Osan's dental squadron puts the bite back into crime

  • Published
  • By TSgt Sheri Kangas
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The Air Force's military working dogs add invaluable support in a war environment as well as in day-to-day operations, so it's imperative the dogs remain in top-notch shape. However, when a problem is found, it's important to have it remedied as soon as possible.

Capt. Paul Kim, an advanced clinical dentist with the 51st Dental Squadron, recently performed root canals on two of the base's military working dogs, Daro and Caesar. "During their semi-annual physical the veterinarian notice the dogs needed some dental work," Captain Kim said. "The teeth were discolored or broken with pulp exposure."

Upon hearing the dogs needed dental work, the 51st DS chose Captain Kim since he had gained experience in canine dental care at his previous base. "It was an absolute privilege for me to perform dental care on the dogs. The majority of Air Force dentists would jump at the opportunity, but I had prior training and experience," the captain said.

The dental work began with sedation and complete gas general anesthesia, which took about 30 minutes to take effect. Once the dogs were out, Captain Kim began the root canal process.

Since a dog's root canals are twice as long as human's and very curved, the dental team had to use special root canal hand files (instruments) that were long enough to be able to complete the hour-and-a-half root canal treatment. "For human root canals we use hand files as well as rotary files using an electric hand piece which makes it faster," Captain Kim said. "For dogs we don't have rotary, only vet hand files."

Once complete, the dentist and his team waited for the dogs to wake up. "It was funny to see the dogs coming out of sedation," Captain Kim said. "They acted like they didn't know what hit them."

While humans can tell the dentist if they are in pain after dental surgery, they must rely on a dog's behavior and habits. The captain said the dog handlers are the best bet to be able to tell if there are any differences in the dogs since they know them best. "The dogs were put on 24-hour kennel rest," said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Claxton, kennel master with 51st Security Forces Squadron. "They are both back to where they should be - fit to fight."

In his last 14 years working with military working dogs, Sergeant Claxton said this is the second time he's been involved in getting dental care for his dogs. "I'm really glad there was a dentist here that had previous experience performing dental work on dogs," Sergeant Claxton said. "It's definitely not a common thing."

The dogs are back to biting, in a good way, and Captain Kim is honored he was able to play a part in that. "I'm glad they are back to work and feeling better," Captain Kim said.

"It feels good to know we could help out and benefit another aspect of the Air Force as a whole so they could to their job effectively," he added. "We all have a part to be successful in completing the Air Force Mission - that's our job."