Ask an Army Dentist

Started by BQuad
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
wait so doing a 1 year AEGD would add another year to your pay back (4 to 5 years)? I swear I read a thousand times on this forum that it was a neutral year and wouldnt add to your 4 years. but your saying it is like this for example.. you do a one year AEGD so you have 5 year payback making your total time in the military 6 years
 
if you do a 1 year aegd it is a neutral year. meaning after you complete that year of residency you have to then complete your 4 years of hpsp payback. so yes you would be in the military for a total of 5 years as an active duty officer. afterwards, you would be on reserve/IRR for the remaining term of 3 years to fulfill your contract of 8 years.

when you sign up for the 4 year hpsp, it is an 8 year obligation. it is written on the contract.
 
Last edited:
preDENT1210 said:
if you do a 1 year aegd it is a neutral year. meaning after you complete that year of residency you have to then complete your 4 years of hpsp payback. so yes you would be in the military for a total of 5 years as an active duty officer. afterwards, you would be on reserve/IRR for the remaining term of 3 years to fulfill your contract of 8 years.

when you sign up for the 4 year hpsp, it is an 8 year obligation. it is written on the contract.
Click to expand...
Correct...Sorry I wasn't clear. When the previous statement said that the 1 yr AEGD did not incur a service obligation I was just trying to clarify that it would result in a total of 5 years time served for those on a 4 yr HPSP. About 8-10 years ago it used to not have any type of additional time requirement so I was just trying to make that clear that you would owe 5 years if you did it.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I thought the 4 years in the reserves was during school. So after you finish your contract or 4 year payback in the army you are completely done
 
No I definitely have not, I'm going to make sure I know everything. My recruiter has told me a lot of things that seem to be completely wrong.
 
Yes. You can work for the Army as a dentist (doesn't require any real application other than basic eligibility). However, that would not be the most cost effective way to pay your debt. I do think they have a program that allows you to work for them, and they also give you up to 40,000 a year to pay off loans. But I think that's something you have to apply for. Again, I'm not sure about that though. Try talking to a recruiter, as well as other army dentists (recruiter will tell you what you wanna hear)
 
xjh915 said:
I am a tufts dental student. I wasn't lucky enough to get military scholarship. I was wondering if there is a program or any way to help me out of this massive debt if I work for army after I graduate from school. So I would be applying to be General dentist in army but not in any pay-tuition scholarship program. Thank you.
Click to expand...
If you are a US citizen you can join the Army after you graduate and sign up for loan repayment for $40k/year for 4 years. If you want to join the Army Reserves they will pay off your loans up to $250k for a 6 year commitment. Of course this is how things are now, don't know if budget cuts will affect things in future years.

If you want to work for the military as a civilian they will typically not hire you unless you have done a 1 yr AEGD/GPR or have several years of experience.
 
If I was recently accepted into dental school, and want to submit my application now that I have a LOR, is there any chance of getting at least the 3 year scholarship? Or are they pretty much all taken up?
 
I commissioned as a 2LT in the USAR in 2012 May. I am applying to dental school this June, deploy for 9 months starting in July, and plan to go to dental school when I return in 2014 as a 1LT. My question is am I still eligible for the HSPS? If the answer is yes, would I still be able to drill with my unit while attending dental school?
 
RSalha17 said:
If I was recently accepted into dental school, and want to submit my application now that I have a LOR, is there any chance of getting at least the 3 year scholarship? Or are they pretty much all taken up?
Click to expand...
If you get your packet in now you will have a chance for the 3 year scholarships. You will still be competing against other individuals, and there will be more applicants than scholarships...but you have a chance. The scholarships are given out in October.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
hannahu13 said:
I commissioned as a 2LT in the USAR in 2012 May. I am applying to dental school this June, deploy for 9 months starting in July, and plan to go to dental school when I return in 2014 as a 1LT. My question is am I still eligible for the HSPS? If the answer is yes, would I still be able to drill with my unit while attending dental school?
Click to expand...
Yes you are still eligible. No you won't be able to drill with your unit. The decision to go HPSP will put you in the IRR and take you out of your TPU unit. Part of the reason is that in a regular reserve unit you can be required to deploy or do you AT which may interfere with school. The Army want you to get in and get done with school. You will also be reduced in rank back to a 2Lt with HPSP, but then promoted to CPT upon graduation.
 
hannahu13 said:
I commissioned as a 2LT in the USAR in 2012 May. I am applying to dental school this June, deploy for 9 months starting in July, and plan to go to dental school when I return in 2014 as a 1LT. My question is am I still eligible for the HSPS? If the answer is yes, would I still be able to drill with my unit while attending dental school?
Click to expand...

You may run into some trouble with both dental school admissions and HPSP application if you're deploying for nine months starting this July. Even if you already submitted your completed application, you'll be gone and out of touch for all of interview season and won't be able to meet with your HPSP recruiter 20 times to sign all of the papers over and over. It may not be the best year to apply.
 
I am going to be graduating from dental school in May 2014. I was wondering when I go on active duty and when I move? And if I do a residency when does that start?

On another note I am doing ADT in Hawaii (looking at the 2 yr AEGD) and was wondering where I am going to be during that, Tripler, Shafter or Schofield?

Thank you
 
bike15 said:
I am going to be graduating from dental school in May 2014. I was wondering when I go on active duty and when I move? And if I do a residency when does that start?

On another note I am doing ADT in Hawaii (looking at the 2 yr AEGD) and was wondering where I am going to be during that, Tripler, Shafter or Schofield?

Thank you
Click to expand...
If you haven't done OBLC, then you will go on active duty when that starts. Your stuff will be picked up and moved prior to that. You will not go there, graduate, and then go home for a while...you're in the Army now after that 🙂. Get any vacations of family functions done prior to that. Since there are 2 OBLC cycles in the summer, your start date and active duty time will begin based on whichever one you get in. You will not receive active duty pay until you go to OBLC, so from the time you graduate from school until you go to OBLC you will not get any money.

If you do residency you will go to the location where your residency will be following OBLC. You will then likely work as a general dentist for a year until your program starts the following summer.

If you are going somewhere for ADT Ms. Roxanne Flores should help to coordinate that and provide you with a point of contact wherever you are going. Typically in Hawaii you will be at Schofield (AEGD program and most specialties ) and Tripler (OMFS) with the majority of the time at Schofield. There are no dental facilities as Shafter.
 
Ok I have done OBLC, so is there a start date for dentists to go on active duty after they graduate and done OBLC? Does the 1 year AEGD start in August and other specialties start when? I remember dentists who were going to 1 year AEGD after OBLC.

Thanks for your help
 
What is the average starting salary for an army dentist for your first year getting out of dental school? And also, for the HPSP, during those four years that you serve are you most likely going to get deployed or just work on a base?
Thanks!
 
bike15 said:
Ok I have done OBLC, so is there a start date for dentists to go on active duty after they graduate and done OBLC? Does the 1 year AEGD start in August and other specialties start when? I remember dentists who were going to 1 year AEGD after OBLC.

Thanks for your help
Click to expand...
If you have done OBLC then you will have a report by date. This will usually be a few weeks before the AEGD if that is what you are doing, or late summer/early fall if you aren't. Your orders will usually have the option of reporting up to 30-60 days earlier. Remember you don't get paid from the time you graduate dental school until you come on active duty.
 
In terms of deployment, is the environment you practice pretty modern? Or does it vary? Just wondering if there's a potential to be in a little hut in Korengal seeing patients, which I think would actually be kind of cool. 👍

Also, at BOLC, do you learn basic military skills? Drilling, weapons, basic tactics, etc?
 
On deployment the clinics can vary widely from a fixed building to a portable clinics and from small bases to large ones. Depends on where they send you. When I was deployed I had the equipment and supplies to do any procedure I needed to.

Your BOLC will be an introductory course. They understand that in the medical profession you will not have to be as intimately familiar with all aspects of Soldiering, so you learn the basics and try them out, but they are not drilled into you like your peers outside of the medical arena will experience.

Weapons familiarization and training, gas masks, land navigation, obstacle courses, etc...
 
SteinmetzMD said:
In terms of deployment, is the environment you practice pretty modern? Or does it vary? Just wondering if there's a potential to be in a little hut in Korengal seeing patients, which I think would actually be kind of cool. 👍

Also, at BOLC, do you learn basic military skills? Drilling, weapons, basic tactics, etc?
Click to expand...


As mentioned...it does vary widely. In my deployment in 2004...I worked in the Green Zone in Saddam's old dental clinic...in 2007...I worked in 2 different locations..one had up to date equipment..and 2 chairs..the other was literally just a trailer that had a field chair and field equipment...very cool actually!

Your experience will vary...just cherish any chance you get to deploy!
 
got a couple of questions:

1) if i am prior service and i'm awarded the HSPS, will my years in dental school count towards my pension?

2) if i've already gone through BOLC (II & III), will i be required to go again as a dental officer or can I have it waived?

3) if i decide in my 2nd/3rd year of dental school that i want to apply for the HSPS, will it backpay my previous year's loans?

4) can i be stationed in non-army posts (i.e. travis AFB, tinker AFB)
 
mister donut said:
got a couple of questions:

1) if i am prior service and i'm awarded the HSPS, will my years in dental school count towards my pension?

2) if i've already gone through BOLC (II & III), will i be required to go again as a dental officer or can I have it waived?

3) if i decide in my 2nd/3rd year of dental school that i want to apply for the HSPS, will it backpay my previous year's loans?

4) can i be stationed in non-army posts (i.e. travis AFB, tinker AFB)
Click to expand...
got a couple of questions:

1) if i am prior service and i'm awarded the HSPS, will my years in dental school count towards my pension?

No

2) if i've already gone through BOLC (II & III), will i be required to go again as a dental officer or can I have it waived?
Don't know, but I would assume it would count
3) if i decide in my 2nd/3rd year of dental school that i want to apply for the HSPS, will it backpay my previous year's loans?
No. Army usually does not offer anything less than a 3 yr scholarship. The chance of getting picked up is possible, but they are very selective and only consider it on a case by case basis. You can apply for loan payback once on active duty.

4) can i be stationed in non-army posts (i.e. travis AFB, tinker AFB)
No
 
I was surfing Internet regarding basic pays for active duty dentist after dental school and I couldn't figure out what lump sum means. Do I get $75,000 (lump sum) signing bonus for active duty army dentist right away? Or is it a multiple pay within 4 years? I am not sure if I even understand it right. 😕 Thanks in advance.
 
ongoingdat said:
I was surfing Internet regarding basic pays for active duty dentist after dental school and I couldn't figure out what lump sum means. Do I get $75,000 (lump sum) signing bonus for active duty army dentist right away? Or is it a multiple pay within 4 years? I am not sure if I even understand it right. 😕 Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
If you do not do HPSP and you join after dental school then you have your choice of either: 1) One time $75k sign on bonus 2) $40k/year - $160k total loan repayment. If you do HPSP you do not have either of these options.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
coolslugs said:
I couldn't find any GPR programs in the Army...is there a reason for this?
Click to expand...
The Army has chosen to only have AEGD programs (1 and 2 yr). In my opinion part of the reason could be that as an active duty dentist you are treating only Active duty individuals. A GPR program is a hospital based program and will help provide training with compromised patients in a hospital setting. This will be very different from where and who you will treat as an active duty dentist, thus a GPR will not be as beneficial as an AEGD. Again...my opinion only.
 
krmower said:
The Army has chosen to only have AEGD programs (1 and 2 yr). In my opinion part of the reason could be that as an active duty dentist you are treating only Active duty individuals. A GPR program is a hospital based program and will help provide training with compromised patients in a hospital setting. This will be very different from where and who you will treat as an active duty dentist, thus a GPR will not be as beneficial as an AEGD. Again...my opinion only.
Click to expand...

Is it possible to do a specialty program, and also not miss out on an AEGD-1 opportunity? Is it possible to start in an AEGD-1 program right after school, then apply for a specialty program right away, then get accepted that winter, snowbird at a new base the following year and start the specialty program with the Army?
 
You can only do AEGD-1 programs right out of school. The winter of the AEGD program you can apply for specialty training, if accepted you will begin that specialty program 18 months later (not 6 months later when your program is ending). The reason for this is that the AEGD-1 programs begin later than specialty programs since not all participants have done OBLC. Therefore there is an overlap of the 2 programs and thus you can not consecutively do both without a snow bird year in between.
 
krmower said:
got a couple of questions:

1) if i am prior service and i'm awarded the HSPS, will my years in dental school count towards my pension?

No


No
Click to expand...

My understanding was that if you make the minimum 50 point requirement while you're in dental school (as a 2LT in the IRR) it will count towards retirement. The 50 points can be made with the free 15 points and military or CE education.
 
krmower said:
You can only do AEGD-1 programs right out of school. The winter of the AEGD program you can apply for specialty training, if accepted you will begin that specialty program 18 months later (not 6 months later when your program is ending). The reason for this is that the AEGD-1 programs begin later than specialty programs since not all participants have done OBLC. Therefore there is an overlap of the 2 programs and thus you can not consecutively do both without a snow bird year in between.
Click to expand...

What if you decide to apply to a specialty program the year after you finished an AEGD-1, and you have already moved to a new duty station? Would you have to finish your 3-4yr at that base before you can apply for a specialty?
 
coolslugs said:
What if you decide to apply to a specialty program the year after you finished an AEGD-1, and you have already moved to a new duty station? Would you have to finish your 3-4yr at that base before you can apply for a specialty?
Click to expand...
No. But you will remain at the base you moved to until a few months before the program starts and then move to the new location. Thus you will have worked at that location for about 2 years before you go to the specialty program (most people move in the summer, applications occur in the winter - thus you will have already been there 6 months before selections are announced. Then the program will not begin for 18 months after that).
 
I'm new to military dentistry and I just have a few questions. I apologize in advance if things that I ask seem disrespectful.

1) How hard is it to get the HPSP scholarship? Are there any other military scholarships available that can help pay tuition? For example, can I join the military after graduating dental school? Can they help pay for my loans?

(I have a 4.0 GPA with 19AA/TS).

2) I have met with a recruiter in person and she took down all of my information. I was told and I should start working on my application in October. What else should I be doing?
(I applied to 18 d-schools this year and have one interview so far)

3) What is the starting salary of military dentist straight out of school? (approx.)

4) How are the living conditions as military (army) dentists?

5) Once you are done with school, you have to serve for the amount of years you received a scholarship for correct? Is there any additional time you have to serve?


Thank you!
 
Eastcoast24 said:
I'm new to military dentistry and I just have a few questions. I apologize in advance if things that I ask seem disrespectful.

1) How hard is it to get the HPSP scholarship? Are there any other military scholarships available that can help pay tuition? For example, can I join the military after graduating dental school? Can they help pay for my loans? (I have a 4.0 GPA with 19AA/TS).

It is getting more competitive each year. Popularity among the 3 branches that offers HPSP: Air Force > Navy > Army.

There is also the HSCP with the Navy during school, and loan repayment programs with all 3 branches if you decide to join after graduation.

2) I have met with a recruiter in person and she took down all of my information. I was told and I should start working on my application in October. What else should I be doing?
(I applied to 18 d-schools this year and have one interview so far)

Get your packets in, complete all physicals and requirement and wait for your dental school acceptance letter.

3) What is the starting salary of military dentist straight out of school? (approx.)

It depends on which program (HPSP, HSCP), where you are stationed, family size etc. Search the forum.

4) How are the living conditions as military (army) dentists?

Just like anyone else. I can't speak for deployment locations though.

5) Once you are done with school, you have to serve for the amount of years you received a scholarship for correct? Is there any additional time you have to serve?

Yes.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

See above
 
PM all of the military dentists on the forum. All of them are friendly and will give you an honest opinion.

At the end of the day, you're going to have to decide on which branch (if any) is the best fit for you given all of their insight. Good luck.
 
I'm just now looking into military scholarships for dental school. What are the average stats for those being accepted for the army scholarship? Also is a BA or BS required to be eligible for the scholarship?
 
tbond5 said:
I'm just now looking into military scholarships for dental school. What are the average stats for those being accepted for the army scholarship? Also is a BA or BS required to be eligible for the scholarship?
Click to expand...
Being accepted into dental school is the minimum requirement. Because you are being compared against other individuals a BS or BA will make you appear more competitive when compared with your peers.

Stats needed will be based on how many people are applying and what their stats look like. Thus with the current trend as more individuals are applying for the scholarship, the stats needed will go up as well.

Don't have any exact numbers for you from previous years acceptances.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I'm trying to apply 3 years-HPSP and 1 year AGD.

If I take $20,000 HPSP AB, "Active duty obligation in conjunction with HPSP is four years." Then will I be in the army four years or five years?
 
I was contacted by a recruiter about the MAVNI program. We are talking now about 6years reserve. I was wondering though if I want to apply for a residency how will this work?
And I will definetely appreciate more info about the MAVNi program. What I got from the website was quite vague.
Thanks
 
I am an enlisted who wants to find out if I have to reclass(Changing job specialty) or get out of Army after 18months.

If I reclass, I have to serve at least 3 more years. So, I m trying to reclass into dental assistant.

What will be a good choice?

Get out and go to college or reclass get some experience as dental assistant and finish BA Biology in Army.

Does a dental assistant(68E) experience will help me getting into dental school?

Not only as experience but also as extracurricular activity.

If so, how much does it affect on admission?

What about other mos such as 68W(combat medic) 68K (Medical Lab Specialist)? Because I might not be able to choose dental assistant.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Army LTHET
Replies
1
Views
324
dentistorsomething
D
O
Charting in the Army
Replies
1
Views
719
ArmyToothDoc
A
A
Army vs Air Force OMFS
Replies
0
Views
933
adentalstudent1234
A
P
Proper attire for Army os externship
Replies
1
Views
720
ShortShortsDad
ShortShortsDad
L
Acquiring Army AEGD With a Low Class Rank-HPSP
Replies
2
Views
547
californiway21
californiway21