USS Ronald Reagan Improves Readiness, Performs 1st Laser Surgery Aboard an FDNF Carrier

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan Burke | 170522-N-OI810-054 WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN (May 22, 2017) Capt. Jaime Quejada, left, dental officer of the Navy's forward-deployed aircraft-carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (SW) Davondrion Compton, right, from Bunkie, Louisiana, perform the first oral-laser surgery aboard the ship. Quejada performed an oral frenectomy on Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class (SW/AW) Steven Wright, from Newark, New Jersey. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Burke / Released)  

AT SEA, JAPAN

05.22.2017

Courtesy Story

USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76)   

Capt. Jaime Quejada, Ronald Reagan’s dental officer, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, used a laser to perform a lingual frenectomy on Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class (SW/AW) Steven Wright, from Newark, New Jersey, to treat his Ankyloglosia, or tongue-tied syndrome.
“This is the first time lasers have been used in medicine and surgery for an FDNF (forward-deployed naval forces) carrier, so it’s a big deal for us,” said Quejada. “In terms of the patients, they recover faster, there’s less trauma to the tissues, and there’s less chances from an inadvertent cut or incision because the laser is very precise.”
A limited range of motion of someone’s tongue can have a wide variety of affects, including issues breastfeeding as an infant, to speech limitations, hygiene problems and issues performing simple tasks, like licking his or her lips, eating an ice cream cone or kissing.
“Their tongue doesn’t move very well,” said Quejada. “They can’t stick their tongue out. So, it affects their social effects, if you know what I mean,” added Quejada. “This should, hopefully, add to his social capital.”
During a frenectomy, the lingual frenulum, the band of tissue that connects the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, is severed to increase the tongue’s mobility.
“The laser is perfect for that,” said Quejada. “Under the tongue is a very vascular area," said Quejada. "If you do incise it with a scalpel, it bleeds a lot, then you need suction. When you apply suction to soft tissue it gets sucked up and then you’re not sucking anything, so you have to apply gauze, which is very inconvenient and not very elegant—so the laser really simplifies things, because there’s hemostasis, or lack of bleeding, when we are making our incisions or excisions. We can see better, and when a surgeon can see better he can do better.”
According to Compton, the laser will improve the ship’s readiness, save money, and may even reduce recovery times by a matter of days.
“It’s a photo-thermal laser,” said Compton. “Basically, that means the light energy turns into heat and is then absorbed by the tissue that you are cutting. It cuts and cauterizes at the same time. So it heals faster, which will reduce our post-op visits from infection.”
Quejada said he looks forward to utilizing the laser used during the surgery, the latest addition to Ronald Reagan’s Dental Department’s arsenal.
“This one is optimized for soft tissue,” said Quejada. “In contact mode, the laser is emitted when it comes in contact with the surface of the tissue and can be used to cut like we did here today. It has a very controlled depth. If you’re working around very delicate blood vessels or nerves, you can constrain the depth of the cut with each pulse. Then you know you’re not going to hit it.”
In indirect mode, the laser can be used for a variety of treatments, like gingivitis.
“When you have gum problems, your gums start to recede. The reason it recedes is because the toothbrush can’t get to the bottom of the gingival crevice (the space between the exposed tooth and the gum),” said Quejada. “It’s normally one to two millimeters. If it’s deeper, like four or five millimeters, your brush can’t get to it, so you can be brushing all day, but you can’t get to the bottom. The laser in indirect mode works great for that because you can apply it without contacting the tissue and the laser kills the bacteria that live down there—that’s been a major boon to the gum specialist. Also, we can sterilize other parts of the mouth.”
Quejada and Compton already have a number of procedures slated for the near future.
“It’s going to change our lives in terms of the procedures that we can do because the patients can return to work quicker,” said Quejada. “If we can shorten their recovery time, that’s the biggest plus for us in terms of giving them a better experience.”
“I’m in day four of the post-op process and still have a little bit of swelling, so it’s affecting the way that I talk right now, but I have free movement,” said Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class (SW/AW) Steven Wright, from Newark, New Jersey. “I have tested how far I can stick it out and it’s been going pretty well so far. The laser surgery minimized the amount of bleeding I would have had to deal with, so that’s pretty good. The first day there was a little pain, but it’s pretty much been smooth sailing from there. If there’s anyone who’s thinking about having it done, I would highly suggest it. It’s been a great experience.”
Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

• Date Taken: 05.22.2017
• Date Posted: 05.25.2017 09:57
• Story ID: 235216
• Location: AT SEA, JP