As a dentist in the Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force you will not go to a "war zone". It's not like you would set up a practice in the middle of baghdad. You would be on a base in the middle east. Some may still call this a "war zone" but it really isn't. In all likely hood you would go to Kuwait or someplace like that and be located on a base that is well guarded. Yes you might encounter a few mortar attacks, but as soon as one explodes our artillery lights up the mountain sides that the attack came from. Overall it isn't as safe as a civilian living in his or her apartment but it really isn't life or death like people think(as a dentist). The dentists that I know in the military(1 army and 2 air force) haven't been to Iraq because it's not like the military is going to sacrifice the mission so someone can get a cavity filled. the Medical field is different because of the injuries that happen during a conflict.
Perhaps, you should limit your statements to the Air Force. You obviously don't know much about the Army. To say that you will more than likely deploy to Kuwait rather than Iraq is flat out wrong. In the Army, there are basically three types of TO&E (field) slots you can be assigned to as a active duty dentist (there are others in the reserves and guard.)
BDE slots- Each brigade has an assigned dentist who deploys wherever the brigade goes. There are currently between 15 & 20 brigades in Iraq.
CSH slots- Each combat support hospital has a dentist slot and an oral surgeon slot. There a two CSH's in Iraq at any time.
Medical Company (Dental Services) slots- I haven't been in one of these units since '97, but this is how it worked then. Two dentists assigned and 15 dentists from a DENTAC who were profis and would go with the unit when they deploy. At least one DS unit in Iraq at a time. These dentists are spread throughout Iraq. We had two co-located with our CSH when I deployed.
That's at least 32 Army dentists in Iraq at any given time compared to a few in Kuwait.
Is it as dangerous a going on a patrol and kicking down doors? No, but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. Outbound artillery fire isn't going to do you any good if the mortars or rockets have already landed on your head.
We were lucky to go three days without a mortar or rocket attack. Our LSA was hit with a rocket and a few soldiers were hurt. One of the reserve dentists had a shallow scratch on his forearm. If he had been a little closer, he may have been the first dentist killed since the Korean war.
I could show you pictures of a destroyed x-ray ISO (big expandable trailer with hospital x-ray equipment) and a destroyed trailer the doctors were using as a break room. Or perhaps you would like to see pictures of the shrapnel that bounced the walls of our dental clinic, missing our oral surgeon by about 5 feet. Your assertion that it isn't dangerous is wrong.
The way the military is ran is different then civilian. For the most part Dentists in the military do wisdom teeth and check ups. Enlisted people go to the dentist for check ups once a year on or around their birth month. Most of a military dentists time is alotted toward dependents(military family).
Army dentists stationed CONUS don't see any dependents. Dependents are only seen OCONUS. If a dentist was assigned to a clinic at a basic training battalion, wisdom teeth and exams might be the most common procedures. Anywhere else (even Iraq), operative procedures are by far the most common.
I've met a handful of SEALs and those guys make awesome soliders...not dentists
