Internships

DENTAL HYGIENE INTERNSHIP IN A COMMUNITY/ HOSPITAL SETTING

I had the opportunity to intern as a dental hygienist at Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s Dental Department. This 15 week internship allowed me to observe and/or participate in the management of dental patients with complex medical/dental needs such as implants, surgical extractions, biopsies of oral lesions, periodontal surgery and pediatric dental caries. Additionally, I provided traditional dental hygiene care to a multitude of patients ranging from pediatric to geriatric ages. My duties consisted of periodontal debridement, exposing radiographs, applying sealants, root planning, polishing and providing home care instructions. A large portion of the dental hygiene patients I came in contact with were from underserved groups. Motivating these particular patients to improve their oral hygiene health was a rewarding experience not only for the patient, but I as a hygienist. Interning in a hospital setting tested and strengthened me both as a dental hygienist and a person. As with most hospital positions, this was one that required a great deal of patience, ingenuity and dedication.

Below are glimpse of a few patient cases that I had the opportunity to come across:

A 34 year old female of Hispanic descent made an appointment to have a root canal done on #13. Upon interviewing the patient, the resident and I learned that she had been instructed by the previous resident to come in for the root canal more than two years prior to that appointment. I was instructed to expose a FMS and upon reviewal the resident explained to the patient that because she had waited so long to come in, the only way to now treat that tooth was to extract it. The patient immediately became seemingly both embarrassed and mortified at the thought of losing her tooth. The resident asked me to educate and elaborate to the patient on the idea of having an implant placed. After explaining long term benefits and financing options, the patient agreed to have the tooth extracted and initiate the implant process. After extracting the tooth, the resident gave me the opportunity to assist him in a xenogeneic bone graft using Geistlich Bio-Oss.

I was given the chance to scale and root plane during gingival flap surgery and doubled as an assistant for the procedure in its entirety.

This was just a case I found interesting as I was exposing an FMS. The position of #20 in relation to #21 made it difficult for the patient to keep the area clean. An extraction was done on #20 in which I assisted.

Though this patient was in need of thorough debridement, I was able to educate this individual on the importance of a consistent, proper oral hygiene regimen. This patient had severe mobility and recession throughout all mandibular anterior teeth. Previously at an other office, #27- #23 were bonded together as a temporary measure to aid the patient during eating and brushing until she could decide on further treatment. However, this patient had no knowledge of how to clean around the material used to cement her teeth together. As a result, debris/deposit formed over the bonding material and after years of neglect and out of fear of losing her teeth, the patient came into this clinic.

INTER-PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AT BELLVUE SIM CENTER

I had the pleasure of taking my dental hygiene experience to the next level by participating in a Inter-professional collaboration experience at The New York Simulation Center for the Health Sciences at Bellevue Hospital Center. I had the opportunity to team up alongside nursing and radiology students and participate in multiple segments where I consulted with patients and appropriately designed treatment plans based on intake and/or written cases. The treatment plans were then presented to a multitude of health care professionals. By working as part of an integrated team, I was able to learn with, from and about the rest of my team members with the goal of improving the quality of patient care. This experience strengthened me as a dental hygienist and emphasized teamwork, understanding other professions’ roles and responsibilities, respectful communication, and clinical experiences delivering interprofessional collaborative care.