saturday, in the park...NOT

saturday dentistry, ahhh.... a gorgeous day outside, the first sunny one in ages and i had to work! it was my turn this week, and never a dull moment. two weeks ago, i sent my assistant home with the plague and my poor office mananger doubled as my assistant, patient coordinator, and front dest. thank god she's a certified dental assistant! and i have to say, we both really rocked. this week, the hygienist called in sick last minute, so rather than working 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. like i thought, i worked a full 9-5. i really don't mind, i kinda like doing hygiene sometimes. it's very relaxing and entails no responsibilities, since patients rarely argue about getting a good cleaning. and i love blasting off those nasty chunks of tartar with the cavitron, it's so satisfying!

i'm currently having assistant issues. she really is a very sweet woman, just not the greatest assistant in the whole world. maybe it's because we're just not on the same wavelength clinically or the fact that i had really top-notch assitants in my new york office so no one can even compare. so, it's been particularly difficult working with her. correct me if i'm wrong, but the patient is positioned so that the dentist can visualize and gain access to do the work, not so the assistant can suction easily! she's not the one who needs to see! i find that i work much more efficiently sans assistant with the patient's head turned toward me with the saliva ejector tucked strategically in the corner of his or her mouth. also, she disappears and i have to keep calling her because i'm missing stuff from my setup! furthermore, it's not very professional to talk about how the next appointment is waiting outside while the one you are currently treating is still in the chair, or why the previous patient didn't show up, or seating the patient before the chart is pulled and you're standing there like "um, who are you and what am i doing on you?". i'm trying to figure out a way to explain things to her and ask for what i want in a way that is constructive and positive yet firm. i want her to learn the right way to do things, but i also don't want to burn any bridges. i do have to work with this woman on a daily basis, and i happen to like her as a person. and i really do hate confrontation. but i'll probably find the time to sit down with her and talk one-on-one so we can iron things out.

so all-in-all, the week ended well. tomorrow canuck and i meeting with our real estate agent to view some properties in different "pockets" of neighborhoods so we can get a feel for what's out there in our price range. i'm so excited!!!