Nurse V Dentist

Haha dental nurses, this topic made me chuckle!

sometime I think the tongue and chees have eyes and fallow my suction!!!!!!!

Glad I don't work with some of your dentists. Snatching and finger wagging
I'd be having stern words.

One of our dentists likes to do the 4-handed amalgam/plugger technique, which still confuses me a bit - and he's the sly-disapproving-look-and-little-sigh type.....it's so satisfying to have what he needs ready to pass before he holds his hand out for it!!

The first time I used a mirror to retract it felt so 'grown-up' - like [successfully] wearing heels for the first time!

Apart from the soft tissue slurping noise, I find that if I am to slow in putting the amalgam in the gun I get the finger in front of me wagging backwards and forwards to tell me to hurry up. That is so annoying. But if I am still to slow I get
"The Look" over the goggles. How fast do you have to go to hand over amalgam.
Ahhhh!!!!

Do you guys not use a mirror to retract the lips and tongue?

I have never heard the term "Letterbox Mouth" before, surprising really. I think i'll assimilate that term into our code language at the practice.

Not sure that's very proffesional Gooders.

Personally, if the patient has "letterbox mouth" i.e limited opening by choice, I ram the suction down their throat. They soon learn to open nice and wide or drown in their own saliva and blood.

funny you should mention this as i too, have adopted this method . It really annoys me that one of our dentists frequently tries to perform pt tonsil-lectomy ( sorry for spelling) and the pts always glare at me for trying to make them vomit

OMG Im the master at this too

LOL this is so true!

It took me ages before I realised it wasn't just my ineptitude at aspirating but just the fact that soft tissues just make that sound sometimes...

And yes, very annoying when the dentist looks down at you for it even though EVERYTIME they aspirate it happens.

Yes Lu-Lu this also drives me wild. One of the dentists that I often work with has a really annoying compulsive habit of wanting the back of the throat dry, even if we are performing a procedure that requires zero moisture control. Plus, when I say the back of the throat - I mean the very back. Once I have recovered all saliva, water and debris that is required as per the procedure and pt comfort, he will often snatch the aspirator when I am returning it to it's cradle. He then proceeds to rub the aspirator down the side of the cheek (Sluuurrrppp) all he way to the tonsils and the soft palet. At this point the pt's eyes normally zoom open and they start to choke. I have developed a habit that seems to prevent them glaring at me; I hold my little hands up in the air in a "look no hands" gesture, at which point the pt will transfer their glare from me too the real culprit lol

Is it me or when you are sat there aspirating and all you keep hearing is slllluuuurrrrpppp the soft tissues going up your aspirator no matter how hard you try or where you move to and the dentist gives you that "what are you doing?" look and snatches the aspirator off you so they can do it themselfs and you hear SSSSLLLLLUUUURRRRPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

isnt that just the best feeling in the world?