Dental lab techs keep Pacific forces smiling

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Val Gempis
  • Air Force Print News
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Dental laboratory Airmen assigned to the 374th Dental Squadron here are providing a special service to Department of Defense people by designing, preparing and fabricating dental prostheses and oral appliances, said a dentist specialist here.

“Our mission is to improve our patient’s oral health and appearance,” said Maj. Andre Henriques, a prosthodontist and laboratory chief. “We help people who’ve lost some or all of their natural teeth to eat, talk and smile as well or better than they did before.”

Dental laboratory technicians work directly with dentists by following detailed written instructions and using molds of patients’ teeth and oral soft tissues to create prostheses, Major Henriques said.

Removable dentures and fixed bridges are made daily. The technicians also make crowns, which are caps for teeth that restore their original shade and shape. Orthodontic appliances they make help protect and straighten teeth.

Additionally, many technicians said they acquire skills in the use of sophisticated instruments and equipment to create replacements.

“The duties of dental technicians are comprehensive and varied. It’s extremely delicate and time-consuming work,” said Tech. Sgt. Keith Kinmon, noncommissioned officer in charge of the laboratory.

You must have the touch of an artist to be a good technician, the Airmen said. But skill and creativity are not the only required traits. Efficiency is essential, they said.

“Yokota is one of the busiest base-level dental laboratories in the Air Force,” said Staff Sgt. Brian Dickinson, one of the technicians.

Some of the prosthodontic cases at Yokota are very complicated and require in-depth diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, the technicians have to make everything here because this dental clinic does not refer patients to off-base facilities, officials said.

The volume of work surprised many of the Airmen here.

“We’ve experienced the whole spectrum of dentistry here. We’ve been exposed to everything that can be thrown at us and more,” Sergeant Dickinson said.