MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Station residents, both new and old, can rest assured that the Dental Clinic here is fully capable of meeting all their dental needs.
A detachment of the 3rd Dental Battalion from Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, staffs the clinic with eight dental officers, 17 military dental technicians, two master labor contract hygienists and four civilian assistants.
According to Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Tinker, Dental officer-in-charge, the Station's clinic is a full service clinic practicing in general and advanced dentistry.
"We have dental officers capable of performing operative (fillings), endodontics (root canals), prosthodontics (crowns), periodontics (gum treatment) and oral surgery," he said.
Although local dentists can fulfill most patient's requests, some oral problems may require a traveling dentist or medical evacuations.
"Our orthodontist comes to the Station every six weeks to assist service members and family members who have had orthodontic work prior to arriving to Iwakuni," said Tinker. "We also have a pedodontist visit the Station every four to six months to take care of children who need treatment beyond what the local dentists can offer."
According to Tinker, the clinic can also arrange medevacs to the Yokosuka Naval Hospital in case of true dental emergencies, serious dental infections or advanced maxillofacial surgery.
Although the clinic is capable of handling serious dental work, Seaman Zara Castilleja, the Station's Dental Technician of the Month, said, most of the clinic's daily work consists of routine cleanings, X-rays, fillings and minor surgery.
To serve local needs, the Dental Clinic is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
During the off hours a dental officer and dental technician are posted at the Branch Medical Clinic Acute Care Center to treat a wide range of dental emergencies.
Since the local staff is trained well enough to fully support almost all Station resident's needs, they have received exemplary marks in the realm of Navy Dental.
"We treat every patient with respect, and we have a full staff of great individuals," said Tinker. "The Navy requires a 95 percent operational dental readiness rating, and we currently have a 97.4 percent rating."
To schedule a dental appointment during working hours call 253-3331, or call 253-5571 for an after hours emergency.