a great town! Watch tv... Sleep! Free time in this program doesn't come around that often, especially the first semester, so enjoy it when you can!
Good luck!

Reading the assingments early is worth it because you may not get the chance to read them at all. Avoid skipping class, because that one time you were not there may cause you to miss a question or two on an exam.

Oral lesion

I had a patient with a white lesion in the dorsal surface of his tongue. My instructor was scared it might be oral cancer and had a specialist come over and take a look at it. The specialist dug at the lesion to see if it went below the surface papilla, if it did then the patient had cancer. It was not cancer! The patient had bit himself while playing hockey a few years ago, leaving a white 3x4mm flat lesion on right side of his tongue. I am happy that not all suspicious spots in the oral cavity is cancer.

Word's of Wisdom

First of all welcome to the program! My words of wisdom for this year would be to stay organized and take one thing at a time. This year will be challenging! Whatever you do, make sure you don't give up! You WILL get through it! Staying organized is very helpful because you do have so many different classes and so many different requirement's to meet before the year is over. It will seem overwhelming at first but in time, you will get used to keeping up with the pace. You need to take one thing at a time, otherwise you will overwhelm yourself and get way too stressed out! If you need anything, the instructors are very easy to talk to and always willing to help. Good luck and enjoy this next year, it will fly by!

Jenny Brodie

One day at a time!

My words of wisdom to the class of 2010 are to take each day one at a time. Each assignment...one at time. Each test...one at a time.

Everyone will tell you to keep a calendar, and I agree that this is important. However, I feel that working as a team with your class and everyone taking care of everyone else is just as important (if not more!). I have never been in a situation where I depended on others as much as I do in this program. Your classmates will be there to help you finish an assignment you didn't quite complete. They will help you make up silly acronyms to memorize more information than you thought your brain could ever hold. They will be there to give you a hug and remind you of your good days when you have a bad day and aren't really sure if this is really for you. Just remember that you will be on both ends of this teeter totter.

One more thing...we are all here for you. The instructors are more caring and understanding than you could ever imagine. The class of '09 is here and willing to help. All you have to do is ask. Congrats on making a great decision, and you can do it!

Meggan

Words of Wisdom from Jess

For all the new DH2s, some words of wisdom that I would like to pass on to you is that you must remember that you are not in this alone; don't feel the need to become competitive and act like you are fighting this battle alone! Your class, if you truely work together, has the ability to share resources, help each other out and just vent on everything that has been getting you stressed. I feel like our class is a great team and I think that your class can be like that too! It has honestley helped me so much, knowing that we are all in this together and it inspires me to be supportive to others as well :)

Something that I think is truely important would be to balance your life as much as you can, and I will admit that is it tough at first. Take time to have some fun with your classmates, friends, family, enjoy Ann Arbor (it's really a great place!). I think that if you comitt too much of your time onto just one thing you could go a little insane; remember balance is good, don't feel guilty for having a good time-- we need that! Something to avoid would be studying in the stacks without earplugs/earphones/headphones..ect. Some people chomp their gum really loud and tap the keys on their keyboard way too loud and it can be hard to concentrate! (Staying focused is really important in the program!) My earplugs have saved me and really help me to get into "the zone" when I need too. (I recommend going to the stacks when you wear plugs because sometimes, people may think you are a huge nerd, aka. people at espresso royale, or any place where you are seen in public for that matter!)

All in all, Best of Luck. This Program is great and everyone at this school is wonderful!
Just breathe ;)

Fistula

On two occasions I have seen draining fistulas. In both cases, the patient was aware of the problem before the examination. Each of these patients had been told by their dental student that a fistula was likely to form due to existing infection in the tooth. Each of these patients decided to wait until the problem worsened to take action due to finances. Neither of the patients reported any pain associated with the infection or fistula. On examination, the gingiva appeared red and quite shiny. There was a raised area that came to almost a point where in one case there appeared to be a white mass or "head". In the other case there was a little whole (pin like). One of the patients opted to have the tooth in question extracted a few days later, and was put on an antibiotic in the mean time. The other patient decided to wait it out, and the dental student did not put this patient on antibiotics due to the unknown time frame.