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673d Medical Group Closures: The 673 MDG is closed every third Thursday of the month for Medical Readiness Training. Outpatient and ancillary services will be closed the entire day and will resume operations the following day at 7:30 a.m. Emergency Services will remain open for emergency or urgent care.

2017 Hospital Training Day Closures (Full List)

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Clinic MTF News

673d Dental Squadron sparks innovation with new 3D scanner

By Staff Sgt. Daniel Longar , 673d Medical Group / Published August 29, 2017

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Senior Airman Lauren Francis (right), 673d Dental Squadron dental technician, checks the articulating paper to assure the temporary crown won’t grind the other teeth of Airman 1st Class Ian McKinney, 673d Security Forces Squadron alarm monitor specialist, at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2017. A cavity or incomplete tooth needs a crown to prevent further damage. The dentist removes any decay and the outer layer of the tooth so the crown fits like a cap.

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Air Force Maj. Nicole Smith (right), 673d Dental Squadron prosthodontist, compares Airman 1st Class Ian McKinney’s, 673d Security Forces Squadron alarm monitor specialist, temporary crown with a test tooth at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2017. A cavity or incomplete tooth needs a crown to prevent further damage. The dentist removes any decay and the outer layer of the tooth so the crown fits like a cap.

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Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Longar, 673d Dental Squadron dental technician, points to the tallest part of the molars to avoid with the new crown on a 3-D dental scanner at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2017. A cavity or incomplete tooth needs a crown to prevent further damage. The dentist removes any decay and the outer layer of the tooth so the crown fits like a cap.

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The 673d Dental Squadron can create crowns with a same-day replacement by utilizing many tools including a 3-D dental scanner and printer for a perfect fit on the old tooth and adjustable top to match the rest at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2017. A cavity or incomplete tooth needs a crown to prevent further damage. The dentist removes any decay and the outer layer of the tooth so the crown fits like a cap.

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Air Force Maj. Nicole Smith (right), 673d Dental Squadron prosthodontist, and Senior Airman Lauren Francis, 673d DS technician (left), prepare Airman 1st Class Ian McKinney’s, 673d Security Forces Squadron alarm monitor specialist, teeth for a temporary crown at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2017. A cavity or incomplete tooth needs a crown to prevent further damage. The dentist removes any decay and the outer layer of the tooth so the crown fits like a cap.

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Air Force Maj. Nicole Smith, 673d Dental Squadron prosthodontist, prepare Airman 1st Class Ian McKinney’s, 673d Security Forces Squadron alarm monitor specialist, teeth for a temporary crown at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2017. A cavity or incomplete tooth needs a crown to prevent further damage. The dentist removes any decay and the outer layer of the tooth so the crown fits like a cap.

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Air Force Maj. Nicole Smith (left), 673d Dental Squadron prosthodontist, and Senior Airman Lauren Francis, 673d DS dental technician (top), prepare Airman 1st Class Ian McKinney’s, 673d Security Forces Squadron alarm monitor specialist, teeth for a temporary crown at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital, Alaska, Aug. 14, 2017. A cavity or incomplete tooth needs a crown to prevent further damage. The dentist removes any decay and the outer layer of the tooth so the crown fits like a cap.

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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --

Technology and innovation are focal points for the 673d Dental Squadron at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital.

By implementing a three dimensional scanner and a fully digital process, the amount of time required to restore a patient’s teeth can be drastically reduced.

Every active-duty service member must have an annual dental exam to maintain their oral health and be ready for the fight. If it’s determined that a patient needs a crown—an artificial tooth—traditionally, they would go they would go through a lengthy process to make impressions.

The process would begin with the doctor using a molding material to capture an impression of the patient’s mouth. Once the impression made it to the lab, a plaster would be poured into the impression. After it set there would be a stone, three dimensional model to fabricate the tooth with.

This process could take as long as 30 days and require several appointments, depending on the number of teeth needing to be replaced.

Incorporating the CEREC Omnicam three dimensional scanner allows for a shortened procedure and can lead to replacing a tooth in a single day.

The Omnicam can scan the patient’s mouth and create a digital file instantaneously. The digital file can then be used to design and fabricate the tooth and eliminate the need for creating molds.

The scanner and our process improvement have also enabled us to offer our patients tooth-colored crowns as opposed to gold or porcelain crowns.

At times, patients have spent hours in the dental chair and waited a month before dentists could insert final restoration.

Capitalizing on the growing technology of the 21st century we have been able to drastically reduce the fabrication time, lessen the number of patient appointments and save the Air Force money—putting our Airman back into the field to defend the northern hemisphere.

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Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Clinic MTF News

673d Dental Squadron sparks innovation with new 3D scanner