Questions for Deployed Army Dentist

[HawkeyeDDS]

If anybody has any questions about deployment, I would be happy to answer them. My Answers will be limited to my experience and those that I have seen first hand only. This is not intended to be a thread of my complaints, but for legitimate questions you might have. To prepare you for possible deployments. Obviously some of my answers will have to be intentionally vague due to (OPSEC), but if I can help let me know. if not, ignore this thread and have a nice day.

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[jmick101]

What is the average deployed day like? What is the timeline like and what do you for fun, etc while deployed?

 

[gnarkill]

Found my answer in another post..

 

[OffAngleHatchet]

Do you ever get jealous of the Air Force guys and their ridiculously (almost inappropriately) decadent furnishings?

 

[HawkeyeDDS]

What is the average deployed day like? What is the timeline like and what do you for fun, etc while deployed?

They always say that it could be worse, and that is the truth.

Timeline for my clinic is M-Sat sick call 8-10, and then scheduled patients until about 4-5pm. However somedays there aren't very many sick call patients, and you might be done at 2-3pm. Working conditions vary so widely. I am unfortunately still using "field equipment". There are a good number of places that have ADEC chairs and clinics just like stateside, only with alot more dust.
Which leads to your next question about fun. It's kind of like being in a minimal security prison. (not that I know from personal experience). But you go to clinic, and eat, then back to clinic then eat etc. All within a "gated and Guarded" community. Every night the MWR puts on some type of themed night, R&B, country etc. So if you're single or your signifigant other doesn't mind you dancing with all sorts of people you can do that. There are also movies, sports programs and the gym. A favorite among the soldiers is pirated movies and tv shows. You can get almost any movie for $2. It's kind of funny, you'll be watching a movie and then you'll see a head walk in front of the screen, or hear someone diggng for popcorn, but hey it's $2. (I know alot of you are probably screaming that it is illegal, but the military allows it on base....yell at them)
Honestly I thought I'd have alot more time to read etc, but by the time you get everything done you need to, talk to home, emails, Skype etc, the day really goes pretty fast. (I only need 330 more days to go faster)

 

[HawkeyeDDS]

Do you ever get jealous of the Air Force guys and their ridiculously (almost inappropriately) decadent furnishings?

I ask myself why I didn't join the AF almost daily. not really for the living conditions here because they are pretty much the same, but for all the other reasons....being treated like a human, not an "asset" like a Humvee, not being stoplossed, 3-6 months here vs 12, the list just keeps getting bigger. I'd better stop before I get any more depressed.

I guess to answer your question, I'm not jealous, I just kick myself for not going blue.

 

[jmick101]

Hawkeye,

Thanks for the response, and thanks for your service. This thread is short, but if this thing gets fleshed out it should be a sticky. I am positive that anyone who is thinking of joining will primarily want to know what deployed life is like. Can you tell us more about what types of procedures you are doing? Amalgams, extractions, prophys? That would be helpful as well.

 

[desert rat]

So how are the latrines? Are there lines to get in and does it stink bad with the heat? Do you have tent showers or the real thing?

There is a reason it is called the SUCK

 

[HawkeyeDDS]

Hawkeye,

Thanks for the response, and thanks for your service. This thread is short, but if this thing gets fleshed out it should be a sticky. I am positive that anyone who is thinking of joining will primarily want to know what deployed life is like. Can you tell us more about what types of procedures you are doing? Amalgams, extractions, prophys? That would be helpful as well.

It depends on the clinic you are in, in my case I am still using field equipment so it is a little less than ideal, lighting, suction etc. But as far as procedures I am basically doing everything I feel comfortable with. I try to do root canals, but if I can't get to length on all canals or if I can't find MB2 I just CaOH and temp. I try to do most wisdom teeth. The oral surgeons have other things to worry about here, they usually don't like to be bothered by wisdom teeth, plus it is a huge pain to evac them to the oral surgeons at the CASH. I've been teaching my assistants a little about prophy's. Understood it's not ideal for an assistant to do prophy's, but remember we are in a Combat Zone. They aren't doing anything sub G. Plus the sodiers are extremely happy to get a cleaning, and my assistants really enjoy it. But I try not to do cleanings myself. I'm hoping to use it to our advantage as a barganing chip with some of the contractor guys here to get some hookups. Honestly I get to do a wider variety of procedures here than stateside. You can even do pros. There is a Prosthodontist and a lab at another dental clinic not to far away. They told me that I could take an impression and they'd get it sent to the ADL for me. I'm hopefully going to use that quite a bit, I just have to get the Impression/Temp material. It's supposedly on it's way from the Dentac back home. I'd much rather do a crown than a Full Cuspal Coverage. Basically all fillings are problem related. (broke/lost filling etc) If I see something obvious I'll try and fix it too, but the soldiers are just so busy, they usually don't make the appointments for routine care.

I guess to answer your question, the only limitation you have is your equipment. I do a wider array of procedures now than back home. (as long as I can beg, steal or borrow the supplies I need)

 

[HawkeyeDDS]

So how are the latrines? Are there lines to get in and does it stink bad with the heat? Do you have tent showers or the real thing?

There is a reason it is called the SUCK

Where I'm at it's not bad at all as far as the showering, bathrooms etc. There are shower/bathroom trailers. Running hot water for the showers. Sometimes it does run out of water, but usually it's not a problem. There are portaJohns, and sometimes they are easier, but they are cleaned every day, so even that's not bad. At our medical clinic we have a Unisex bathroom. That's going to take some getting used to.

Kuwait was another story. The Porta's were covered in Diesel grime from the generators. I don't know if I will ever get that smell out of my memory. And the water was constantly out in the showers. I did have one fun experience there, right in the middle of lathering up, everything shut down. I had to walk around with my towel on and suds dripping everywhere to find enough bottled water to rinse off. Fun memories.

It's really not the "suck" that it was when they first got here.

Oh, and every Wednesday they serve Crablegs and TBones (surf and truf). Not quite quizine, but not "roughing it" either.

Desert Rat I agree completely with the medical advice you gave the on another post. I am the clinics triage officer. The dentist I replaced had some pretty gruesome stories. So I want to be able to help in any way possible. Fotunately now it's usually not from our soldiers.

 

[UOP_Dentist]

Do you know where the USAF dentists are at there? Are you both working at the same facility? or is there a Hilton Hotel that we expropriated?

 

[HawkeyeDDS]

Sorry, no idea where any air force dentists are located. My guess would be Balad, but I have no idea. I haven't seen or heard of any. Probably wherever the Olympic sized swimming pools are located.