Memorial Day: Military Dentistry

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Memorial Day Military Dentistry
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• The staff at Dental Web Now would like to
  recognize the notable contributions of our
  servicemen and women in the U.S. Armed Forces as
  well as those in the Department of Veterans
  Affairs who specialize in the field of dentistry
  this Memorial Day.  Dentists in the military are
  professional dentists who, as a condition of
  having the costs of their medical training paid
  for, are contractually obligated to serve a
  number of years.  

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• They are commissioned officers, and can serve
  full-time in a military facility, or maintain
  their civilian practice while being available
  as-needed in the Reserves.  They are the staff
  dentists  working within a  fully-featured dental
  office, much like their civilian counterparts,
  and may also specialize in the same fields, such
  as orthodontics, periodontics, and pediatric
  dentistry.  They serve a wider range of patients,
  from elite special operators to kindergarteners
  at the on-base elementary school.

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• I recall a number of appointments at the
  dental offices at Fort Eustis, VA and at Fort
  Stewart, GA, while in the U.S. Army.  During my
  advanced training as a helicopter mechanic, I
  sustained a severe fracture of my upper jaw in a
  basketball game with other soldiers at our
  training quarters ironically, it was the
  afternoon of July 4th, 2003.  Ultimately, it
  required five months in wire braces, three root
  canals, two ceramic composite crowns, and a
  titanium implant in my jaw.  (No partridge in a
  pear tree, sorry).  That was tens of thousands of
  dollars worth of work, but the Army (and the
  Veterans Administration) covered every bit, no
  questions asked.

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• Contrary to what one might expect, military
  dentists dont have a dental drill in one hand,
  and a pistol in the other.  Servicemembers who
  are being sent into a hostile zone must have a
  full dental exam performed before theyre cleared
  for deployment.  If a severe dental problem is
  identified, it would have to be treated and then
  the soldier is sent overseas.  The military
  dentist does not deploy with the overall unit,
  but rather stays at his/her dental office,
  treating those servicemembers who were flagged
  for dental treatment, pregnant servicewomen, and
  the servicemembers families.

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• This is not to say that there arent some
  dentists who go into hazardous location rather,
  theyre the exception.  A few may volunteer to
  deploy overseas to cover emergencies (wounded
  warriors), as well as promoting goodwill.  For
  example, some Army dentists treated critical
  dental issues for foreign locals in Iraq
  Afghanistan, either by helping the indigenous
  dentists who may have lacked sufficient staff and
  resources, supplanting them if they were
  unavailable for various reasons, or both.

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• Military dentists differ significant from
  civilian dentists in that they serve a community
  in which theres a common bond unmatched in
  civilian practice.  The patient in the chair
  shares many of the same values as the dental
  provider, while all are committed to selfless
  service on behalf of their communities and
  nation.  Thanks to all of the dentists in the
  Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard
  who help keep Americas warriors healthy and
  smiling brightly!
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