tips and tricks

Load tray, maximum level at the upper border of the tray. Periphery wax all the way around can soften the borders A mirror can be used to retract the cheek as a finger may be too thick in patients with a small oral opening Check for the correct lateral position and for rotation by lining the handle of the tray with the midline of the patient. Lower impression taken positioned in front, Upper impession lay back and upper impression taken from behind. Pull each cheek apart and push the posterior part of the tray down. Move towards pushing the front of the tray down and pull  the lip foward. This path of displacement of the soft tissues aims to push the air from the sulcus out the front of the mouth.

Background on bacterial endocarditis Infective endocarditis is an infection of the endocardium (internal surface of the heart). Effects may include: 1.        Severe valvular insufficiency 2.        Congestive heart failure 3.        Myocardial abscess 4.        Death if left untreated Infective endocarditis is a relatively uncommon illness with high morbidity and mortality. The incidence in Australia is approximately five cases per 100 000 person–years and the in-hospital mortality is 15% to 20% Bacteraemia  associated with dental procedures usually involves  viridans  group streptococci, which are known to cause infective  endocarditis . Traditionally, the presence of 'significant bleeding' associated with a dental procedure was assumed to be an indication of  bacteraemia  and hence a need for prophylaxis; h...

Ergonomics is the study of the interaction between humans and  other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.  It is split into organisational, cognitive and physical ergonomics. Organisational ergonomics is concerned with optimising the organisation of a system to increase the efficiency of human interaction including encouraging communication, resource management, work design, work times. Cognitive ergonomics is a personal quality which is concerned with mental processes such as prcepton, memory, reasoning and motor response as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. Organisation of decision making, human-computer interaction, reliability, work stress and training affect this. Physical Ergonomics is also a personal quality concerned with human anatomical anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteri...

So while extracting a 28 today I was advised by Dr. Coles that my supporting finger on the luxator should be as close to the working end as possible so that if the instrument was to slip then it would contact the guard fingers before the instrument slipped too far. Very useful stuff. An issue i have with this is that if my fingers are that far down then the butt of the instrument doesn't sit nicely into my palm. More practice is needed.

So 5th year has come so I guess it's time to write down some tips and tricks learnt. Just wondering if i'll ever read them again... Time has flown and it's time to start thinking about the future. It's scary to think 4 years have passed already and now the time for responsibility is approaching. Good luck to me.