They say you always remember your first...

Well, as you know, sometimes when you go to the dentist you have to get an injection before they work on you. That means at some point in dental school we learn about giving injections. We talked about how to do them and the technique, but once that is said and done, it was time to actually give an injection to someone. So instead of using a patient, we give injections to each other. Last week was my week to learn to give injections, and also receive an injection from a fellow student. Fun right?

Actually, it wasn't too bad at all. Giving injections is a pretty simple process, once you know what you are doing. We just didn't know what we were doing. But that didn't stop us, and in the end it was just fine. No one died, no one got facial paralysis, but we all got numb. Also as part of this lab, we administered Nitrous Oxide to each other. I have never had "laughing gas" so it was a new experience for me. It didn't really make me laugh, it just felt like I was heavy, and everything seemed to slow down a little. My voice sounded funny, to me at least, and my fingers and feet were tingly.

Anyway, it was a good experience and getting to do something hands on is always the best way for me to learn anyway. I just won't tell my first patient that they are only the 2nd person I have ever injected.

Here are a few pics of the injections. They are a little small, but you get the idea.

Getting some instructions on injection technique.

Prepping the "patient", Jill. She was in good spirits considering she knew I had never done this before.

"Bullseye!" Success.