As I read the article I had flashbacks to hygiene school and Dr Soderberg teaching us Dental Meds and going on and on about PABA and how it interferes with the metabolization of some local anesthetics...or something. I cannot quite remember. So I laughed. My girls in school and I would laugh about PABA and how it kept popping up our readings and study questions. So years later I am still haunted by PABA. How is that for ironic?!
So here I am cleaning teeth like I do and This man had not had a cleaning for several years but is a daily flosser. So his lingual calc had cuts in it separating the interproximal it cracked me up. anyway he had his third molars. #1 and #16 to be specific. I am cleaning #1 and I can barely see what I am feeling. I take a look and I see that there is a lot of buccal recession and so I start very gently with the Cavitron and bam off comes the Great Wall of China! This is the largest chunk of calculus--aka tarter I have ever removed from a mouth whole! I had to take a picture! This pic is of the buccal.
This pic is of the inside-part touching the tooth. You can see the black ring there. It was so awesome! My dr laughed at me taking this picture and the dental assistant was giving me tips to help me get a clear picture, she also offered to bag it and sterilize it-not sure how it would have survived the Statim. We are such dental nerds!
And I did throw it away....
4 comments:
Mair, you're so funny! I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds stuff like that fascinating. That happened on one of my patients, but half her tooth came off along with the calculus. I was so scared cuz I thought she'd be mad, but she was like, whatever. It also cracks me up when people say they floss as you're staring at a bridge of calculus along their linguals. *sigh*
I have a question. I have a friend at church who has obvious gingivitis and her breath smells like an open grave. As a hygienist, do I say something? I don't want to hurt her feelings, but my urge to heal her mouth is almost overwhelming. Not really sure what etiquette dictates in this situation.
That is so gross! That is bigger then the tooth isnt it? How does it get that big? I am gagging!
So funny! Love the pic and that he flossed his calculus. gotta love people. Laughing my arse off at PABA! Such a fun word to say.
Nice. Sometimes I have to stop tx and change my suction tube because it's clogged. LOL
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