The US Air Power’s Maxwell Medical Group’s Dental Flight is taking a major step to spice up Airman readiness by restoring superior in-house oral surgical procedure capabilities and integrating digital dentistry to supply quicker, extra complete care to the set up’s active-duty inhabitants. To raised help this readiness posture, the clinic is now geared up to deal with complicated procedures that have been beforehand outsourced.
“They’ve been referring out quite a lot of procedures: root canals, implants, knowledge enamel,” mentioned US Air Power Capt. Thomas Hardison, Maxwell Medical Group complete dentist. “And so being right here and having the coaching to do these procedures introduced quite a lot of care again in-house.”
The dental flight’s position is crucial in clearing Airmen for deployment, typically requiring the crew to react with urgency to fulfill short-notice mission necessities. “When sufferers are deploying, we be certain that they’re able to go. In the event that they do have issues which might be limiting them from going, we are going to cease what we’re doing to get them out the door,” mentioned US Air Power Tech. Sgt. Ernessie Ladouceur, Maxwell Medical Group dental flight chief.
Whereas bringing again sedation capabilities has been the newest focus on the clinic, there are a number of kinds of procedures the flight additionally goals to deliver again. “We’ll do implants, sinus lifts, ridge augmentation, and different periodontal surgical procedures,” mentioned Hardison.
Modernization has been a key part of the clinic’s enhanced capabilities, with a renewed concentrate on digital dentistry. This shift reduces chair time for sufferers and improves the precision of care by way of superior expertise. “We have now two 3D printers up and operating now,” mentioned Hardison. “We do most every part digitally now. So, we scan every part, 3D print fashions, and mill restorations.”
Maintaining these superior procedures inside the navy well being system offers a direct profit to the affected person by making certain all their medical data is centralized and accessible. “I believe the impression is the continuity of care. Extra sufferers are capable of have their care right here with us and never see a supplier off base,” mentioned Ladouceur. “It’s one much less factor they’ve to fret about.”
The flight’s core perform is making certain each Airman is medically ready for world operations. “The unit’s general mission is to ensure that our active-duty members are capable of be match and prepared,” mentioned Ladouceur. “In order that means after they’re on the market, they’re not having to fret about one thing like a toothache.”
