Ask an Army Dentist

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Where do we send our reimbursement forms? I looked on MODS, and the handbook, and they just told me where to download the form. Am I missing something?

Thanks
Members don't see this ad.
 
New2Philly said:
Where do we send our reimbursement forms? I looked on MODS, and the handbook, and they just told me where to download the form. Am I missing something?

Thanks
Click to expand...

There is a tab on the top with addresses.

Here's a copy paste from an email I received from the student management office with answers to some of my questions when I first started doing reimbursements, hope it helps.

You will submit the original form, list of items and receipts to the
following address:

Defense Military Pay Office
ATTN: HPSP
1706 Stanley Road
Bldg 2263
Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234

As long as you provide the receipts.

A copy of the reimbursement needs to be submit to our office (no
receipts). You can fax it to 703-681-1837 or mail it to the following
address:


HQDA
ATTN: DASG-PSZ-M
5109 Leesburg Pike
Skyline 6, Room 691A
Falls Church, VA 22041
Click to expand...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
hi bsquad,

in your experience (others can add to this) are regular army soldiers allowed to have braces put on during their time on active duty, and have an outside orthodontist off-base or even on base to fix a class 3 malloclusion before getting deployed? what are the ways i could get braces done on active duty?

btw, i'm in the reserves


ty,
r
 
bunsack said:
hi bsquad,

in your experience (others can add to this) are regular army soldiers allowed to have braces put on during their time on active duty, and have an outside orthodontist off-base or even on base to fix a class 3 malloclusion before getting deployed? what are the ways i could get braces done on active duty?

btw, i'm in the reserves


ty,
r
Click to expand...

this isn't the place for curbside consults.
 
I just wanted to ask you a question about Army dental regulations. I have enlisted and would like to know if I have a reason to worry. Thanks!
 
Buying loupes isn't required by my school. Is it possible to get the Army to pay for it?
 
bunsack said:
hi bsquad,

in your experience (others can add to this) are regular army soldiers allowed to have braces put on during their time on active duty, and have an outside orthodontist off-base or even on base to fix a class 3 malloclusion before getting deployed? what are the ways i could get braces done on active duty?

btw, i'm in the reserves


ty,
r
Click to expand...

Yes, you can get braces put on yourself on the outside at your own expense.

Active duty orthodontists will not touch you or provide any care for you.

Class 3 malocclusions typically take a long time to fix and may require surgery. Just realize that the Army will take them off if you deploy and will not be obligated to pay for or continue your orthodontic care in any way during or after deployment.

As far as getting ortho done by an AD dentist - you would have to be in a location that supports it, be stable and on AD yourself for at least 2 years, and talk to a dentist about it. They could then refer you for an evaluation. Each location has different criteria on who/how they accept cases - not a lot of people get braces done in the Army - it is typically very low on the priority list.
 
I have heard that in the Army promotions are faster and more frequent than in the Air Force for dentists. Is this true?

Would I have to be deployed more often to be promoted faster?

Are promotions pretty much guaranteed till you reach O-6? Or have there been O-5's that have been passed up for promotion?

!
 
FutureDental said:
I have heard that in the Army promotions are faster and more frequent than in the Air Force for dentists. Is this true?

Would I have to be deployed more often to be promoted faster?

Are promotions pretty much guaranteed till you reach O-6? Or have there been O-5's that have been passed up for promotion?

!
Click to expand...

Not true. Promotions are available every 6 years for all services. I have heard that for public health it can be 5 years.

The number of people promoted for each rank may be different though i.e. it may be easier to get promoted at 6 years for one of the services - but I wouldn't know without seeing the other services promotion rates.

Deployments help make your promotion packet more "well-rounded", but they are not necessary. People have gotten passed over permanently for O-5, but it does not happen very frequently. On occasion people may be passed over once/twice.

The basic formula for promotion in the Army is:

Major - automatic
LTC - should have completed Captain's Career Course (officer advanced course), should have specialized (some people get picked up without specialty training)
COL - should be board certified in your specialty, should have completed Intermediate level education (used to be called Command and General Staff College). Some people do get promoted without being board certified, but there will be other things in their resume that will help them out.
 
krmower said:
Not during school. However, they will buy you a pair when you come on active duty. There is a current Army policy that states this.
Click to expand...

does the army issue a pair, or do we purchase one and get a reimbursement later (like what we do during dental school)?
 
ALTOSS said:
does the army issue a pair, or do we purchase one and get a reimbursement later (like what we do during dental school)?
Click to expand...

Army paid the bill for it. In my situation, they made arrangements for the Orascopic guy to come to the Army clinic and fit us, we ordered the glasses, and our supply people paid the bill.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hi all,

When you become a reserve dentist, are you ranked a O3 (same as a active duty dentist) or is there some other rank?

Also, I found the link to the pay chart, but am confused about how it works. How much are you paid a month? I know you are paid extra for the 2 weeks of training but what about the weekend drills? Thanks
 
dentedstar said:
Are the dates for 2011's OBLC available? Thank you!
Click to expand...

You can check with Ms. Flores. You can also search the AMEDD school house website to see if they have it posted. I haven't checked, but my guess would be closer to March they will begin to put out information about it.

You can usually count on something starting up during the last 2 weeks of June to the first part of July.
 
I am a 4th year dental student who recently sent in my application for OMFS (I have competitive board scores 90+ and Class rank) and I had a few questions. Does anyone know how many students were taken out of dental school for this program, and for that matter how many slots there will be this year? I know the board meets in late November, do we get a phone interview before then? Any insight would be extremely helpful! Thank you so much!
 
Krollmi said:
I am a 4th year dental student who recently sent in my application for OMFS (I have competitive board scores 90+ and Class rank) and I had a few questions. Does anyone know how many students were taken out of dental school for this program, and for that matter how many slots there will be this year? I know the board meets in late November, do we get a phone interview before then? Any insight would be extremely helpful! Thank you so much!
Click to expand...

10 OMFS spots available each year. The last 3 years have ranged between 2-5 dental students getting selected for those 10 spots. The last 3 years there have been around 17-18 applicants.

I believe you should get a phone interview before then - OMFS is the only Army specialty that does the phone interview. I'm in Iraq though, so I can't follow up, but you can contact the Dental Corps Graduate Education office to verify.
 
bonvivant07 said:
Hi all,

When you become a reserve dentist, are you ranked a O3 (same as a active duty dentist) or is there some other rank?

Also, I found the link to the pay chart, but am confused about how it works. How much are you paid a month? I know you are paid extra for the 2 weeks of training but what about the weekend drills? Thanks
Click to expand...

You may come in as a higher rank (Major or Lieutenant Colonel)if you have been practicing for a few years and/or are a specialist.

I'm not sure what the formula is, you'd have to talk to a recruiter.

I'd have to look at the same chart you're looking at to explain it to you...PM me.
 
Is anyone else on the OML waiting for a 2/3-year scholarship? My recruiter told me he would let me know in October, but it's November and he still hasn't heard anything back. I know HPSP is a lot more competitive now (even more so with non-4 year scholarships), but what are my chances of getting a 2-year scholarship at this point (I'm a second year student)? Any information regarding the OML would be of great help.
 
USArmyHPSP said:
Please disregard these dates. These dates can not be correct for a variey of reasons. The HPSP office is now aware and checking with the Center and School to correct them.
Click to expand...

The dates for the BOLC for 2011 are 12 Jun to 26 Jul with Graduation on the 25th (which means that if you can get a flight out on the 25th in the PM you can leave early). The dates that are listed in ATRRS do not take into consideration a number of factors, not the least of which is that the airport in San Antonio can not support an additional 400+ students flying in and out on the same day.
 
If I am already an active duty officer, do I have to go to OBC or some sort of training before dental school
 
ajaxkid said:
If I am already an active duty officer, do I have to go to OBC or some sort of training before dental school
Click to expand...

No. When you become a dental student under the HPSP you will transfer into the IRR until you graduate. When you submit your application for the scholarship, make sure they have all of your orders/awards/orb/oers/etc so they can put it into the system that you have been to your OBC and CPT's Career Course (if you've done that as well).
 
Last edited:
Krollmi said:
I am a 4th year dental student who recently sent in my application for OMFS (I have competitive board scores 90+ and Class rank) and I had a few questions. Does anyone know how many students were taken out of dental school for this program, and for that matter how many slots there will be this year? I know the board meets in late November, do we get a phone interview before then? Any insight would be extremely helpful! Thank you so much!
Click to expand...

Phone interviews for OMFS are being conducted on 22-23 Nov. You will be interviewed by a panel consisting of three OMFS's and a senior OMFS resident. This was just finalized today.
 
Thank you very much! Is there anything I can do to prepare for the interview?
 
I have been reading a lot on here and other dental sites. I have read from a few different people that you aren't allowed to do much in the Army as a dentist. It sounded like you will be put on the amalgam line and won't see much beyond that unless you move up in rank or specialize. Can anyone confirm this, or if you have a different experience can you elaborate? One of the big reasons I would be doing the military is for the dental experience but if that is really limited it may not be worth the time. In addition could you elaborate on the non dental activities you are required to do in the Army as a dentist?
 
Nat426 said:
I have been reading a lot on here and other dental sites. I have read from a few different people that you aren't allowed to do much in the Army as a dentist. It sounded like you will be put on the amalgam line and won't see much beyond that unless you move up in rank or specialize. Can anyone confirm this, or if you have a different experience can you elaborate? One of the big reasons I would be doing the military is for the dental experience but if that is really limited it may not be worth the time. In addition could you elaborate on the non dental activities you are required to do in the Army as a dentist?
Click to expand...

It's not that you're not "allowed" to do much, its more that you are mostly scheduled amalgams. Everyone gets credentialed to do whatever their credentialing board thinks they can do. General dentists typically are credentialed to do all the things they are taught in school. So you can do fillings, exams, crowns, bridges, dentures, simple extractions, some endo, etc. You do have to fill the needs of the Army, and most of what the Army soldiers need are fillings, so your schedule gets filled with fillings. If you really like doing a certain thing, such as crowns, you can try to schedule more of them. But you don't have a lot of control over your schedule, so your efforts to do crowns will help, but you still spend most of your time doing fillings and exams.
 
I was told today by my recruiter that they aren't deploying doctors or dentist for longer than 90 days? This seemed a little fishy so I wondered what others have heard or experienced.
 
Nat426 said:
Hawk,
Can you elaborate on this? What is scheduling like and how do you get procedures, are you required to pass things over to a specialist?
Click to expand...

About the only way to get procedures is to find them on an exam and then reschedule that patient with you or have a patient that the front desk puts on your schedule that needs a certain procedure by chance. You have to refer things on to a specialist that you aren't credentialed to do, such as orthognathic surgery;)
 
Nat426 said:
I was told today by my recruiter that they aren't deploying doctors or dentist for longer than 90 days? This seemed a little fishy so I wondered what others have heard or experienced.
Click to expand...

If that is true it is news to me. The Army only recently reduced most deployments for dentists to 6 months, I doubt that they would then cut that in half again. If you deploy with a brigade you will definitely be gone more than 90 days, as you have to deploy for as long as your brigade is deployed.
 
Nat426 said:
I was told today by my recruiter that they aren't deploying doctors or dentist for longer than 90 days? This seemed a little fishy so I wondered what others have heard or experienced.
Click to expand...

Reserve and National Guard dentists deploy for 90 days.
Most active duty dentists deploy for 6 months.
A few active duty dentists (assigned to combat units) deploy for 12 months. 90+% deploy for 6 months.

I am currently deployed. You can read about it at www.armystrongstories.com - search under the medical department or under my name
 
Nat426 said:
Hawk,
Can you elaborate on this? What is scheduling like and how do you get procedures, are you required to pass things over to a specialist?
Click to expand...

During my 9 years in this is what I have seen:

The procedures you will be able to do are based upon your level of training. If you choose not to do a 12 month AEGD or specialty, you will be limited in the types of things you can do. You will not do molar endo, or certain types of surgical extractions. You will have the opportunity to work with other experienced dentists and specialists on cases that you would like to learn more about.

The types of procedures will vary by location. The 3 bases I have been assigned to, the dentists have had quite a bit of latitude in procedures they did. They were allowed to do prosth, endo (if they wanted), surgery, etc... I also know that there are some bases where the types of patients you have drive the procedures you do. If you go to a base and most of your patients are in basic training, you will do more emergency type procedures - surgery, endo, operative.

There is no "cookie cutter" answer - it can vary by location. In the Army you will gain a lot of experience. You will come out strong in many areas, and with little debt. There may be some things you are weak in - implants, ortho, etc... That's what continuing education courses are for.

I have been very happy with my practice. If you take the time to specialize you have much less oversight. It all comes down to what you are willing to invest in yourself. Do a few years extra and do the 2 yr AEGD and you will come out one of the better general dentists in any location you decide to set up shop.
 
Anyone know of a way to access amedd mail while not at work? As far as I know, the only way is with CAC login on outlook from a work computer
 
stryder said:
Anyone know of a way to access amedd mail while not at work? As far as I know, the only way is with CAC login on outlook from a work computer
Click to expand...

You can access it through the web outlook if the computer you are using has a CAC reader. I don't know the web outlook address off hand though.
 
Does anyone know if I will have to go through all 6 weeks of OBLC having already been through 4 years of ROTC and completion of LDAC? My guess is yes but I would like to know for sure.
 
When it comes down to it, do most people who do the ARMY do it for the money? And how often do people do military dentistry if they get in to their cheaper in state school? I'm honestly just curious, not trying to be controversial if I am way off on these questions
 
predentduck said:
When it comes down to it, do most people who do the ARMY do it for the money? And how often do people do military dentistry if they get in to their cheaper in state school? I'm honestly just curious, not trying to be controversial if I am way off on these questions
Click to expand...

The two main groups I would lump most HPSPers into would be:

1. Expensive private school people
2. Guys with family and did HPSP to support family while in school.

There are many exceptions to this (me included), but a lot of HPSPers fall into one of these two groups. You could probably list 20 other reasons people list as their main reason for doing HPSP, but a lot of them would still fall into one of these categories as well.
 
predentduck said:
When it comes down to it, do most people who do the ARMY do it for the money? And how often do people do military dentistry if they get in to their cheaper in state school? I'm honestly just curious, not trying to be controversial if I am way off on these questions
Click to expand...

we sure as hell don't do it for the money.
 
Hello. I'm a reservist that's getting mobilized to go to Iraq.
I am in need of orthognathic surgery and I heard that while you are on AD, army will be able to perform this surgery through army doctors and dentists. How likely is it to get this surgery done while you are deployed? (I'm in health care field so I'll be working in the hospital.) Thank you.
 
armyspecss said:
Hello. I'm a reservist that's getting mobilized to go to Iraq.
I am in need of orthognathic surgery and I heard that while you are on AD, army will be able to perform this surgery through army doctors and dentists. How likely is it to get this surgery done while you are deployed? (I'm in health care field so I'll be working in the hospital.) Thank you.
Click to expand...

Anyone deployed has a 0 percent chance. In conjunction to the surgery, you also need a considerable amount of orthodontic care both before and after, as well as having your jaw wired shut for a month.

You must be active duty at an Army base for a minimum of 12-18 months to even be considered.
 
Hi, I am a current Canadian citizen and was just accepted to a dental school in the States. Assuming that the recruiting officers make an exception for me and award me an HPSP scholarship, will I have to renounce my Canadian citizenship?

And can I live in and practice in Canada during my IRR?
 
ramseszerg said:
Hi, I am a current Canadian citizen and was just accepted to a dental school in the States. Assuming that the recruiting officers make an exception for me and award me an HPSP scholarship, will I have to renounce my Canadian citizenship?

And can I live in and practice in Canada during my IRR?
Click to expand...

Only US Citizens are eligible for the HPSP scholarship since you will go on active duty.

If you have a green card you can apply for the Reserve once you graduate dental school and are a licensed dentist. You could try for the loan repayment plan - $250k.

Yes you would have to renounce your citizenship if you join the US military. You can not be a dual citizen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

B
Army OMFS Opportunities
Replies
4
Views
848
ShortShortsDad
ShortShortsDad
T
Army AEGD with a Low Class Rank??
Replies
5
Views
802
averageasian
averageasian
O
All Branch Topic (ABT) Defense Health Agency implications for Army Dentistry
Replies
8
Views
943
averageasian
averageasian
Y
Army Available Posts 2023
Replies
5
Views
635
NJ_Doc
N
happyosborne
Army OMFS or Civilian OMFS
Replies
4
Views
835
Big Time Hoosier
Big Time Hoosier
Top