Airmen keep Wolf Pack 'Fit to Bite'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Angela Ruiz
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  A trip to the dentist rarely ranks among people's top 10 activities; however Airmen from the 8th Medical Operations Squadron's Dental Flight do everything they can to make visits as efficient and painless as possible. 

Kunsan's dental clinic staff provides care to more than 600 Airmen every month. The 16 person strong team maintains a dental readiness standard of 99 percent -- well above the Air Force standard of 95 percent. 

"We need to make sure all the Airmen are 'fit to bite' any time anywhere" said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hernandez, NCOIC at the dental clinic, adding that flying at altitude is not the best time for Airmen to discover a dental problem. 

In order to treat patients quickly and efficiently, the Kunsan clinic is equipped to handle a wide range of situations. 

"We are capable of doing pretty much anything a normal dental clinic can do," said Sergeant Hernandez. 

The clinic staff performs annual exams, preventive dentistry and emergency dentistry. They also have the capability to provide limited dental specialties and some oral surgeries, including cleanings, applying sealants, fillings, periodontics, endodontics or root canals, and prosthodontics--crowns and bridge work. 

However, the majority of the work carried out is preventative said Capt. James young, a dentist at the clinic. 

One of the biggest challenges the dental clinic faces is "getting people in for their appointments," said dental technician, Staff Sgt. Larry Dickson.

"It's hard getting patients in because of their jobs, they can't pull away from the flightline or the squadron for their dental" added Sergeant Hernandez. With Kunsan having such a high demand in operations it makes it hard for Airmen to get time for their dental appointments. However, according to Captain Young, the staff do everything they can to keep Kunsan medically ready. 

"This is an awesome clinic, with awesome staff," he said. "Our people are great and we take care of our wolf pack Airmen."