Ask an Air Force Dentist

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What is the length of deployment for an AF dentist?
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How comprehensive is the health benefits in the AF? My wife and I can only get pregnant through in-vitro...would the AF pay for that? Also, if someone wanted to get cosmetic dental procedures, does the AF pay for that? (do you see many cosmetic cases?)
 
I've just finished reading the entire thread and I wasn't too sure about this, sorry I'm new to this. So if you go the route of getting the 4-yr HPSP, what are your options as for getting into specialty program in the military? Other than AEGD, do you have to serve 4 yrs after you graduate, and then you can apply to specialty programs?
 
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Chewy12,
Deployments are generally 4-6 months. We have some 1 yr, but they have been on a volunteer basis.

Health care is a comprehensive as it gets. I've known people that needed in vitro in the AF and it was covered

Cosmetics are a little more tricky. As good stewards of taxpayer dollars, it wouldn't be prudent to provide a bunch of elective dental care. Not only is it expensive to provide, but it still needs maintenance and it takes time away from the mission of the AF. All that being said, we do some cosmetics. If it's part of a comprehensive treatment plan and it just wouldn't be right to do the treatment without the cosmetics, we do them. We do some to keep our skills up. We have a new system to calculate how to charge a patient for cosmetics. It's pretty cheap (based on pay grade and would work out to something like $20 per veneer). However, if it's part of a comprehensive treatment plan, we don't charge the patient, because it is deemed necessary. Only truly elective care costs $$.

caloriefree,
You can apply to some programs directly from dental school (AEGD 1-year and 2-year, Oral Surgery, Prosth, Perio, maybe Pedo). Specialties like Ortho and Endo are very competitive, so it would be very difficult for someone right out of school to be accepted. If you are HPSP, you will be given some instructions on how to apply for other programs as well.
 
You can apply to oral surgery right out of dental school? That's good to know. The oral surgery residencies are all 4-year programs, correct? If we were to do a 4-yr oral surgery residency right out of school, than the minimum we would be committed to the AF would be 8-years (4-oral surgery, 4-hpsp), is this correct? I know you said it's possible to get a O.S. residency right out of school, but how likely is it to actually happen? Thanks!
 
AFDDS please answer "hattrack04"'s question b/c I have the same question. I'm a D1 currently struggling to decided whether I should do the AF HPSP or not. I know I'm only a first year student and I have a long ways to go.. but I really am interested in Oral Surgery (and Perio) and I don't want to take the HPSP and then come my 4th year I have the GPA, board scores, etc. to specialize in OS (if I still like it then) but not be able to b/c I have my hpsp years to pay back. Does that make sense? Basically.. I really love the scholarship idea but I don't want it to PREVENT me from possibly specializing and doing what i want to do for the rest of my life (whatever that is when the time comes)?!?!? I also don't want to have to serve for 4-6 years in the AF before they'll consider me for an OS residency. Thanks so much for all your help and continued support of this country!
 
At this time, you can apply to the OMS program right out of dental school. I think it's important to understand, however, that it's still a competitive process and you should never consider yourself a lock to get in. Acceptance rates have been good lately, but most program directors would prefer someone with experience over someone right out of dental school. No matter what specialty you think you might want to do, and even if you don't want to do a specialty, you need to concentrate on keeping your GPA up and doing as well as you possibly can. You never know what you'll want to do in the future.

Also, I'll need to check on the exact payback. I think it would be 8 years (4 years of OMS and 4 years of HPSP + 4 years of OMS payback {HPSP and OMS payback served at the same time})
 
I am a 3rd year dental student, participating in the 3-year HPSP. I was told that I will not be paid for COT, so I will have no stipend/income from the time I graduate until I report for active duty. So, I was wondering how long this will end up being. If I graduate in May, will I be able to attend COT right away, and then report for AD, or could there be some time when I'm just waiting around to start either one? Would I possibly not have any income all summer? Thanks, in advance. Just trying to plan those finances.
 
AFDDS-->
About the ascension bonus and HPLRP for practicing dentists...As I understand it the ascension bonus incurs a 4 year comittment, and the HPLRP a 3 year committment. Are these comittments repayed concurrently or consecutively?
 
Truedat,
You start getting paid the day you go to COT. I can't tell you about what happens if you graduate in May. I'd say contact AFPC and the Dental Education officer to get the scoop straight from them.

koobpheej,
You have to be on active duty for 6 months to take a HPLRP, so they are served consecutively.
 
Hello - I'm new to the forum, and have read most of the Dentistry in the USAF threads. I'd like to know when the AEGD programs start and finish. I started exploring active duty in the AF this summer, and I'm afraid I might have missed the next class of AEGD programs. Appreciate your help!

Thank you!
 
Each program may have a slightly different start date. Most start the first week of August and ours starts on or around Aug 15th. They end 52 weeks after that.
 
Truedat said:
I am a 3rd year dental student, participating in the 3-year HPSP. I was told that I will not be paid for COT, so I will have no stipend/income from the time I graduate until I report for active duty. So, I was wondering how long this will end up being. If I graduate in May, will I be able to attend COT right away, and then report for AD, or could there be some time when I'm just waiting around to start either one? Would I possibly not have any income all summer? Thanks, in advance. Just trying to plan those finances.
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Truedat,
I attended COT (Class 05-05) and there was another COT class starting right after mine. Click on FY09 dates in this link so you have an idea of when the dates are: http://www.au.af.mil/au/holmcenter/OTS/classdates.asp. The people in my COT flight that were going into work started sometime between mid-August and mid-September, however, this varies with your program. The duration of COT training is 30 days, however, you get paid for 45 days, therefore, I was getting paid 15 days prior to attending COT. My best advice for you is to save some money now for a rainy day, while I was getting paid at COT I spent a lot of money on uniform, supplies and groceries.
 
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How do the regional boards work in the AF? If I get out and start on the west coast and am transferred to the east coast, will I have to take another set of regional boards?
 
You are required to have an active state license. When practicing on a military base, you don't need a license for the state the base is in and you don't have to change it each time you move.
 
Keeping on the license theme...I heard that after practicing for 5 years in the military you have "reciprocity" with regards to your license after you seperate. Does anyone have any knowledge/insight on that?
 
Reciprocity depends on each state's requirements. Some states allow licensure after 3 years of practice, some require 5 and some don't allow it all. If you want a license in a different state, you just need to check the state you want to add and make sure you follow their requirements.
 
Hi,

I'm a 4th year dental student in California and will be doing the USAF AEGD at Nellis, AFB. I'm still undecided on whether or not I'm going to take the PGY-1 route. I read on the CDA website that one of the rules of obtaining licensure via the PGY-1, one must not have failed the California/WREB licensure exam within the past 5 years. So, if I attempt to take the licensure exam so that I can earn the $10,000 ASP...does anyone know what would happen if I fail? If I choose to attempt the exam and fail, would I still be able to fall back on using PGY-1?:confused:
 
I just heard from the recruiter I was working with that "the Air Force just made their fully qualified goal for fiscal year 2009." I graduated from dental school last year (June 2007) and would like to apply for an Air Force AEGD and active service thereafter. What does the above message from the recruiter really mean, and what can I do to seriously pursue service as an AF dentist? Is it true that if I've been out of dental school longer than a year, I cannot apply for an AEGD? Appreciate your help and direction!

Thank you in advance.
 
I'm in my second year right now and I really want to be able to do the AEGD. I was wondering if I apply and don't get the AEGD can I apply the next year? If I don't get the AEGD will I really be stuck doing amalgams and not much else. One of the reasons I joined the AF was to get excellent training. I don't feel like I'm doing terrible in school, GPA so far around a 3.3, but I know I'm not doing good enough to specialize. I would just be disappointed if I didn't get to participate in the AEGD, and then the next four years would be stuck doing cleanings and amalgams.
When starting school I was told from other AF HPSP friends that I didn't have to get "strait" A's like the students that wanted to specialize do in order to get an AEGD spot. Is this true? or should I try to kick it into high gear and see if I can save myself?
 
How easy/difficult is it as an AF dentist to advance in rank from an O-3 to O-4 etc.? What would one have to do/accomplish for this?
 
sagedds,
You can only apply to a PGY-1 AEGD if you are less than 1 year out of dental school. You could still apply to the AEGD-2year program. The fiscal year runs from 1 Oct to 30 Sep. If the quota is full, that typically means we are not accepting any fully qualified dentists for the rest of the fiscal year. I would contact the recruiter to ask if this is what he/she meant.

If you want to seriously persue joining the AF, you need to stay in constant contact with your recruiter. If the pipeline is off for now, that doesn't mean it won't reopen.

mola_pulla,
I've never seen an amalgam line like you speak of in the AF. We are very concerned with our dentsits having a rewarding practice. That being said, sometimes the mission may dictate the need for you and all the general dentists to concentrate on restorative dentistry for a period of time. However, this has always been short term and then it's back to a comprehensive practice.

We look at the whole person concept when looking at AEGD applications. We look at GPA, class standing (can be more important than GPA), extracurricular involvement, clinical grades, etc... I would tell anyone, in dental school or considering it, you don't know what your going to want to do until you've been exposed to dentistry. For some that realization doesn't come until you've been practicing for a few years. At that point, it's too late to improve your GPA and class standing. So, do your best now. You don't want to have any regrets in the future.

Chewy12,
Currently promotion rate from O3 to O4 is 100% fully qualified. Same for O4-O5. This could all change in the future. Who knows.
 
What does it mean "promotion is 100% fully qualified?"
 
AFDDS said:
At this time, you can apply to the OMS program right out of dental school. I think it's important to understand, however, that it's still a competitive process and you should never consider yourself a lock to get in. Acceptance rates have been good lately, but most program directors would prefer someone with experience over someone right out of dental school. No matter what specialty you think you might want to do, and even if you don't want to do a specialty, you need to concentrate on keeping your GPA up and doing as well as you possibly can. You never know what you'll want to do in the future.

Also, I'll need to check on the exact payback. I think it would be 8 years (4 years of OMS and 4 years of HPSP + 4 years of OMS payback {HPSP and OMS payback served at the same time})
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Hey guys its been awhile. OMS has been kicking my butt. Just one point of clarification.

Yes it is true that occasionally one HPSP dental student per year gets accepted while in dental school. That doesn't mean that person will start OMS right after school. The AF will make him/her go to either Travis or Lackland and practice as a general dentist for 10 months. This is mainly to assimilate the person to the AF and AF procedures/paperwork. So yes you may get accepted while a 4th year dental school, but no you won't start right away.

The payback is year for year with the HPSP being served concurrent with OMS. You will owe four years after OMS residency to payback for the residency.

I hope this helps
 
SNOZBERRIES said:
Hey guys its been awhile. OMS has been kicking my butt. Just one point of clarification.

Yes it is true that occasionally one HPSP dental student per year gets accepted while in dental school. That doesn't mean that person will start OMS right after school. The AF will make him/her go to either Travis or Lackland and practice as a general dentist for 10 months. This is mainly to assimilate the person to the AF and AF procedures/paperwork. So yes you may get accepted while a 4th year dental school, but no you won't start right away.

The payback is year for year with the HPSP being served concurrent with OMS. You will owe four years after OMS residency to payback for the residency.

I hope this helps
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I'm planning on doing a rotation at an AF dental clinic during one of my breaks in the summer. What clinic would be best to go to in order to shadow a lot of oral surgeons? The only one that I can think of is BAMC, but I'm wondering if there are other options?
 
100% fully qualified means as long as you don't screw up, you will get promoted to O4 and 05.

Snozberries clarification does help. It depends on the year whether or not you will start right out of school or go to Lackland or Travis to practice for 10 months. If all slots are filled, you'll go to the next class. If a slot is open, it's possible to start right out of school.

hattrack04,
BAMC is an Army clinic. The best way to find out which bases offer an externship opportunity is to contact the Education Officer at AFPC and let him tell you where rotations are allowed.
 
AFDDS thanks for your previous responses. I find this thread extremely helpful. One more question, how long does it take, and what are the requirements for rank advancement? Also, does an AEGD year count towards years active duty for pay purposes? Thanks!
 
AFDDS said:
100% fully qualified means as long as you don't screw up, you will get promoted to O4 and 05.

Snozberries clarification does help. It depends on the year whether or not you will start right out of school or go to Lackland or Travis to practice for 10 months. If all slots are filled, you'll go to the next class. If a slot is open, it's possible to start right out of school.

hattrack04,
BAMC is an Army clinic. The best way to find out which bases offer an externship opportunity is to contact the Education Officer at AFPC and let him tell you where rotations are allowed.
Click to expand...


Where can I get his/her contact information? Thanks
 
hattrack04,

PM sent

Chewy12,
Usual time between ranks is 6 years. As long as you don't get in trouble, like get a DUI, you'll make O4. Almost the same for O5. The AEGD year does count towards pay and retirement.
 
AFDDS said:
hattrack04,

PM sent

Chewy12,
Usual time between ranks is 6 years. As long as you don't get in trouble, like get a DUI, you'll make O4. Almost the same for O5. The AEGD year does count towards pay and retirement.
Click to expand...


An important point to remember, as of 2005, The AEGD DOES NOT count toward payback time, but it does for time in service, promotion, and retirement.
 
AFDDS,

Hi, have a question about assignments in relation to specialty. If you specialize in OMS or Endo, etc, will that limit which bases you will be able to go to? I ask because when I was active duty enlisted, it was common knowledge that various AFSCs were limited on bases they could go to depending on the mission. Which makes me wonder if say, OMS, would be restricted to only the major hospital bases in the states, and so on and so forth.

Second question regarding assignments, when it's time to PCS as an AF dentist, do you get your assignment based on your "dream sheet", does someone contact you about your options, or is it just purely AF need? This was always a fairly hazy topic for me as an enlisted guy, but I had heard rumors and even not-so-straight answers from the lower ranked officers that officers had a lot more say in where they went.

I also must comment that your mention in regard to dental forensics sounded VERY interesting (at least I think you mentioned you were involved in that earlier). Is that a common opportunity?

Oh, I should also ask this, I keep hearing everyone ask about deployments(I don't care about them myself, did them, weren't all bad, would do them again), but I don't think anyone has asked about TDYs, do AF dentists get these at all for anything, training exercises, anything?

Thanks for your time, and I apologize for the lengthy post!
 
Kahr,
Specialists are limited to going to bases where there is a slot for them. Not all bases have a slot for an Endodontist, OMS, or other specialists.

For assinments, you put in an ADP (Airman Development Plan) with 10 or more base preferences. If you are a specialist, these will be pre-discussed with your consultant and you'll have a pretty good idea of where you are going. Our assignments officers try to get everyone to a place high on their list. makes everyone happy.

Not sure how common forensics opportunity is, but we all take a course.

Typically, we all get one paid TDY per year for CE. Sometimes you get more for CE or you may be selected to attend meetings, etc...
 
If you are a 3 year HPSP student, is there less of a chance you will be accepted into an AEGD, say compared to a 4 year HPSP? I would guess that all the 4 year students have an advantage because the air force would get more out of them to give them the AEGD.
 
Are there positions available to serve overseas (europe) as an orthodontist in the Air Force following residency?
 
voryue,
It doesn't make a difference how many years you had HPSP. You will be just as competitive as someone with a 4 year.

highfly413,
Several positions are in Europe. I'm not exactly sure how many, but there's plenty.
 
here comes another question :D If you are not accepted into an AEGD, and are just a vanilla dentist, I've heard you are limited to just some general procedures. You may have learned to do some more advanced procedures in dental school, but are not allowed to do them in the Air Force. True?

I would not like to lose skills I've learned in school. Also, if you take continuing education classes where you learned new procedures will the Air Force allow you to do those?

Does the Air Force allow you to learn new procedures from say those who have completed AEGD or other specialists? I guess that's 3 questions.
 
Voryue,
Question 1: Yes and no. You get credentialed to do certain procedures when you get to your first assignment. If you have proof of training, you can usually get credentialed to do some advanced stuff. What type of advanced procedures are your referring to?

Question 2: Yes. We go to at least one CE per year and we want you to go to quality CE programs and put those new skills to use. For example, I've been to 2 Dawson Academy courses and I use that training all the time.

Question 3: In the AF, a base with dentists that have not had additional training beyond dental school, we are required to provide you with some opportunities to pick up advanced skills and complete rotations with specialists. It's an inspectable item.

The AF Dental Service has been very good about developing our people. If you have a particular area of interest, you should let someone know, so they can help you out. Hopefully, you'll get in an AEGD.

voryue said:
here comes another question :D If you are not accepted into an AEGD, and are just a vanilla dentist, I've heard you are limited to just some general procedures. You may have learned to do some more advanced procedures in dental school, but are not allowed to do them in the Air Force. True?

I would not like to lose skills I've learned in school. Also, if you take continuing education classes where you learned new procedures will the Air Force allow you to do those?

Does the Air Force allow you to learn new procedures from say those who have completed AEGD or other specialists? I guess that's 3 questions.
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AFDDS - Happy verterans day and thank you for your service!

I have a question for you. I am currently in my second year and applying for the HPSP. Since this year has already started, I was told that I can't get this year paid for on the HPSP and am only eligible for a two year scholarship. Still a good deal to me. Once I finish, will I be able to get loan repayment for the loans I took out to finance these first two years?
 
tml4gre said:
AFDDS - Happy verterans day and thank you for your service!

I have a question for you. I am currently in my second year and applying for the HPSP. Since this year has already started, I was told that I can't get this year paid for on the HPSP and am only eligible for a two year scholarship. Still a good deal to me. Once I finish, will I be able to get loan repayment for the loans I took out to finance these first two years?
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The way the current rules are written, you will be able to get HPLRP to help pay up to 72% of what you owe. HPLRP pays almost $40k per year for 2 years now.

Thanks and don't forget to pat yourself on the back a little for joining. We've got a lot of good men and women in harms way that deserve the best medical and dental care they can get. Thanks to you for wanting to provide it.
 
Does the HPLRP require an additional time commitment?
 
Random question here: I heard the air force is getting new uniforms. I have seen some pictures of the "possibilities" and they don't look so good. What exactly are you required to wear while on duty?
 
Approximately how long after starting the HPSP do you commence your 45 Active Duty Tour? Is it purely random?
 
if say you took a 15 day implant continuing education course, or some 3 day orthodonitc course could you be certified to practice it as a general dentist (not comprehensive dentist)?
 
AggieDDS,
We have new ABUs and are looking at a new service dress uniform. We wear our blue uniform (minus the coat) on some days, but we wear our ABUs most of the time. It really depends on where you are stationed.

KOM,
It usually falls in the summer between semesters. Your recruiter should be able to give you the exact cycle.

Mjtre,
Implants - Depends on wether or not you are talking surgical placement or restoration of implants. No on placement, but you could get a 2 on your credentials for restoration. That simply means you can do some under supervision until your clinical supervisor thinks you are ready to go it alone.

Ortho - No. You might be able to get a 2 as well, but it would be unlikely. If you complete an AEGD, you would get quite a bit of ortho training and would leave with the ability to complete ortho treatment.
 
How much vacation time does an Air Force Dentist have per year? Also if I am deployed after using the HPSP what are the chances that my family will be able to go with me?
Thanks
 
You earn 2.5 days per month for a total of 30 days of leave per year. If you are deployed, your family will not be able to go with you. Deployment means going somewhere in a war zone or in an austere environment. Overseas tours are different than deployments.

pickens said:
How much vacation time does an Air Force Dentist have per year? Also if I am deployed after using the HPSP what are the chances that my family will be able to go with me?
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
KOM said:
Approximately how long after starting the HPSP do you commence your 45 Active Duty Tour? Is it purely random?
Click to expand...


My ADT is usually sometime in January to mid-February. Also, if you do COT before school, that counts as your ADT for your freshman year. So, lets say you did cot 7/2008, then your next ADT will be 1/2010 (at least, that's the way mine worked out)
 
This is a strange question, but I attended a presentation for HPSP the other day and someone asked if you could get out of the HPSP contract if you paid back all of the money you had received via tuition/fees, stipend, COT pay, etc? If you wanted to to become a line officer in the AF or another branch is that possible? Or if you decide you don't want to be a dentist but want to serve in the armed forces is their a way to do that? An HPSP student gave the presentation and didn't know the answer to the question and I am curious.
 
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