You Might be a Hygienist if.....

Recently, the facebook page for "Dental Hygiene" posted that as their status and left it open to the fans.  The responses were pretty entertaining, and here are some of the more popular ones, as judged by other fans:

You always carry floss in your purse and look at people's teeth when you meet them.

fulcrum when you put on lipgloss

Your back is killing you right now!

The smell of Listerine turn you on.

You get excited when calculus goes flying!!!

you know that calculus isn't math!

You smell perio while in a group of people and desperately look (sniff) around until you figure out who it is.

you laugh at the Braun Oral B commercials claiming to be dentist #1 recommended toothbrush. Ummmm.........who's with me on the Phillips Sonicare???

you watch people on the dental aisle while at the store to see which products they buy and have to resist telling them to buy something else because you think it's better

You ask a patient how many times a week they floss, as your gloves are filled with blood, only to hear 'at least 4 or 5'... And you try to keep a straight face without saying 'liarrrrr'...

When you can't help but go down the dental isle just to look.

You know what " PITA" stands for.

you can't find a job!

Just further evidence that you can't stare at teeth all day without becoming a little bit quirky.  Read all the clever responses here.

The Nightmare Patient

In dentistry, as in any business, people will feel from time to time that they are being over-charged. Such was the case with UK resident Peter McShane who complained, was reimbursed for his expenses, but then for some reason decided that wasn't enough and took it upon himself to sabotage the dental practice.

His methods included injecting the door locks with super-glue and stealing plaques off of the wall. (FYI - that's not the plaque removal we want you to focus on, Peter.) To top it off he left a fake bomb in front of the doorway one morning. The device consisted of a brick, some wires and a ticking alarm clock in a large box.

The thing that makes this story so remarkable is that THE DUDE WAS 84 YEARS OLD! Closed-circuit security camera footage (which I would love to see) showed him dragging the box across the parking lot and taking a break halfway there. The news story says he took the breather because the box was so heavy, but I have another theory - he was 84!

Read the full story from the Telegraph.

Bullet-proof boobs?

Ok maybe not "bullet proof", but this woman's recently acquired D-cup implants most likely saved her life when they slowed down the bullet, causing it to stop a mere 1 cm away from her heart!

Hear me out - this story does have to do with dentistry. Sort of. The shooting happened in an L.A. area dental office where she worked.

Full story from the L.A. Times.

A Musical Dental Experience

Enjoy!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Truckstop Dentist

CNN had an interesting article this week about Dr. Thomas P. Roemer, a dentist with a unique niche. Years ago he noticed several referrals coming into his office from the nearby Iowa 80 Truckstop. (This is no ordinary gas station, folks. The compound sprawls over 200 acres and caters to all things trucker).

Eventually Dr. Roemer realized that he was making more money from his emergency pulpotomies and extractions than he was with the whole gamut of procedures in his general practice, so he closed his doors and set up a one-man operatory within the Iowa 80 Truckstop.

There are several advantages to this practice style. First, it's recession proof. People don't spare any expense when they are in agonizing pain. Second, extremely low overhead expenses. It's practically just the Dr. and the forceps! Third, relieving a patient of their pain can be one of the most rewarding experiences in dentistry because of the sincere appreciation for the service. Some of my best dental school moments have come while working the urgent care block.

The disadvantages? I'm not sure I could spend my whole career doing extractions. At a truckstop. In Iowa. But hey, to each his own! Full article found here at cnn.com.