The goal of the Dental Clinic is to provide pain relief from tooth decay via extractions as it is not an emergency clinic. It aims to see as many patients as possible using its two identical operatories, each equipped with up-to-date suction and chairs. The clinic sees patients in the order they sign in at the waiting room, which often gets full 30 minutes before the clinic starts. It uses various dental tools and equipment like forceps, elevators, and x-rays to assist dentists in extractions and cleanings.

2. Dental Clinic Goals
The goal of the Dental Clinic is to provide pain relief
from tooth decay via extractions. It is not an emergency
clinic, but does it’s best to see as many patients as
possible.

3. Operatory
This is one of two identical
operatories in the dental clinic.
Each operatory had to be installed
and equipped with the money the
dental clinic received in a grant.
Each room has up to date suction
and mechanical chairs.

4. Patient Waiting
Room
This is the area designated for
patients to wait for clinic to start.
The way the clinic runs, patients
are seen in the order in which
they sign in. So a lot of the time,
this waiting room will be full 30
minutes before the clinic even
starts

5. Sterilizer
This is the sterilizer the dental
clinic uses to sterilize all the
equipment and patient gauze. We
are anticipating purchasing a new
sterilizer because this on tends to
fail a lot and sometimes it takes
two hours to sterilize equipment
when it should only take about 30
minutes.

6. Supply Closet
This is the supply closet where all of the clinical supplies are kept. Part of
my job during my internship was to keep track of the supply levels and
notify Tonya when something needed to be ordered.

7. Omnicell
This automated dispensing
cabinet hold all of the Dental
Clinic’s anesthesia, topical
anesthetic, over the counter pain
medication, and prescription
pads. Before each clinic,
anesthesia and a prescription pad
must be checked out of the clinic
and then returned at the end.

8. X-ray
This is the panoramic x-ray
machine that the clinic bought so
the dentists can get a better idea
of what is going on inside the
patients mouths. A lot of times
patients just require an x-ray and
cleaning and not and extraction.

9. Extraction Clinic
Tray Set Ups
Before each extraction clinic, I
was responsible for making sure
enough syringes and exploratory
kits were sterilized to set up
enough trays. As I worked with
each dentist, I became
accustomed to the tools each one
of them preferred. When I knew
what dentist was coming, I could
add the specific tools each of
them liked to use to make their
job a little easier.

10. Patient
Scheduling
Many days in the clinic I spent
scheduling patients for evaluation
and extraction clinics. This was
often very difficult because many
of the patients do not have
working phones. Towards the end
of my internship, Tonya was out
on medical leave, so I had to
schedule and run the clinics by
myself.

11. Dental Assisting
 A majority of my time in the Dental Clinic I spent
assisting the dentists with extractions and
evaluations. I tried to get pictures of me doing these
tasks, but many of the patients got to nervous or it
was to busy to take pictures while the clinic was
running. All of the dentists that volunteer in the clinic
said I would make and excellent dentist if I decided
that is what I wanted to do. I took this as a huge
compliment and may consider dental school in the
future.

12. Patient Bib
Every patient receives a patient
bib. A lot of the time, during
extractions, the bibs will become
saturated with blood and saliva
and I will have to remove them
before the patients can see what
came out of his/her mouth.

13. Exploratory Kit
This set of tools was generally
used with every patient. It
consisted of cotton pliers, a mouth
mirror, and an explorer (from left
to right). The cotton pliers are
used to transport materials to and
from the mouth, the mouth mirror
is used to view the oral cavity and
tap on teeth to determine
sensitivity, and the explorer is
used to detect breaks in the
enamel and scrape plaque from
teeth.

14. Suction Tips/
• High Volume Suction: used when large
amounts of blood and saliva need to be
evacuated from the mouth (from right to left)
• Low Volume Suction: used when smaller
amounts of blood and saliva need to be
evacuated from the mouth. I also found it
useful to catch tooth pieces that broke off
when assisting with extractions
• Saliva Evacuator: used to evacuate saliva
from the mouth, normally in small quantities

15. Anesthetic
Syringe
This is used during extraction
clinics to administer local
anesthetic. There is also another
version of this syringe without the
finger holders, but I have learned
that most dentists prefer to use
the syringe that is pictured.
Sometimes local anesthetic had
to be administered when Tonya
did cleanings if the patients teeth
and gum tissue was too sensitive.

16. Topical
Anesthetic
This gel-like substance is used by
most dentists to numb the gum
tissue slightly before the patient
receives a needle stick. In my
opinion I don’t know how well it
physiologically works, but I think
the patients like to think it numbs
their gums prior to the needle
stick.

17. Needle Tips
• 30 gauge short needle (left to
right)
• 27 gauge long needle
• 25 gauge short needle
• 25 gauge long needle

18. Needle Holder
Most dentists like to use a needle
holder to recap needles because
it greatly reduces the risk of
sticking yourself with the needs.
Dr. Gus taught me to always use
them and now I prefer using them.

19. Dry Socket
Paste
This creamy substance is used
when patients develop alveolar
osteitis, or dry socket. This is
caused when the clot that forms in
the socket dislodges and exposes
the bone and nerve to air. Dry
sockets are usually very painful. A
lot of the patients at the clinic are
smokers and smoker is one of the
main causes of dry socket.

20. Periosteal
Elevator
This instrument was routinely
used by Dr. Gustafson in
extractions. It is used to retract
lips, cheeks, and the tongue. It is
also used to separate the gum
tissue from the surface of the
tooth.

21. Small and Large
Straight
Elevators
These instruments were
commonly used by all of the
dentists for extractions. They are
also commonly used together so
we usually packaged and
sterilized the two together. The
are used to loosen the tooth from
the periodontal ligaments before
extraction and also to separate
and lift the tooth from the socket.

22. Root
Elevators/Cryer
s
These instruments are commonly
called east-west elevators
because of their shape. They are
used to loosen the root and
separate and lift the tooth from
the socket. Most commonly they
are used on posterior teeth.

23. Rongeurs
This instrument is used to trim
and remove excess alveolar bone
after extractions. Some dentists
use them when putting in sutures.

24. Mandibular
Universal
Forceps/Cryer
151
This pair of forceps is used for
posterior mandibular extractions.
It can be used for laterals,
cuspids, premolars, and roots.
They can also have straight or
curved handles to access different
areas. The pair pictured has
curved handles.

25. Mandibular
Universal
Forceps/Cryer
151AS
This pair of forceps has a straight
handle and is used for posterior
mandibular extractions.

26. 17 Harris
Forceps
These forceps are used to extract
1st and 2nd mandibular molars.

27. Universal
Mandibular
Forceps No. 23
These forceps are commonly
called cow-horns because of their
shape. They are used to extract
mandibular first and second
molars.

28. Low Speed
Hand piece
This hand piece is commonly
used when the roots of a tooth
need to be separated or a flap
needs to be made. It also opens
access to the pulp of the tooth
and removes decay. A surgical
burr is inserted to make the hand
piece functional.

29. Surgical Burr and
Burr Wrench
A surgical burr is used scrape
away tissue and whatever else
needs to come away from the
extraction site. It is attached to the
hand piece with the burr wrench
and spins around at a high speed.

30. Hemostat
This instrument was used when
sutures were required. It is used
to hold the needle tip and
maneuver it while sutures are
placed.

31. Absorbable
Dental Sutures
The sutures that the dentists
place in the patients mouths are
absorbable to prevent the patients
from having to come back for
another visit and have the sutures
removed. Sutures are only used
when gum flaps have to be cut or
when the extraction site is to large
to heal on its own.

32. Hydrogen
Peroxide Wipes
These specific wipes have to be
used to wipe down equipment and
patients chairs between uses.
Prior to hydrogen peroxide wipes,
Cavi wipes were used. Recent
research has determined that
Cavi wipes are carcinogenic,
therefore these wipes are now
used.

33. Suction
Solution
After every patient and after every
clinic, the suction lines must be
cleaned out to ensure that any
debris and fluids are flushed
away.