Dental Soldiers bring smiles to troops in Afghanistan

By Capt. Thomas Cieslak
16th MP Bde. PAO

	Photo by Capt. Thomas Cieslak/16th MP Bde. PAO Captain Samuel Pyo, a dentist deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 257th Dental Company, examines a Soldier’s mouth on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — A dental company deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom is helping servicemembers by improving their dental health and hygiene and helping to maintain the mission readiness of an entire Task Force.

Soldiers of the 257th Dental Company are operating a dental clinic on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Their main customers are the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of Task Force Protector.

“Our main mission here is to get patients out of pain,” said dental assistant Spc. Lamarus Bonier, who helps Capt. Samuel Pyo, one of the clinic’s dentists, with the daily task of helping servicemembers with dental problems.

The clinic, located on the eastern perimeter of Bagram Airfield, is housed in a tent on ground which used to be a Soviet-era minefield. During Afghanistan’s windy days, the tent will pulsate and ceiling lights will bobble as Pyo works on a patient’s mouth.

Servicemembers can receive routine dental care such as cleanings and fillings, while those requiring a higher level of care are referred to a hospital across the base.

Extra care was given to the clinic’s design to ensure equipment would remain safe and functional despite Afghanistan’s bad weather.

Keeping equipment clean and the limited amount of resources available to units deployed to such austere conditions, are two of the biggest obstacles Soldiers from the 257th Dental Co. work with each day.

Particle-board wall lockers function both as storage and as a makeshift wall to create a waiting area and provide patients some privacy.

There is one dental chair in the clinic, which usually sees about nine patients a day. Sinks, trays and sterilizing equipment are set up along the walls to minimize the amount of tubes and cords laying along the floor.

A servicemember’s dental pain can take them out of the fight or distract them from their duties.

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