Internship - Conclusion

My internship was a great experience. I could not have asked for better co-workers and a better mentor. I learned a lot during my internship, but I also learned more about myself as well. An internship is an excellent experience for anyone my age because it gives insight on a career they might have an interest. I am glad I decided to go through with doing an internship and staying with SPARC. Overall I had a good experience.

Last Day on the Job

The Internship has rushed by way faster than I expected. In the beginning I thought that 60+ hours was going to feel like an eternity but it didn't and it didn't for one reason. I enjoyed interning at Dr. Augers. There was so much going on throughout the I worked that time flew by. Sure of course there were times when it a little boring but it never lasted long because those were times when there wasn't any patients in at the moment. eventually I said my goodbyes, got my papers signed, and left.

Doing a Mold on an Actual Person!

I was very skeptical about this but the staff encouraged me. They wanted me to do an actual mold on a real person. I was so nervous simply because I didn't want to choke the poor soul. I started to mic the mold compound and that went surprisingly well which was surprising. Then came to putting it in the patients mouth. I was concentrating as hard as I could to not mess up. But in the end I did an ok job and the assistants were impressed so I felt  good about myself for that so I treated myself to a McFlurry. 

power chain method

While interning I have learned many techniques of teeth manipulation but one simple one that happened to me as well is the power chain method. This is when the rubber bands that cover brackets that are normally separate, are one piece and it looks like a chain this is used to help teeth move closer together. this is a very common method because odds are if you have braces not all all of your teeth are in the right spot. Like almost any adjustment to braces, this causes pain and discomfort. I know this first hand. the power chains come in a variety of colors that the patient can choose from so they look their best while in pain.

Toothbrush Salesman

This particular day was just another day at the office until lunchtime rolled around that is when this day wasn't ordinary. A salesman representing Oral-B stopped by trying to market their new toothbrush line made specifically for people with braces. He bought everyone including me lunch from California Pizza kitchen so that was definitely a plus. Being at this sales pitch made me feel like I was really apart of the Auger Orthodontic team. And I got some free, expensive, two step toothpaste out of it as well so that was cool. the guy must have been a pretty good salesman because Dr. Auger hopped on the new toothbrush plan for his new patients pretty easily. 

The Tool Sterilizer

During the course of my internship I have become very familiar with the sterilization process. It is something that I do daily and it is a necessity for the office to run smoothly. when I sterilize I sterilize tool sets and individual tools. When sterilizing I wait until the tool holder is full before I put it in the solution.. once sterilized I take it out and let the sterilizer solution drain out of the tool holder. After that I rinse any excess fluid out of the tool holder in the sink. After that I put it in this white solution called surgical milk. I am not sure what it does but I do know it its necessary to the process. After the tools are somewhat dry I put them in pouches to be sterilized in this oven like thing. after that I put them away and the tools are ready to be used.

Small things I Have Noticed While Interning

While interning I have noticed and seen some pretty cool things. In the parking lot there tends to be a pretty cool car every now and then. One time I saw a Maserati and A brand new Porche in one day! Also braces aren't just for teens and children because adults come and get them too. the oldest person that came in for an appointment was about 70 years old. I guess that it is never too late too have good teeth. Also some people that know have come in for appointments. This internship has been teaching me patience for sure. 

Grinding Molds

I am really starting to really appreciate the staff at the office. They are all so nice and especially Suzan. She's probably 55+ years old and she is as energetic as a child. She always has something witty and funny to say which can make a boring shift an enjoyable one. Todays special assignment was to work with Suzan on the molds. She is what is known as the offices dental technician. She works on things like molds and adjusting invisalign sets. I got to pour a mixture in to a mold which would then solidify and become a model of the patients teeth. Once the model was hard there is a lot excess mold that needs to be grinded off. She let me grind of the excess with this tool that is essentially a grinding tool. This was pretty cool and I enjoyed doing it.

Invisalign Scanner

I now have a definite routine around the office. It usually consists of me getting there at about 7:55 in the morning and listening to the daily meeting at 8. At the meeting Dr. Auger and the rest of the staff meet and talk about the daily plans and what patients that are coming in that day. i never really say anything, i just listen and get to work when we disperse. I then check if there are any molds that need cleaning or sterilizing and get that done. Then after that I help the assistants that work in the office for the remainder of the day unless Dr. Auger has a special task for me, and today hey did. When a patient is coming in for the first appointment for invisalign ( clear alternative for braces ) they get their teeth scanned by this special machine that uses a laser. this laser makes a 3D model of their actual teeth on the computer that will be sent to the company. Anyways Dr. Auger wanted me to practice on a fake pair of teeth. It took a while and it was pretty boring but other than that it was a good day.  

Indirect Bonding

The fifth day of the internship is already here and it seems to be going by pretty fast. I am working six hours a day for three days a week and i am enjoying my time here because the staff is nice and the patients are too. Plus i ride my bike about 5 miles all together when i intern so i am getting some exercise as well. Today Dr. Auger showed me what indirect bonding is. It is a method for putting on braces on a patient. When putting on braces on a patient the Dr. would normally put on each individual bracket which is pretty time consuming. Indirect bonding allows all of the brackets to put put on at once. this is done by getting a mold of the patients teeth, putting brackets on the mold and covering it in a gel that hardens. Once hardened, it is cut to fit in the patients mouth like a mouth guard but with glue on the brackets. And then all they do is shine a bright light on the brackets and the brackets are on. I wonder what day six has in store.

Drilling in Anchors

As the internship progresses I am overcoming many things such as being nervous and I am learning good work ethic and thinking on my own and keeping busy is a must for this internship. i have learned that in a job and not just specifically this one, there is always something to do so that you are not just standing there doing nothing. On the fourth day of my internship i got to do something pretty special. Dr. auger showed me the method for moving teeth in a very specific and careful way. this method is called  using anchors. An anchor is a screw that is drilled into the gums in between the actual bone of the teeth that reside there. Once the Anchor is drilled into place there are wires that are tied around the anchor that attaches to the braces so that it can pull the teeth where they need to go. he said that tomorrow he would teach me about indirect bonding so that should be pretty interesting.  

Surgical Laser

It is the third day and definitely the coolest yet. It started off just like any other day so far, cleaning things, setting up work stations for the assistants, but it got interesting when Dr. Auger pulled me aside and said he had something cool for me to do. I asked him what it was and he said I was going to get to use a surgical laser! He explained to me that the laser was used for cutting away excess gum tissue usually caused by bad hygiene which makes the gums puff up. He let me practice using the laser on an apricot. This was pretty cool because I was using a real laser! Eventually he came in and saw my progress and he was impressed and gave me the task of burning his name into hiss baseball glove which was pretty easy. I showed him the glove when I was done and he said my penmanship was too good to for a doctor which was funny. at this point I was done for the week and I would be back next Tuesday.

Putting On Rubber Bands

The second day is already here and I am beginning to become more comfortable with everything in the office. I am beginning to develop somewhat of a daily routine. I usually start with cleaning mold trays and putting them in the sterilizing liquid and take the already sterilized ones and putting them away. But other than the daily routine stuff I got to do something special today. Dr. auger gave me the task of putting on rubber bands on a model set of teeth with braces on them. Putting on these rubber bands is one of the most common things done in the office. it seemed simple at first but it was much more difficult than it looked. I had to use this special tool that held the rubber band once I squeezed it and released when I squeezed it again. I eventually got the hang of it once I figured out it was all in the wrist. It was pretty cool putting on those rubber bands and I wonder what the third day has in store for me. 

First Day On the Job

The  first day interning at Dr. Auger's office was very interesting. I got there about 15 minutes early so any sense of nervousness I had was intensified by the wait. I was finally told to come on back to where they meet every morning and discuss the plans for the day. Dr. Auger introduced me to all of his assistants that I would be shadowing throughout the internship. I was so nervous but I didn't know why because I was already familiar with the office. I started getting braces there in fourth grade so there was no reason to be nervous but I just was. For the majority of the day I shadowed this lady named Sylvie and what she does is take pictures of peoples teeth from different angles before and after braces and document them. she is also in charge of taking x-rays of peoples teeth which is pretty cool. I also cleaned and sanitized many tools that are used in making molds. Overall the first day was pretty interesting and within a few days I should be more comfortable around the office, the assistants, the patients and every day situations.