Class 3 Dental

[RugbyJC]

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I am considered a class three dental because I still have my wisdom teeth. The Navy wants me to not have wisdom teeth. I strongly feel that if it ain't broke, don't fix it and am planning on refusing to get them pulled...

Does anyone have any experience with this? How long can I fight it for? Will they literally strap me to a chair and make me get it done? Captain's Mast?

In case people wonder why this is an issue, its because historically they have always pulled teeth prophylacticallyso they can't cause problems on deployment. However, my attitude is that they should also remove my appendix if they want to do something prophylactically. Moreover, one in 8 women will get breast cancer in her life. Will bilaterally mastectomies by the age of 40 soon be a requirement?

Just curious how far this would go. Feel free to tell me im being unreasonable, but to me it is unnecessary surgery and you are not going to be able to convince me otherwise.

 

[backrow]

I can assure you that this is a losing battle on your end. I'm not sure how long you can stretch it out for, but eventually the Navy will get their teeth. Now, if you have a four year commitment and then are going to get out, you may just possibly be able to delay it long enough to sneak away.

 

[mitchconnie]

Is this really Navy-wide policy or maybe just a local issue with one particular high-pressure dental clinic?

Every year the Air Force dentist gives me a sales job with varying degrees of pressure to get my wisdom teeth removed and every year I politely decline. I have had zero hassles about it otherwise, and am world-wide qualified. I don't believe that the military will force you to undergo any sort of elective or semi-elective surgical procedure. My guess is that you can continue to put it off indefinitely.

 

[Kingfisher]

Is this really Navy-wide policy or maybe just a local issue with one particular high-pressure dental clinic?

Every year the Air Force dentist gives me a sales job with varying degrees of pressure to get my wisdom teeth removed and every year I politely decline. I have had zero hassles about it otherwise, and am world-wide qualified. I don't believe that the military will force you to undergo any sort of elective or semi-elective surgical procedure. My guess is that you can continue to put it off indefinitely.

The Navy seems to view communication from the dental weenies like some kind of divine revelation that MUST be followed at all cost.

I once missed an appointment that I didn't know about (it was made automatically for me by my command) for a CHECKUP. Hellfire and damnation rained down upon me until I dropped everything and walked over to dental and humbly repented. Up until that day I never would have thought my 0-6 cared so much about my teeth. 😀

 

[deegs]

Back when I was a young line officer, a DC type explained to me how this all works. The policy exists to prevent the need of evacuating a sailor from the middle of the ocean for a potentially preventable problem. An X-ray of your mouth should be examined and the trajectory of your unemerged wisdom teeth calculated. If they will become impacted when they emerge, they come out. If they will slide out free and clear, you can keep them.

I would imagine that the penalty for your inaction would be commensurate with how much you resemble the above mentioned "sailor in the middle of the ocean" (or sandbox). You would be non-deployable. I would look at the case files for the sailors who refused the anthrax vaccine a few years back for an idea of what happens when a sailor refuses preventive treatment to make them deployable. And your reason won't be as sexy when played in the media....

 

[RugbyJC]

Back when I was a young line officer, a DC type explained to me how this all works. The policy exists to prevent the need of evacuating a sailor from the middle of the ocean for a potentially preventable problem. An X-ray of your mouth should be examined and the trajectory of your unemerged wisdom teeth calculated. If they will become impacted when they emerge, they come out. If they will slide out free and clear, you can keep them.

I would imagine that the penalty for your inaction would be commensurate with how much you resemble the above mentioned "sailor in the middle of the ocean" (or sandbox). You would be non-deployable. I would look at the case files for the sailors who refused the anthrax vaccine a few years back for an idea of what happens when a sailor refuses preventive treatment to make them deployable. And your reason won't be as sexy when played in the media....

The teeth are IN MY MOUTH and not impacted. They have been in my mouth for 10 years, and I think they look very sexy both in and out of uniform.

Statistically, im more likely to get breast cancer than to have problems with my wisdom teeth at this point, hence my billateral mastectomy referrence....maybe ill check this anthrax thing out...

 

[Gastrapathy]

I have my top two wisdom teeth still in, and am Dental Class I.

Personally, I would look up the instruction on this. Sounds like some idiot Reserve Dentist who doesn't know the actual rules.

Got mine too.

 

[TheGoose]

Back when I was a young line officer, a DC type explained to me how this all works. The policy exists to prevent the need of evacuating a sailor from the middle of the ocean for a potentially preventable problem. An X-ray of your mouth should be examined and the trajectory of your unemerged wisdom teeth calculated. If they will become impacted when they emerge, they come out. If they will slide out free and clear, you can keep them.
.

maybe this is the issue in your situation...even if they are still in your mouth?