One doctor makes up deployed dental flight

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Nancy Kuck
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM --  The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing has a dental flight. It is a flight of one.

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Alan Sutton is the sole source of minor dental treatment for servicemembers at this forward-deployed location. Treatment includes extractions, fillings, root canals, maintaining orthodontic appliances and dealing with knocked-out teeth.

“We have done fillings, wisdom teeth, root canals and cyst removals since we have been opened,” said Sutton, who is the 380th Expeditionary Medical Group deputy commander as well as the 380th Expeditionary Dental Flight commander. “We pretty much can do whatever, but when it comes to crowns or facial fractures, they will have to be sent elsewhere.”

Arriving with the expeditionary medical support team, the dental unit is considered a “basic” package. This package is given to bases that have 500 to 1,500 people, and includes one dentist. Bases with more than 1,500 people receive a “plus” dental package that includes a dentist and one technician.

“Dentists in a basic package normally get assistance from medical technicians for procedures,” said Sutton. “Fortunately for me, there are four dental technicians here that arrived with the decontamination team and they have helped out.”

Sutton, a prosthodontist who specializes in crown implantations, bridges and reconstruction at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, deployed here as a general dentist, meaning he gives only basic treatment.

“I think the challenge here is that I can not do definitive dentistry,” said Sutton. “I really have to control myself in what I get into because the unit is a field unit and you have to do field dentistry and combat profile dentistry.”

Lacking a dental X-ray unit and dentist chair, Sutton performs stand-up dentistry, requiring patients to lie on a medical gurney during procedures. Any X-rays that are needed are done with a medical X-ray unit.

“I would like to see a permanent dental chair be brought in here,” said Sutton. “But until then, I see this as a hurdle to overcome.”