Recently, I was messing around on the internet and ran across an article about a Link Between Dental X-rays and Brain Tumors. Like dentists and other dental professionals need any news articles to scare patients anymore than they usually already are! I have heard "I'm scared of the dentist" more times than I have brushed my own teeth. Not really, I brush my teeth a lot, but you get the idea! It's disturbing, actually. Yes, all radiation can cause some biological effects. But seriously, the risk is so low for any ill effects when taking dental x-rays every 6 months to a year. Honestly, you just have to do a pro/con worksheet. Are the benefits of having dental x-rays outweighing the possible risks? Yes, as a dental professional, I would definitely say a big fat, yes. The general public still cannot quite grasp just how completely and truely important oral hygiene really is. Oral health has effects on the entire body, not just the mouth!
The article does mention that dental x-rays are an essential procedure in the dental field, but that dental professionals should limit exposure. Listen guys, we go to school for long periods of time, and I would say that dental schools are not fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of schools, its HARD work. We know that we shouldn't take x-rays just to take x-rays, we do it because we know it is beneficial to both us as professionals to help the diagnostic process and beneficial to the patient because they see the effects of their oral hygiene in a radiograph. I understand that there can be misuse and order unneccessary radiographs, but I would say 90% of the time, all dental xrays that are prescribed are necessary in the dental diagnostic process.
The moral of the story is.... is that this article is really almost out there to scare people, and not to say that the public should not be aware of the possible risks of radiation--- in general. This particular article has no statistics at all, to show its readers actually how many people that have had dental xrays end up with brain tumors BECAUSE of the dental xrays. There is radiation everywhere, not just in the dental setting. So, people, don't NOT go to the dentist because you are deathly afraid of brain tumors, the risk is very low, and if you use this state of mind... then really, you shouldn't go to your medical doctor either because they might order xrays of your chest, which is linked to lung disease. Also, those medicines they are prescribing you is causing you to be resistant to all drugs and you are probably gong to develop an uncurable disease and no medicine ever will cure you.
Sorry, dental student rant. I'm done. Go to the dentist.
American Dental Association talks about exactly what dental xrays are and what the benefits to both the patient and the dental professional. This article talks about why you should visit the dentist regularly.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Just a few more weeks
What a week.
I am usually not a dramatic person... the only drama I have going on usually is when I watch a show like Grey's Anatomy. But lately, it seems like everything around me is so... dramatized. Maybe it is because I am surrounded with a bunch of other women all the time, at work, at school, at home... Anyways, I cannot WAIT til thats over!
Tonight and this weekend I have so much going on... I hope I can manage it all. I made plans with my family to go see a friend play at the Boat House Wine Company tonight, which starts at 7 and lasts til 10 or 11. A friend from Mississippi is in town, so hopefully I can see her this weekend, and it's one of my roommates birthdays! She is having her birthday celebration tomorrow night though at her aunts lakehouse which should be a great time! I hope the weather stays nice and cool!
This is going to sound weird, but does anyone else have this problem? I work 3 days a week and had previously not been working... but it seems like I have SO MUCH less money now that I am working compared to when I wasn't. It has really been blowing my mind. I can't wait til I'm a college graduate with RDH after my name making some real money! Ah that day will be the greatest!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
I am usually not a dramatic person... the only drama I have going on usually is when I watch a show like Grey's Anatomy. But lately, it seems like everything around me is so... dramatized. Maybe it is because I am surrounded with a bunch of other women all the time, at work, at school, at home... Anyways, I cannot WAIT til thats over!
Tonight and this weekend I have so much going on... I hope I can manage it all. I made plans with my family to go see a friend play at the Boat House Wine Company tonight, which starts at 7 and lasts til 10 or 11. A friend from Mississippi is in town, so hopefully I can see her this weekend, and it's one of my roommates birthdays! She is having her birthday celebration tomorrow night though at her aunts lakehouse which should be a great time! I hope the weather stays nice and cool!
This is going to sound weird, but does anyone else have this problem? I work 3 days a week and had previously not been working... but it seems like I have SO MUCH less money now that I am working compared to when I wasn't. It has really been blowing my mind. I can't wait til I'm a college graduate with RDH after my name making some real money! Ah that day will be the greatest!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Surprising Pain Triggers and Solutions
On MSN Health, I read an article about pain triggers. This caught my eye because I have been having a lot of migranes lately which I think is because of the constant weather changes, hot-cold-hot-hotter-cold. Whenever I get a migrane, that is definitely all I can think about, and this article says that there is good reason for that. A lot of time I just take some ibuprofen or tylenol to try to mask the pain, but this article shows how to actually treat the problem!
Pain trigger #1: Anger
Anger can cause chronic lower-back pain because of how you tense the muscles along the spine. Tight muscles hurt, so instead of holding in the aggravation, let it out and it might takes away some pain. This is because when you suppress your anger, the hostile feelings end up as tension which in turn increases the awful feeling in your body.
I know I personally have a problem with suppressing my anger a lot. Recently, I really have been trying to let it out, alone, in the car or in a private place. I am still having some serious tension aches in my body though, so don't know if this tactic is completely a cure-all.
Pain trigger #2: Your Smartphone
Who know a smartphone could cause a source of pain? It causes pain whenever you hold the phone between your shoulder and ear when trying to multi-task. This causes neck and shoulder aches and even tingling down your arm. Texting can often lead to tendonitis in your thumb.
Solution to this problem, would be to use a headset in planning on talking for more than a few minutes. When texting, using the pad of your thumb instead of using the tip of thumb will help lessen the risk of tendonitis.
Pain trigger #3: Thinking the Worst
I tend to not think to into things, but I notice a lot of friends do this. Thinking about the worst outcome in a situation can cause undo stress on the body.
You can try to avoid always thinking the worst by setting aside 10 minutes to let yourself worry in the middle of every day, but do not let this time fall in the early morning or right before bed. You can write down your worries and prioriztize your worries by how you can solve them.
Another article about thinking positive.
Pain trigger #4: Skimping on Sleep
As a dental hygiene student, one of my biggest problems is not getting enough sleep. I have heard over and over again how bad this is, but its hard to get the recommended amount of sleep every single day. People with chronic insomnia have nearly three times the risk of chronic pain according to the journal Sleep. Another article about not getting enough sleep.
Avoid this ache by hypnotizing yourself, an example of this would be to become completely absorbed in a single object, such as a candle's flame. This works by focusing your attention on something other than your aches and pains.
Pain trigger #5: Your Work Area
Bad posture has a high potential for injury. Carrying your shoulders up around your ears from stress tightens your shoulders and causes stress on the body, which leads to aches and pains.
Avoid these pains by practicing good posture!
Pain trigger #6: Loneliness
Denying the needs of being around others can lead to physical pain.
Avoid this by surrounding yourself with people you love and that love you!
Pain trigger #1: Anger
Anger can cause chronic lower-back pain because of how you tense the muscles along the spine. Tight muscles hurt, so instead of holding in the aggravation, let it out and it might takes away some pain. This is because when you suppress your anger, the hostile feelings end up as tension which in turn increases the awful feeling in your body.
I know I personally have a problem with suppressing my anger a lot. Recently, I really have been trying to let it out, alone, in the car or in a private place. I am still having some serious tension aches in my body though, so don't know if this tactic is completely a cure-all.
Pain trigger #2: Your Smartphone
Who know a smartphone could cause a source of pain? It causes pain whenever you hold the phone between your shoulder and ear when trying to multi-task. This causes neck and shoulder aches and even tingling down your arm. Texting can often lead to tendonitis in your thumb.
Solution to this problem, would be to use a headset in planning on talking for more than a few minutes. When texting, using the pad of your thumb instead of using the tip of thumb will help lessen the risk of tendonitis.
Pain trigger #3: Thinking the Worst
I tend to not think to into things, but I notice a lot of friends do this. Thinking about the worst outcome in a situation can cause undo stress on the body.
You can try to avoid always thinking the worst by setting aside 10 minutes to let yourself worry in the middle of every day, but do not let this time fall in the early morning or right before bed. You can write down your worries and prioriztize your worries by how you can solve them.
Another article about thinking positive.
Pain trigger #4: Skimping on Sleep
As a dental hygiene student, one of my biggest problems is not getting enough sleep. I have heard over and over again how bad this is, but its hard to get the recommended amount of sleep every single day. People with chronic insomnia have nearly three times the risk of chronic pain according to the journal Sleep. Another article about not getting enough sleep.
Avoid this ache by hypnotizing yourself, an example of this would be to become completely absorbed in a single object, such as a candle's flame. This works by focusing your attention on something other than your aches and pains.
Pain trigger #5: Your Work Area
Bad posture has a high potential for injury. Carrying your shoulders up around your ears from stress tightens your shoulders and causes stress on the body, which leads to aches and pains.
Avoid these pains by practicing good posture!
Pain trigger #6: Loneliness
Denying the needs of being around others can lead to physical pain.
Avoid this by surrounding yourself with people you love and that love you!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Motivation!
Sometimes, like many others I have talked to over the years,
I am just unmotivated to do a lot of things… unmotivated to work out, clean the
house, do my homework… and then sometimes, all I do is productive things and
dog on myself if I even take 5 minutes to lay on the couch and watch bad
reality TV. I have always wondered what the secret is for those people that hit
the gym every day at 5am and then again after their 8 hour work day, how some
people keep their house sparkling clean every day, and how some of my
classmates seem to do nothing in life but focus on school. Well thank you, MSN
living, for the “9 Secrets of Motivated People.”
1.
When you
make a plan, anticipate bumps. I need help in this area specifically. I
have made a lot of plans and had a lot of goals, and when something happens
that throws me off for the day, the next day is ruined too. Also, the rest of
the week. And then it is over.
2.
Channel
the little engine that could – really.
MSN says that a person’s drive is often based on what they believe about
their abilities, not on how talented they actually are. People that believe
they are self-efficient do a lot better with goals than those who do not believe
it. Maybe I should take this to heart, and believe it myself more!
3.
Don’t let
your goals run wild, but work on them every day. I have always been told
that if you set your goals too high, you may not ever reach them and will get
discouraged. Maybe that’s a big part of my problem too. Even if I don’t really
think a goal is unreachable, maybe it IS unreachable for that week or month, or
year. I need to set smaller goals, maybe start with just making daily goals
instead of trying to make goals for the year.
4.
Go public
with it. This is something I actually do try to do. If I’m going on a diet,
I try to tell my family and friends so they know not to ask me out to dinner
and my roommates usually try to go on the diet with me, or vice versa. The only
problem is that it only lasts about a month and then it’s over.
5.
Lean on a
support crew when struggling. This is something I need to do more, and I think
I need to do this more in life even when I am not talking about motivation. We all
need to do this. I keep things bottled inside for so long that I sometimes just
blow up, and I really always hate myself after I do it. I need to just lean on
someone, like my mom, when something inside is eating me up instead of trying
to deal with it myself.
6.
Make
yourself a priority. Put yourself first, and be selfish, even though it doesn’t
feel right sometimes. This can be totally hard sometimes but it can be done! At
least it is hard for me to do… I tend to feel guilty when I put myself first
for something but do not have to feel like this all the time!
7.
Challenge
yourself – and change things up. I definitely agree with this, when on a
diet, eating the same healthy salads gets so old day in and day out for lunch
and supper. It’s good for the first week or so, but then after that… give me something
bad for me! Changing things up and learning new recipes is something that could
help stay on track!
8.
Keep on
learning. I do truly enjoy learning about new things and love to “learn
something new every day” Here is a fun little fact of the day blog to check out.
9.
Remember
the deeper meaning. The article says that you are more likely to realize a
goal when it has true personal significance to you.
Here is another article about goals!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Over too quickly!
I am so unbelieveably saddened that Spring Break is already over. I swear, time just flies right on by me! Better not blink, because you will miss out on too much! It is week 11 of my second semester in dental hygiene school... it feels like just yesterday was my first day in the clinic! Soon we will finally be working on each other and then soon after that, real patients! So exciting yet so nerve racking. I hope enough people out there trust me enough to work in their mouths!
Over break, I really did not do much of anything but relax. I did a few papers, worked, and did some housework, but other than that and catching up on some neglected TV, not much of anything. Yesterday, I went with my little sister to see the new move, The Hunger Games. I enjoyed it, although cried a lot. I read the books a while back so I was pretty excited to see the movie, however gruesome it might be. After the movie, we went to eat dinner with our parents and she was telling our mom "Sissy cried like someone died!" which, if you have read the books or went and saw the movie this past weekend, you know.... thats exactly what happened. She caught herself after the thought rolled off her tounge! Speaking of the Hunger Games, the soundtrack is actually pretty cool and I am definitely enjoying listening to the songs.
This week looks like I will be doing a lot of studying for the class I'm doing the worst in, have a test on Thursday... not looking forward to that. I just cannot make myself study as hard as I need to for this class, it is just so uninteresting and furthermore, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Which is why I need to study it more, but... catch 22, really. Ugh, vicious cycle!
Hope everyone has a great week!!
Over break, I really did not do much of anything but relax. I did a few papers, worked, and did some housework, but other than that and catching up on some neglected TV, not much of anything. Yesterday, I went with my little sister to see the new move, The Hunger Games. I enjoyed it, although cried a lot. I read the books a while back so I was pretty excited to see the movie, however gruesome it might be. After the movie, we went to eat dinner with our parents and she was telling our mom "Sissy cried like someone died!" which, if you have read the books or went and saw the movie this past weekend, you know.... thats exactly what happened. She caught herself after the thought rolled off her tounge! Speaking of the Hunger Games, the soundtrack is actually pretty cool and I am definitely enjoying listening to the songs.
This week looks like I will be doing a lot of studying for the class I'm doing the worst in, have a test on Thursday... not looking forward to that. I just cannot make myself study as hard as I need to for this class, it is just so uninteresting and furthermore, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Which is why I need to study it more, but... catch 22, really. Ugh, vicious cycle!
Hope everyone has a great week!!
Friday, March 16, 2012
SPRING BREAK!
Like many others I am sure, I am so excited for this upcoming week. Spring break! Woo. I am not actually doing anything besides working and some research papers, but I am excited to have to think a little less throughout the week!
This week has been pretty chill for me. My roommates and I have been updating our apartment with some new decorations, mainly because we love to do it, but also because Sikeston's downtown is having a St. Patricks Day fair downtown where we live and we are figuring that a lot of people will probably be coming up to our apartment to see it (and use the bathroom) and we want it looking perfect!
Also, I don't know if I have spoken about it yet, but I have a new job at the Manpower office in Sikeston doing some administrative work, and I really love it! I am super stoked that I was able to get it, and I make pretty good money doing it! My roommate, Taylor, works here too and got me the job. So blessed and thankful!
Short blog this week, nothing too much going on! Hope everyone has a great weekend and an awesome spring break if you are at MSSU. What are everyones plans?!
This week has been pretty chill for me. My roommates and I have been updating our apartment with some new decorations, mainly because we love to do it, but also because Sikeston's downtown is having a St. Patricks Day fair downtown where we live and we are figuring that a lot of people will probably be coming up to our apartment to see it (and use the bathroom) and we want it looking perfect!
Also, I don't know if I have spoken about it yet, but I have a new job at the Manpower office in Sikeston doing some administrative work, and I really love it! I am super stoked that I was able to get it, and I make pretty good money doing it! My roommate, Taylor, works here too and got me the job. So blessed and thankful!
Short blog this week, nothing too much going on! Hope everyone has a great weekend and an awesome spring break if you are at MSSU. What are everyones plans?!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Two weeks in review
I am such a bad blogger. I always have been. The only blog I was good at was Xanga. Who remembers that.... OLD SCHOOL!
Anyways, I had one of the worst weeks, last week, that I have had in a very long time. It seems that life does that sometimes though. I failed (barely, one was a 72% and the other a 74%, still failing in dental hygiene school, though) two tests, something in my car blew up while driving on the interstate and I had to sit on the side of the road wait for a tow truck, I then had to cough up money for car parts that I didn't have, my grandmas washer was leaking and no one knew and almost fell through the floor so she had to go live at my parents for a few days (doesn't directly effect me but it was just one thing after another, you've had those kind of days/weeks before), and a few other things that I have pushed far back in my memory. I just had a really bad week, not only in school, but at home, too. It was awful. Oh, and I completely forgot to blog.
I was determined, however, to not let this week be the same. I succeeded! This week has actually been super relaxing. I have a lot due school-wise, but I can handle that! This one one of those weeks where I was just going through the motions, which normally, I would probably complain about.... "nothing ever changes..whine whine" NOT THIS TIME! I enjoyed very much having nothing extra happening in my life!
Tomorrow is a big day, lots of things going on! School, work for a few hours at my new job as an admin assistant at Manpower, going to see my sister give a speech since she is running for an office in our schools pep organization, and then a little free time to make some potluck type food for our game night gathering that my Sunday school class is getting together to do! Tomorrow is filled but should be a great day!
Anyways, a little update about Operation Space! I taught again last Wednesday, and had a great time again. Kids are kids and sometimes they don't like to listen or mind very well, but I think they enjoy their time learning about Christ! Hopefully they'll get something out of it!
Anyways, I had one of the worst weeks, last week, that I have had in a very long time. It seems that life does that sometimes though. I failed (barely, one was a 72% and the other a 74%, still failing in dental hygiene school, though) two tests, something in my car blew up while driving on the interstate and I had to sit on the side of the road wait for a tow truck, I then had to cough up money for car parts that I didn't have, my grandmas washer was leaking and no one knew and almost fell through the floor so she had to go live at my parents for a few days (doesn't directly effect me but it was just one thing after another, you've had those kind of days/weeks before), and a few other things that I have pushed far back in my memory. I just had a really bad week, not only in school, but at home, too. It was awful. Oh, and I completely forgot to blog.
I was determined, however, to not let this week be the same. I succeeded! This week has actually been super relaxing. I have a lot due school-wise, but I can handle that! This one one of those weeks where I was just going through the motions, which normally, I would probably complain about.... "nothing ever changes..whine whine" NOT THIS TIME! I enjoyed very much having nothing extra happening in my life!
Tomorrow is a big day, lots of things going on! School, work for a few hours at my new job as an admin assistant at Manpower, going to see my sister give a speech since she is running for an office in our schools pep organization, and then a little free time to make some potluck type food for our game night gathering that my Sunday school class is getting together to do! Tomorrow is filled but should be a great day!
Anyways, a little update about Operation Space! I taught again last Wednesday, and had a great time again. Kids are kids and sometimes they don't like to listen or mind very well, but I think they enjoy their time learning about Christ! Hopefully they'll get something out of it!
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