Dental Clinic
The Branch Health Clinic NAVSTA Norfolk is the Navy's largest dental clinic with 116 dental treatment rooms and seven Mobile Dental Units. Our staff is dedicated to provide dental support to the more than 50,000 active duty Sailors and Marines in Hampton Roads.
We are located at Building CD-3 outside of Naval Station Norfolk between the Commissary and Branch Health Clinic NAVSTA Norfolk Medical building.
Area Dental Laboratory
The Area Dental Laboratory is a full service dental laboratory located at the Branch Health Clinic, Norfolk, Virginia.
Our mission is to provide prosthodontic laboratory support to providers assigned to medical/dental commands afloat and ashore in addition to other Medical Treatment Facilities within the DOD.
Our goal is to provide dental prostheses of the highest quality with turnaround times consistent with or exceeding the dental laboratory industry standard.
Area Dental Laboratory Norfolk is certified by the National Board for Certification (NBC) in Dental Laboratory Technology.
Comprehensive Dentistry
The Comprehensive Dental Department maintains the operational readiness and the dental health of the United States fighting forces by providing service members with state of the art preventative, restorative, and urgent care.
Our staff is highly trained and required to attend continuing education regularly to make certain that the delivery of care is with the most up to date dental therapies and materials. In addition, our providers work closely with the dental specialists in the command to coordinate multidisciplinary treatment for patients requiring complex treatment plans to ensure that appropriate care is rendered at the appropriate time.
The department welcomes feedback and encourages patients to raise questions or concerns they might have to promote a positive, satisfied experience and foster a good working relationship with our staff members.
We are 100% committed to providing you, our most deserving patients, with the very best dental treatment available in a caring, compassionate manner.
Endodontics
The Endodontics Department at Branch Health Clinic Naval Station Norfolk primarily serves all shore based and fleet Navy and Marine Corps personnel in the Tidewater area. Nonsurgical and surgical endodontic therapy is completed by a staff of three endodontists and two general dentist rotators. Our dental assistant compliment usually consists of three to four civilian or military personnel.
Endodontic treatment has become "state of the art" with the addition of the Digital Radiography, Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), and the Global and Zeiss operating microscopes. Using the Kodak System, digital images of teeth can now be created using 50% less radiation. This image may be altered by changing density and contrast to improve diagnostics. The image can also be colorized, magnified and reversed. An archive quality photo can also be produced of the final product for inclusion in the patient's record. CBCT technology improves diagnostics and treatment decisions. In addition, the Global and Zeiss operating microscopes can be used for various endodontic procedures including:
- Locating and instrumenting hard to find or calcified canals;
- Locating and removing separated instruments, silver points and posts;
- Retreatments; and
- Microsurgery including apicoectomies and retrofills. The operating microscope has certainly made the specialty of endodontics more exciting than ever. Other departmental services include assistance with endodontic diagnostic dilemmas and emergency care treatment such as incision & drainage. We ask that emergency case referrals be preceded by a telephone call at (757) 953-8598.
Fleet Liaison is proud to be associated with the largest Naval Base in the United States.
We are a section under the Comprehensive Dentistry Department of the Branch Health Clinic Naval Station Norfolk. Fleet Liaison is comprised of 5 Dentists, 11 Dental Assistants, and 12 Registered Dental Hygienists.
We are responsible in assisting the BHC NAVSTA Norfolk in maintaining the operational dental readiness of over 13,000 sailors from 34 surface ships, 10 submarines and the Submarine Squadron Support Unit.
Fleet Liaison insures that each battle group deploys with an Operational Dental Readiness (ODR) above the Navy's Minimum readiness requirement.
The Fleet Liaison staff utilizes 7 Mobile Dental Units (MDUs), as an efficient, cost-effective means of bringing the clinic to patient.
We are committed to providing the highest quality care in a timely manner.
The Oral Diagnosis Department serves active duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel and all other eligible DOD beneficiaries. The department provides diagnostic and radiographic examinations along with oral medicine consultations. Oral medicine is the specialty of dentistry concerned with the diagnosis and non-surgical management of medically related disorders or conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region.
Same day annual dental examination and cleaning appointments for active duty personnel are available by calling (757) 953-8514.
Overseas screening for family members is available via appointment by contacting the front desk at (757) 953-8635.
Records and radiographs (x-rays) from the family member’s civilian dentist should be obtained prior to the screening. Contacting the clinic prior to the screening date will save time.
Oral medicine consultations may be scheduled by contacting the front desk at (757) 953-8526/8527.
The Oral Surgery Department at Branch Health Clinic Naval Station Norfolk offers a full spectrum of ambulatory oral surgical procedures, including intravenous sedation and implantology.
The department presently is composed of three Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons, one ACP trained Exodontist, a registered nurse, and 13 enlisted and civilian dental assistants.
Service to the Fleet is our first priority, with a secondary emphasis on education and training. Exodontia training rotations are provided to Advanced Education in General Dentistry students, General Practice residents from Portsmouth Naval Hospital, and junior dental officers assigned to ships and other Branch Clinics desiring further surgical training.
The Oral Surgery Department participates with the OMFS residency program at Portsmouth Naval Hospital by helping with mock boards, attending surgical planning conferences, and staffing cases.
Orthodontics is the area of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance and correction of the growing and mature dental and facial structures, including those conditions that require movement of teeth or correction of malrelationships and malformations of related structures.
The orthodontist at Branch Health Clinic Naval Station Norfolk provides treatment to active duty patients. Family members are encouraged to take advantage of the Family Member Service Dental Plan. To be eligible for orthodontic treatment you should be on shore duty with approximately 2 years remaining on your orders. The more severe types of orthodontic problems are given priority (according to BUMED guidelines).
BHC NS Norfolk’s orthodontist is also involved in the AEGD and ACP one year training programs, and providing orthodontic support for multi-specialty cases.
Welcome to the Periodontics Department, Branch Health Clinic Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Periodontics is the branch of dentistry that specializes in the treatment of gum disease.
The department is one of the largest in the clinic and has a complement of three Periodontists, eight Registered Dental Hygienists and eleven military and civilian dental assistant.
The department occupies approximately two thirds of the Naval Clinic's first deck with 24 fully equipped dental operatories.
We provide state of the art care to over 500 patients per week. We are proud to offer a complete spectrum of Periodontal care including: dental prophylaxis (dental cleanings), surgical and nonsurgical therapy, bone and soft tissue grafting, guided tissue regeneration and dental implants.
The department offers these services to the active duty personnel in the Hampton Roads area. Dental cleanings are available on a stand by (space available) basis to retirees.
Appointments for periodontal care can be made by calling (757) 953-8514/8515.
Prosthodontics is the branch of dentistry pertaining to the restoration and maintenance of oral function, comfort, appearance and health of the patient by the restoration of natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth and contiguous oral and maxillofacial tissues with artificial substitutes. High quality Prosthodontics care will be delivered conforming to the Navy Standards of Care for Prosthodontics.
The department provides prioritized care in the following specialty areas:
- Fixed Prosthodontics:
Crowns and Bridges
- Removable Prosthodontics:
Partial and Complete Dentures
- Implant Prosthodontics:
Priority of care conforms to the new Navy Standards for diagnosis. Active Duty Class 3 patients (Class 3 for Prosthodontic need) will be appointed for consults. Active Duty Class 2 will be accommodated on a space available basis in accordance with clinic workload.
Navy Advanced Education in General Dentistry Programs are structured to develop competent and confident Naval Dental Officers who are able to transition into any military clinic in the world and contribute to mission readiness.
The programs are designed to expand the scope and depth of the graduates' knowledge and skills enabling them to provide comprehensive oral health care to a wide range of population groups. Graduates of these programs will have the foundation to act as independent clinicians providing and managing patient focused care from diagnosis to restoration of oral health and function.
The overall goals of these programs include preparation of the graduate to:
- Act as a primary care provider for individuals and groups of patients. This includes: providing emergency and multidisciplinary comprehensive oral health care; providing patient focused care that is coordinated by the general practitioner; directing health promotion and disease prevention activities; and using advanced dental treatment modalities.
- Plan and provide multidisciplinary oral health care for a wide variety of patients including patients with special needs.
- Manage the delivery of oral health care by applying concepts of patient and practice management and quality improvement that are responsive to a dynamic health care environment.
- Function effectively and efficiently in multiple health care environments within interdisciplinary health care teams.
- Apply scientific principles to learning and oral health care. This includes using critical thinking, evidence or outcomes-based clinical decision-making, and technology-based information retrieval systems.
- Utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice.
- Understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service.