Blog 24 - Last Presentation Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
• I am most proud of completing my senior project to the best of my ability and putting so much thought into the activities for my senior presentation.
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
• I think I would give myself a P on my presentation. I met all the minimum requirements and put forth my best into my presentation.
3. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
• I would give myself a P. I think throughout my entire senior project I did the best I could as far as effort and I demonstrated knowledge about my topic.
4. What worked for you in your senior project?
• I had some really great mentors which made learning about my topic easier and finding my answers.
5. If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
• I would probably go back and try to find books about patient anxiety. Even though it was hard to find books for my topic, knowing what I do now, I would have started looking much sooner.
6. How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?
• My project has definitely helped me be more open to talking to people. By that I mean people of a professional type that might be intimidating. Doing interviews and having to find a mentor pushed me to talk to actual professionals and helped me open up, which I know I will need to do in the future. Also, with my new found knowledge about oral health I will be able to take better care of my oral hygiene which I will definitely be able to use in the future.

Exit Interview

1. What is your essential question, and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?
• EQ: What are the best ways for a dentist to ease a patient's anxiety?
• Answer #1: A dentist can help ease an anxious patient by educating the patient about proper oral health and procedures so that they feel confident about going to the dentist.
• Answer #2: A dentist can help ease an anxious patient by being a dentist that has the qualities to make a patient comfortable.
• Answer #3: A dentist can help ease an anxious patient by utilizing less invasive, digital dentistry and referencing techniques that the patient can use to be more comfortable at the dentist. (Best Answer) 
2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
• I did a lot of research to arrive at my best answer. There was a lot of research backing up this answer so I thought my Answer #3 should be my best answer. 
3. What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
• With my other two answers, it was difficult to find  really credible research. Those answers are based mostly off of my experience around patients and at mentorship. 
• I went more in depth when searching the internet. It was super hard to find any books at the library that related to my topic, most likely because my topic is very specific.
4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question? Why?
• Interview #1 and #2 with Dr. Chris Chen
• This interview helped me decided what I wanted to focus my senior project on and actually led me to some of my answers later on in the process. It specifically helped me come up with my Answer #2.
• The Internet 
• Specifically access to websites like American Dental Association, Mayo Clinic, and Colgate. Most of those sources helped me to come up with my Answer #3, which is my best answer. 

Blog 22 - Independent Component 2

• I, Cheyenne Medina, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
• The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Mouth." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. http://www.britannica.com/science/mouth-anatomy.
• Updated Senior Project Hours Log 
• For my second component I sculpted the basic anatomy of the human mouth.
• The part of this component that I struggled the most with was the base for my clay. I tried paper mache in the beginning of construction. That turned out to be very messy and it did not make it easy to sculpt the clay. I decided to try several types of foam before deciding to use plain white foam. I then started to sculpt the gums to the foam. The next step in this process was to shape the teeth as well as the tongue and uvula. Another challenge of creating this project was having to mix together certain shades of clay in order to achieve the look of certain colors. I was able to use toothpicks to hold the mouth open.
• The component helped me understand more of my topic overall. Besides doing more project hours, this was the next best thing I could think of to help me understand my topic better. My mentor recommended I try working with clay to understand the manual dexterity that dentists use everyday in dealing with small things and spaces. So, overall I would say that this did help me understand my topic in some way. 

Blog 17 - Interview 4 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from this interview?
• The most important thing I learned from this interview is that a good patient-doctor relationship is very important to making a person feel at ease. I was able to hear from the patient's point of view what techniques she thought would work best to put an anxious patient to ease. 
2. How will what I learned affect my final lesson?
• In my final lesson I will not only be able to present from the dentist point of view but also from the patient point of view. I think it is very important that I included both point of views in order to help the answers for my EQ be the most accurate. 

Link to Interview 4 is posted in Senior Project Links.

Blog 20 - Fourth Interview Questions

1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise?
• I plan on interviewing a patient from the dental office where I do my mentorship. The reason I am choosing to interview a patient is because my essential question looks at ways that a patient is able to feel most comfortable. I feel I will be able to benefit by interviewing a patient rather than another professional in the field. 
2. Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ. 
• How do you feel about going to the dentist?
• How do you feel about the dentists at this office?
• What qualities do you look for when choosing a dentist?
• Have you ever had any bad experiences with a dentist?
• Have you ever had a past traumatic experience with a dentist?
• Would you say that going to the dentist or certain procedures make you feel anxious or uneasy?
• If yes, what do you do to cope with that feeling?
• What does the dentist do to help you feel more comfortable?
• Do you ever get nervous that your oral hygiene is not at its best?
• Does that feeling of being unsure cause anxiety?
• What are the most important things in a doctor-patient relationship?
• What does you oral hygiene routine consist of?
• Would you ever consider sedation dentistry?
• What is the most nerve wracking part about going to the dentist?
• What could a dentist office do to give off a more comfortable feeling?
• Have you ever thought of the dentist as the "bad guy"?
• Have you ever felt completely comfortable with a dentist or in a dental office?
• On a scale of 1-10 how important do you consider oral health?
• What types of technologies would help you to feel more comfortable at the dentist?
• What do you think are the best ways for a dentist to help the patient feel most at ease?

Blog 19 - Third Answer

• EQ: What are the best ways for a dentist to ease a patients anxiety?
• Answer #3: One of the best ways for a dentist to ease a patient's anxiety is by encouraging and using technologies and methods that can help to put patients at ease.
• One of the many technologies that actually help to put a patient at ease during a dental visit is music. By encouraging the use of music as a form of "therapy" during a visit the patient will be able to feel more at ease.
• Dental Sedation and cognitive behavioral therapy are both methods that an office can encourage for an anxious patient.
• By staying updated and advanced with dental technologies the patient can be sure that they are going to a good dentist.
• Source #11
• Source #28
• Source #41
• A patient will be able to feel more at ease by knowing that the dentist is able to offer options to them about methods that will help them be able to manage their anxiety and have the best possible experience at the dentist.

Answer 2

1. What is your EQ?
• "What are the best ways for a dentist to ease a patient's anxiety?"
2. What is your first answer?
• One of the best ways for a dentist to ease a patient's anxiety is through proper education to reduce anxiety and increase confidence in oral health.
3. What is your second answer?
• One of the best ways for a dentist to ease a patient's anxiety is to be a dentist of good quality. (I will define good quality by what people look for and want in a dentist.)
4. List three reasons that your answer is true with a real world application for each.
• People want a reliable and empathetic dentist they can trust. Before choosing a dentist many people will often meet with the doctor to get a feel of their personality.
• A good dentist will be able to put more patients at ease because they will have all the good qualities a patient wants. I have read several articles about what qualities many people look for in a dentist.
• Anxiety can be eased by a supportive and calming attitude. Many people with anxiety go to a therapist to receive help. A supportive and calming dentist will ease a patient better than a cold and unsupportive dentist.
5. What printed source best supports your answer?
• Source #28
6. What other source supports your answer?
• Source #12
• Source #21
• Source #29
7. Tie this together with a concluding thought?
• My second answer is basically saying that a dentist will be able to ease a patient's anxiety as long as they encompass all the qualities that work best for making a patients feel comfortable.