Heroic Save

Today I had two patients scheduled from the WSU recall list---people who wanted their teeth cleaned, heard about WSU, and through various means provided their number so that we, as students, could call them and schedule appointments. I talked to both my morning and my afternoon patients, scheduled the appointments, both said they could be here. When I called to remind them yesterday, my morning patient reaffirmed that they could come, my second patient I couldn't get a hold of. So I called my dad to see if his afternoon was free just in case, and felt good about my upcoming day.

I get here this morning. My patient doesn't show. I call and he...had to work. And you didn't know that last night?!?!?!?!?!? My dad had a meeting, my friends are all in classes. I ran down to the institute lounge, and through the Student Union Building...and after twenty minutes of searching, I found a young freshman football player who thought it would be great to get a free cleaning (by then I was offering to pay for it). Brought him up to the WSU clinic.....drum roll....and he was a perfect Class II!!!!! I took four bitewings, and then he agreed to come back to be my mock board patient!!!! YAY!!!! So, even though I didn't get anything cleaned, it was a heroic safe to my nerve-wracking morning because now I do not have to worry about a mock board patient. And they actually told me that this is exactly what I am looking for in March for REAL boards....could the student union be my lucky trick again??!?!?! Probably not. Sigh. He is a freshman football player, but I am PRAYING that he is responsible enough to really come back in October for my test. I really, really, REALLY emphasized and stressed to him how important this was to me and my grade and how he was an absolute blessing--and he seemed to get it and promised to come back. Here's hoping.

My second patient also didn't show. Sigh. So I called my Papa Bear up, and he agreed to come in. He was a Class V, so at least it wasn't a 1B experience so that was nice. My professor came up to me afterwards and said "Was your dad asking about you breaking up with someone or something like that?" Apparently he thought it quite amusing that the dean of education was sitting in a dental chair talking love-life to his little girl. His student. Haahaa. Now that I think about it, it is kinda funny. Completely cleaned him, loaded him up with some fluoride goop, and sent him on his way. Yay! Thank you so much dad!

So it was a stressful day, but it turned out nicely, and now I just hope my future patients show up, cause my dad is supposed to be my emergency patient, and unfortunately, now he can't come in for another six months!