Dental Clinic -- Putting smiles on "faces" at Lajes, impacting mission

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Olufemi Owolabi
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores --  From red or swollen gums to acute tooth pain, tender or bleeding gums, the Dental team here at Lajes is ready to take on any challenge that could be harmful to Lajes members' oral health.

In the same manner a virus or spam could infect a computer, a dental issue, when not treated, could affect a unit's mission -- but not on the Lajes Dental Clinic's watch.

The 65th Medical Operations Squadron's Dental Clinic team is always on standby to keep the Air Force's mission at Lajes in motion by providing adequate care for Lajes Airmen as they continue to stay fit-to-fight and support the four-mission priorities.

"We have a robust team that ensures that everyone's needs are met by having daily-sick call hours. We help to ensure that Airmen that are in need of their annual appointment are seen first to ensure we are 'Fit to Fight,'" said Tech. Sgt. Anita Presley, noncommissioned officer in charge of Dental lab. "Lajes, at the moment, has the best fit-to fight (warriors), 99.7 percent dentally qualified Airmen throughout U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the U.S. Air Force. Lajes Dental Clinic is one of the best overall and has won USAFE "Small Dental Clinic of the Year" awards two years in a row."

The unit takes care of about 200 active-duty, dependant and civilian patients a month and helps save more than $80,000 to $90,000 per month in costs that could have been incurred to members and their families from outside care.

Not until you spend a day with the Lajes Dental Clinic will you discover that the outstanding members in the award-wining unit do more than just teeth cleaning and checking for a "keratocystic odontogenic tumor" or Jaw cysts, which are commonly located on the third molar.

With sparkling bright smiles, the members at the front desk of the clinic, consisting of Airmen and Portuguese civilians, first assist patients with their paperwork and help to ensure that the dentist and their assistants are notified of members' arrival.

After ensuring members are ready to be processed, they are checked for vitals and prepared by dental assistants before seeing the doctors. The dental assistants' duties also involve taking X-rays and being in charge of the instrument processing center.

Apart from having some of the best dentists and dental technicians, the unit has Airmen that are also trained to assist as logisticians, administrators, and equipment and building custodians.

"Assistance of the dentists is done by enlisted members," said Staff Sgt. Wayne Burke, NCO for logistics at the dental clinic. "They help set up the room for the dentists so that when they come into the room they can focus on the mission. They also help to document what happens during the (dental) visits."

With an array of instruments like amalgam carrier, convention tips, and other state-of-the-art equipment, the Airmen of the Dental Clinic help give Team Lajes a "bright smile" that keeps the team dentally fit for today's fight and future challenges and contingencies.

"We keep the bite in the fight," Sergeant Burke said. "Without us here, it would be very rough because people would have to travel all the way to Germany (to get adequate dental care)."