The U.S. Air Force's sole "dental bus," which serves more than 1,500 American servicemembers and their families at four small bases in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, is parked at Buechel Air Base in Germany. (Scott Schonauer / Stars and Stripes)
BUECHEL AIR BASE, Germany — You might call it the “toothmobile,” but it is known simply as the “dental bus.”
With two patient chairs, an X-ray machine and enough equipment to clean teeth or pull them, the 40-foot Spartan Motors-made bus is a dental office on wheels.
It is the Air Force’s only such bus, bringing dental care to Americans stationed at small installations spread throughout northern Europe.
While few people get excited about seeing the dentist, airmen several hundred miles from a military dentist’s office are grateful for the service.
“It’s a lifesaver by all means,” said Staff Sgt. Joel Jiskra, a special weapons technician.
Twice a year, an Air Force dentist and three technicians with the 52nd Dental Squadron travel to far-flung bases in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and take care of American servicemembers and their families.
Since 1999, the bus has traveled roughly 2,100 miles and treated more than 1,500 people annually.
Last week, the bus wrapped up its weeklong visit to this small base, a German-commanded installation about 70 miles east of Frankfurt. The dentist team treated 181 patients before returning to Spangdahlem Air Base about 22 miles away, where the bus is parked when not on the road.
Buechel is home to less than 200 active-duty servicemembers who are members of the 702nd Munitions Support Squadron. It is one of 80 so-called geographically separated bases attached to U.S. Air Forces in Europe. The unit’s mission is to store and maintain weapons and bombs.
The base has a small shoppette, a dining facility and a two-person clinic for airmen and their families, but no dentist office.
However, on Thursday, airmen only had to walk outside the main building past the Eagle’s Nest dining facility to get their teeth cleaned, cavities filled or get a regular check-up.
Staff Sgt. Richard Charity was surprised at how much the mobile dentist office had to offer.
“I wasn’t expecting to have such nice equipment as an actual dental clinic would,” he said.
In addition to the convenience, the $378,000 bus offers to smaller bases, it also saves the Air Force money, according to the 52nd Dental Squadron. Because the airmen do not have to take off duty or travel to another base, the military saves $75,000 in patient travel costs annually.
As Staff Sgt. Joseph Toth got his tooth filled on Thursday, Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” played on the CD player in the corner. Dr. (Capt.) Steven Caldroney said the patients they see on the road are generally more appreciative because they don’t have a dentist on base.
“But it’s like anywhere else,” he said. “No matter where the dentist is, they don’t want to see him.”
The U.S. Air Force's sole "dental bus," which serves more than 1,500 American servicemembers and their families at four small bases in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, is parked at Buechel Air Base in Germany. (Scott Schonauer / Stars and Stripes)
Dr. (Capt.) Steven Caldroney, left, and Terah Murphy, an Air Force dental technician, work on the teeth of Staff Sgt. Joseph Toth inside the "dental bus" at Buechel Air Base in Germany. (Scott Schonauer / Stars and Stripes)
