Navy AEGD vs credentialing tour clarified

[sockerbayb]

I know there are lots of threads of this nature on SDN but a clear choice has yet to present itself. I am on Navy HPSP and contemplating an AEGD vs credentialing tour. I have little to no interest in OS or specializing. I pretty sure I want to go blue side. I understand that another year of training in the span of a 30 year career is nothing but my understanding is that you will likely get that same training over your time in the military but at a slower pace. Also an AEGD will not keep you from the amalgam line. I am open to a military career but not sold on it. My school has allowed me to place implants, do plenty of molar endo, and would let me do 3rds extraction if I chose. With this is mind I have a few questions:

- Am I understanding correctly that ultimately the long term advantage of an AEGD (in this situation) would be to specialize or have a military career?

- Can I do a credentialing tour and go blue side? Seems the credentialing tour locations are green side sites.

- Is a post-AEGD 4 years drastically different from not taking the residency?

- Do you get to utilize the skills learned from an AEGD on a regular basis or do your skills atrophy from lack of use?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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[Danielqta]

I was a Hospital Corpsman at Camp Pendleton and worked extensively with multiple AEGD classes, so I can tell you a little bit about the program.

I don't think the major advantage would be for specialization. Whether or not it benefits your military career is based on something I don't have the knowledge to tell you about. So for the Navy AEGD program on Camp Pendleton, you spend two NEUTRAL years in 13 Area Dental Clinic Mainside. The years don't go towards your Obligated Service but you also don't have to pay back extra time for enrolling in it. You rotate with other dental officers through Pros, Endo, OS, and Perio. I know there's an ortho there now, but I don't know if he's involved with the program. Last I was there, he was not involved. I think the dentists that do go through the AEGD rotations are more confident with their operative skills and have high ranking specialists to help them with issues that they have.

Camp Pendleton's dental unit is a blue/green hybrid, so we get both designations. Blue side personnel go to Naval Dental Center Camp Pendleton, and green side personnel go to 1st Dental Battalion. It's the exact same unit, except blue deploys on blue billets and green deploys on green billets. Personally, I think there are more opportunities on the green side. AND more holidays lol. If you're trying to go blue because you don't want to deploy... Uh, you need to do a little more research or rethink why you're joining the military.

I'm not 100% sure what you're asking from the post-AEGD question, so I'll skip it for now.

You definitely will utilize your AEGD skills if you stay on mainside because that's where all the specialty cases are referred to. The outlying clinics see mostly operative and simple surgery patients, so you do experience a little atrophizing of skills out there. Most people that are only doing their obligated service stay at 13 ADC.

Hope this helps.