Reflection 

Observing the work of my mentor was fun because I felt like I was a dentist too. Seeing him work looks like it was easy, but I know that it is not. It was a great experience learning things about teeth even if I am not yet in college. What I observed is that people will be nice to you, if you are nice to them. Just like my mentor, he is very nice to everyone that is why his patients are like his friends. Personally, I am a shy typed person, I do not communicate with the people who I do not really know, but then this capstone project needs to be completed. So, I learned that if want to do something on your own, you need to be independent and get out of your comfort zone. You will not learn if you keep on depending on to someone else. There was one challenge that I needed to solve, and that was time management. Doing this project definitely needs time and sacrifice. I met with my mentor every Saturday, and I had to stay in the clinic for 8 hours, just like my mentor and his co-workers. One Saturday, my friends asked me if we could hangout, I really wanted to go, but then I needed to finish my hours. Capstone project was a good experience, because you will meet new people. Not only about meeting new people, but also because of the things you will learn. I learned about procrastination, patience and prioritizing things. It was a great opportunity to have this project.

Last day with my mentor March 8, 2014

As usual, I went to the clinic at 9am until 5pm. At 10am my mom and I had cleaning appointment in that clinic. My mentor is also my dentist. So my mom went first, and I started observing her. She had an x-ray first before they start. My mom wears dentures both top and bottom. I realized that wearing dentures is hard because when it breaks, you need to buy another one. Maybe one of the reasons why I want to be a dentist is because I want to help my mom with her teeth. My mom wants to have an implant or a bridge for her teeth, but she could not get one because it is too expensive. I’m thankful because I grew up having a dental check ups. When it’s my turn, I saw my x-ray and my teeth are so big. My mentor was cleaning my teeth and he told me that I need my three wisdom teeth to be removed. I felt nervous, but my mom told him that we might do it on summer time. Because my teeth are big, there’s no space for my wisdom teeth. When my wisdom teeth come out, my teeth might get crooked. My mentor told me that my teeth don’t have cavities and that’s good! He also told me that I have to floss, because he saw some bleedings in my teeth. After my cleaning, my mom went home and I stayed there to finish my observation. Observing was fun because I learned new things about teeth. I cannot wait to be a dentist. 

Total time logged for this session: 8 hours

Total time logged: 26 hours

Here is the x-ray picture of my mom's teeth. 

Another day with my mentor February 15, 2014

It was a tiring but fun day again with my mentor. It was the same as last week's observation. Patients should go to their dentist, every six months, to have their teeth cleaned. That’s why my mentor always says to his patients “see you in 6 months”. I encountered a patient who has very disarranged teeth. I got to take a picture of his teeth x-ray. He has this kind of teeth because he didn’t go to his dental appointments. He has a lot of holes and cavities as well. He really needs to get braces, but the my mentor told him that he needs to get fillings and root canal first before braces. This is going to be expensive. The curing light, my mentor uses this tool when he's doing a filling on a patient's tooth. It is a blue light, he told me not to look directly at it because it's the same as looking directly to the sun. It’s bad for the eyes. My mentor also told me that dentistry involves physics. So I had second thoughts, because I really don’t like physics. I kept on thinking the whole time, but then I realized that physics won’t stop me from taking dentistry if really want to be a dentist. Today I’ve learned that going to dental appointments is really important if you don’t want to wear dentures. Not only about that, but also don’t let your weaknesses stop you from aiming want you want to be.

Time logged for this session: 8 hours

Total time logged: 18 hours

Here is the picture of the patient's x-ray who has very crooked teeth.

First day observing other patients February 1, 2014

I went to the clinic at 9 am. My mom just brought me food for lunch. What I observed from the dentists was they were just waiting for their patients to come. Their work is kind of a boring work, cause they just sit and wait. I learned that before the dentists check the teeth, they are going to check the jaw first if there is any popping jaw. The first patient, what they did was just cleaning. After he cleaned the teeth he said to me that cleaning is boring. I did not know what to say, so I just laughed. I also encountered a man who did not have his teeth cleaned for 13 years. I was so shocked, cause he has a lot of cavities. My mentor showed me what cavities look like. These are the brown stains, and when you do not get rid of these, these will ruin your teeth. My mentor said that he always say to his patients to floss everyday. Flossing can lessen your teeth from having cavities. I also encountered patients who need fillings on their teeth and patients who need braces. When there were no patients, I just read magazines and pamphlet about teeth and gums. Again, I had fun watching and learning about dentistry. As I watch every patient, I realized that brushing your teeth twice daily is very important. I observed that being a dentist is not simple. It takes patience and knowledge to know how to solve the teeth problems of the patients. Also, I observed hat dentists are very friendly to their patients, because when a dentist is friendly their patients are also going to be friendly. This day was awesome! I felt like a dentist, thinking and observing. My mom picked me up at 5pm.

Time logged for this session: 8 hours
Total time logged: 10 hours

Pamphlets that I read.