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Dental Student Clinic Epic Fails!

Candy09

Member
Confessions of a Dental Student - Epic Clinic Fails!

Hello to all my fellow colleagues!

As I approach the end of my 4th year of study, I've come to reflect on some pretty fail moments I've had in the past 2.5 years in the clinics. As undergraduates, we've all undoubtedly messed up and made mistakes before, and while they may well have been embarrassing or perhaps a tough learning experience at the time, at some stage we can all look back and laugh about how 'fail' we were back in the early days.

So I'll start.

My epic clinic fails so far are:

1. Last year (3rd year) I gave an IDB to the wrong side, and had to let the patient go home without doing the filling they came in for (they had to drive 2.5 hours to get to the Dental School!)
2. In my 2nd year (first clinical year) I did advanced periodontal charting on a full upper denture without realising, and according to my notes they had really deep pockets - LOL!
3. Again in 2nd year, I did a composite filling for a patient without etching and bonding prior, needless to say gravity took its course as soon as the patient got out of the chair!

Think you've done worse then me? Post up your epic clinic fails here! :p
 
Last edited:

Lachlan

Member
hmmm I would reply but Griffith is watching. They even forced us to have a griffith employee join our facebook groups to see what we are talking about.
 

HelloWorld

Faux-American

Havox

Sword and Martini Guy!
Emeritus Staff
hmmm I would reply but Griffith is watching. They even forced us to have a griffith employee join our facebook groups to see what we are talking about.

I question the legality of that demand.
 

l2009

Regular Member
hmmm I would reply but Griffith is watching. They even forced us to have a griffith employee join our facebook groups to see what we are talking about.

Lol, I remember hearing about that ... I doubt Griffith would care if they read about some of the mistakes their students have made in clinic. It happens to everyone!

In third year I had to bring back a patient three times because each time I couldn't get a proper contact point. Felt pretty useless but the patient was so lovely and insisted that I need to learn from making mistakes.
 

Shizzy

Staff
Administrator
hmmm I would reply but Griffith is watching. They even forced us to have a griffith employee join our facebook groups to see what we are talking about.

Wow, why did you agree to that? I'm glad the school was never able to join our group titled "School of med vs 2012 cohort"
 

narouz

Member
Hello to all my fellow colleagues!

As I approach the end of my 4th year of study, I've come to reflect on some pretty fail moments I've had in the past 2.5 years in the clinics. As undergraduates, we've all undoubtedly messed up and made mistakes before, and while they may well have been embarrassing or perhaps a tough learning experience at the time, at some stage we can all look back and laugh about how 'fail' we were back in the early days.

So I'll start.

My epic clinic fails so far are:

1. Last year (3rd year) I gave an IDB to the wrong side, and had to let the patient go home without doing the filling they came in for (they had to drive 2.5 hours to get to the Dental School!)
2. In my 2nd year (first clinical year) I did advanced periodontal charting on a full upper denture without realising, and according to my notes they had really deep pockets - LOL!
3. Again in 2nd year, I did a composite filling for a patient without etching and bonding prior, needless to say gravity took its course as soon as the patient got out of the chair!

Think you've done worse then me? Post up your epic clinic fails here! :p

LOLL
 

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jaffabird

Member
I can beat your fails!

1. One of the first fillings I did in 2nd year I lined with vitrebond. Supervisor checked it off and I proceeded to place CR without curing the liner first. I realised my mistake a couple of hours later, and went home in a panic feeling so bad for my patient. I didn't sleep at all that night, stressing out so much, imagining this filling bouncing around on unset goo, patient in agony. I saw my patient a couple of weeks after- they said it felt a little sensitive (*gulp) but has settled down and feels fine now. I later learned that 1) vitrebond being RMGIC eventually sets with time anyway and 2) I cured a CR on top so that would have caused a little co-curing also. So first mistake wasn't then end of the world in hindsight.

2. Worst mistake> In perio clinic 3rd year, was hand-scaling interproximally two upper premolars when my curette got stuck. In a panic I twisted the instrument free, and heard a bit of a crack at the time but thought nothing much of it. My lovely patient at the time was quite impressed (she would always want to look at the calculus on the gauze to make sure we were doing a good job), thinking I had removed a whopper. I showed her a small pile of mainly plaque... Two weeks later my patient returns but is being seen by the periodontist. I observe as she reports dull pain from the tooth but more shocking is my first look at a buccal abscess (and quite a big one too). And deep down I know it was iatrogenic. The specialist explains to the patient the bad news that the tooth has a vertical root fracture, and how it is a but unusual because the tooth has never had a filling but then sometimes you have bad luck etc. I felt so sickly awful but didn't say anything. The specialist explained how the only option is exo (but not today, she will have to come back tomorrow, and travels 3hrs to uni), and that the abscess must be drained today. And then the cruelest thing that I have seen in my career to date: he insist that he must drain via a scalpel incision without LA! Because apparently it will cause more pressure/the LA won't work well/contaminate the swab test that did of the pus etc. It was absolutely horrible, patient screaming and howling in pain. Upside of the story the patient got an implant crown replacement, but still feel bad to this day.

3. Used ledemix paste instead of ledermix cement as a direct pulp cap on a deep buccal filling in 3rd year. Needless to say, paste don't set, and pulp wasn't happy. Abscess ensued and patient was referred for RCT.

4. Prepping for a veneer for the first time. Missed the lecture on veneer prep designs and was going by notes only, but didn't know which of the three designs was preferred by the school. Removed too much incisal edge when supervisor was about to suggest feather edge. Ended up prepping for a PFM crown instead.

5. Referred a circumvallate tastebud to oral pathology. Referred a lingual tonsil to oral pathology. Referred a exotoses to pathology. Referred a lot of normal anatomy.

6. Wrote a case report about a patient who had dodgy overseas crowns on every tooth and multi-tooth bridges with terrible overhangs and active perio. Basically wrote it was too hard to treat and we would monitor. Was marked fail from perio tutor. Patient was returned for recontouring, new crowns and treatment of multiple missed periapical periodontitis lesions too.

7. Photocopied patient's file so could work on another case report at home. No copying allowed.

Plus many more!
 

tomw84

Regular Member
Ok so it didn't result in a mistake per se - just an embarrassing brain-snap, but last week I was planning my approach to a removal of a large 47 MO amalgam restoration in order to temporise with IRM and ortho band (dx pulpitis secondary to mesidistal crack to be assessed by endo). I kid you not I sat and stared at this patient's Q4 for about 2 mins thinking to myself "how do you do a buccal infiltration on a lower molar"....

Then I came to my senses and felt appropriately stupid.
 

miss_universe

muse.
Emeritus Staff
Those are doooseys [MENTION=14295]jaffabird[/MENTION], well done!
 

Season

Emeritus Staff
Emeritus Staff
hmmm I would reply but Griffith is watching. They even forced us to have a griffith employee join our facebook groups to see what we are talking about.

Honestly I would make a second group and make it invisible to people searching it on facebook. There are heaps of stuff said in groups I am in and I would be horrified if that automatically got fed back to the faculty.
 

miss_universe

muse.
Emeritus Staff
Honestly I would make a second group and make it invisible to people searching it on facebook. There are heaps of stuff said in groups I am in and I would be horrified if that automatically got fed back to the faculty.

You should see our group after a bad exam! Woo :O
 

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I had a patient come in for pain for a lower 4th quadrant molar.
Ended up taking a PA of the 3rd quadrant by accident and supervisor didn't look at the radiograph and discharged the patient with antibiotics.....

I didn't know cavity conditioners were suppose to be washed off...so I put vitrebond over it and cured it and then put GIC over it
 

Ruth

Maderator
Emeritus Staff
When I was in radiography this year, idk why but I was super super nervous about seeing my first patient, and I ended up trying to take a PA then realising the x-ray beam was facing the wall...

but looking at these if that's the worst thing I can think of I'm doing well LOL
 

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