Randa Molyneaux

Lackey Dental Clinic 4-14-2022

The last time I was at Lackey I did not feel like I was ready to be out in the real world of

dental hygiene. I ran behind all day and felt like I could never catch up. Today, my goal was to

stay on task and manage my time. I had five patients throughout the day. My first patient was an

easy clean. She barely had any plaque and calculus. Her appointment was at 8:30 a.m. and I

finished cleaning by 9:10 a.m. The second patient had moderate plaque and calculus, heavy

bleeding, and generalized inflammation. He also had heavy stain due to smoking cigarettes. The

patient had trouble breathing out of his nose making it difficult for him to keep his mouth open

when I was scaling, especially with the Cavitron.

My next patient had not had a cleaning in ten years. She had heavy calculus in the

mandibular anteriors. It was tenacious and I was unable to remove all the subgingival calculus. I

gave her Thomas Nelson’s information because I think she would benefit from our program. She

also had a temporary crown on #8 and I was careful when scaling that tooth. The next patient

also had moderate calculus especially in the anteriors. She had a “nosey” tongue and a strong

bottom lip making it challenging to clean the mandibular anteriors. The last patient complained

that she was cold, so I offered her the lead apron. She also had moderate plaque and calculus,

especially on the facial and lingual of the mandibular anteriors. I recommended she purchase a

mechanical toothbrush to reduce plaque buildup. She had moderate staining from coffee, and I

suggested she drink water after drinking coffee to reduce stain.

In my last Lackey reflection, I mentioned the instruments needing to be replaced. I was

pleased to see all new instruments. The cassettes had a Nevi, 204S, Gracey 11/12, Gracey 13/14,
ODU explorer, and probe with a shepherd’s hook. The only instrument I thought was missing is

the sickle scaler, but I was satisfied with their choices.

Overall, I had a successful day. I completed my goal and managed my time well. Like

always, the staff was friendly and helpful. I asked the office manager about volunteering once I

graduate school and she said they are looking for a hygienist on Wednesday or Thursday. I do

not think I would want to work there just because it is in Yorktown, however I do plan to

volunteer occasionally.