Handcrafting dental readiness Published July 29, 2016 By Senior Airman Harry Brexel 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Whenever U.S. Air Force combat airlifters need dental work, they often count on a small team of specialists at the 19th Medical Group Clinic. The unit works behind-the-scenes crafting unique dental prostheses as part of the 19th Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental laboratory element. They assist dentists by correcting dental conditions that otherwise take warfighters out of the fight. The 19th AMDS lab element is made up of four highly skilled experts who use the latest tools and techniques to create thousands of crowns, bridges, partials, dentures and everything in between. The team uses dental materials such as acrylic, porcelain, gypsum and gold to make precision pieces that patients often use for a lifetime.