Muar so far

Without realising, i've been in Muar for almost 5 months now! My first posting after signing up to be a dentist in Malaysia is to Muar, Johor. It's a tiny little town consisting of 5 main streets and only 3 roundabouts. Get to know these 3 little ones and you'll never get lost here. Here in Muar, I'm living in my grandpa's old home which has been left vacant for some time. This means.... free rent! weehhee!

Orthodontic Clinic

My first attachment started in January this year. It was at the Orthodontic Clinic in Muar, where i spent 2 months learning how to screen orthodontic patients, change modules and archwires, take perfect impressions for orthodontic study models and activate removable or functional appliances. At the same time, i had the opportunity to improve my extraction skills. People shake their heads when i tell them that in my 5 years in Ireland, i have done less than 20 extractions. On my first few times performing extractions, i ensured that my specialist (Dr Aiman, who is super nice and friendly) was standing beside me to guide me. Dr Aiman is like the nicest and most down to earth specialist ever. She sits and eat with the rest of us FYDOs, makes small talk with us when we're in the clinic, buy us food all the time and laughs at our silly mistakes. 

 My table at Ortho clinic, this is where i facebook when there are no patients

 Muar FYDOs ( From left: Nabila, Xin Jie, Sujata, me, Sey Yunn, Sarah, Jaspreet)

Sujata's last day at Ortho :( my first colleague

me busy at work.... holding the suction ;)

Found my name! 

My last day at Ortho. With the clinical staff. Too bad Dr Aiman wasn't around. 

My 2 months there were superbly enjoyble, especially with awesome superiors like Dr Aiman and Dr Tiu ( dressed in yellow in the pic above). Dr Tiu allowed me to leave early and even coaxed me to bring my laptop so i can facebook and not study in the office. How awesome is that?! 

Thanks Drs!

Oral Maxillofacial Clinic

In March, I sadly moved over to the OMF clinic in the Muar Hospital, where i will be completing my 4 month attachment. It was all so intimidating at first, a whole new environment, new people in a new clinical situation and new colleagues, and most terrifying of all, the types of patients that come in each day!

Most days, we get a least one motor vehicle accident (MVA) case. Some days, we get up to 4. These patients come in with torn foreheads, cheeks, eyelids, lips, broken teeth, broken jaws and bruises all over their bodies. We are the expected to examine them, clean them up and stitch them back together to make them as good as new. Tough feat, especially with my phobia of blood.

I was on call 2 weeks back and was called in to the hospital ward to treat an old man who was hit by a Mat Rempit. There were numerous tears in his mouth, some which are through and through, meaning his mouth was punctured. I spent 4 hours with my back bent by his bed, suturing his oral tissue back in one piece. By the end of the 4 hours, i could barely stand upright. Thankfully that was the last case!

Every Wednesdays, we get patients from a correctional facility nearby and from an Anti Drug center. Some of them come in handcuffs and some are even escorted by policemen. These patients are offered only the option of extraction no matter the severity of the disease. Also, most of them are infected by Hep B, Hep C or HIV.

As frightening as this may all sound, the experience i get from working here is invaluable. I leave work each day feeling that i have achieved something.

Oral maxillofacial clinic at Muar Hospital

FYDOs

In the operating theatre where we are only allowed to observe from afar

And this is what i do to keep myself busy while waiting for 5pm :)