Dental renovations improve ability to treat base

TRAVIS AFB, CA, UNITED STATES

05.06.2016

Story by Senior Airman Amber Carter 

60th Air Mobility Wing

The 60th Dental Squadron at Travis Air Force Base recently received upgrades to better perform their mission of delivering cutting-edge comprehensive dental services.

"In 2015, we completed two major renovations," said Senior Master Sgt. Paul Wilkins, 60th DS dental operations superintendent. "First, an upgrade to 40 dental treatment rooms. This was a floor to ceiling remodel that was completed one month earlier (than scheduled). The space was reduced by 50 percent but we focused on mission readiness and maintained our 98 percent dental deployable rate.

"The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic also completed a 100 percent clinic upgrade to eight treatment rooms and nine offices with no interruption in care," he continued.

The dental clinic renovation finished one month early and the OMS renovations were completed on time.

"The renovations were necessary because they provided clinical upgrades to dental equipment in treatment rooms and corrected issues with aging cabinetry," Wilkins said.

The construction created some obstacles for the dental clinic to overcome.

"The dental clinic's challenges were allowing the patient care to be uninterrupted and maintaining dental readiness," Wilkins said. "It was like changing the engines on a plane in midflight."

The redesigned rooms allow for increased work space, storage and a better work flow.

"The changes in the treatment room layout has allowed the staffing providers to oversee the residents more efficiently," Wilkins said. "The clinic has seen reduced downtime for broken equipment and the new technology has allowed the dentists to provide cutting edge treatment for the men and women at Travis Air Force Base."

• Date Taken: 05.06.2016
• Date Posted: 05.06.2016 13:44
• Story ID: 197542
• Location: TRAVIS AFB, CA, US