 From routine exams and cleanings to major extractions and surgeries, dental readiness is a key element to the warfighter readiness. The Navy is able to provide its people with world-class dental care, and even in locations as remote as Diego Garcia, sailors can receive the best care for their smile. Petty Officer Eric Siegel spoke with some of the dental personnel there to see why oral health is so important, and the quality of care sailors receive at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia. In the military, dental readiness is mission readiness. Aboard Diego Garcia, sailors can seek all kinds of maintenance on their teeth to remain deployable. When people go out for deployment, they need to be ready to fight and to concentrate on their duties, and the last thing that we want them to do is be concerned about dental work or any dental pain that they have going on. If you are out on a mission and all of a sudden you're having this toothache, and it's because your wisdom teeth are coming in, they can cause a lot of trouble and pain for that person, and they're not going to be readily available to perform their job to the best of their ability. Mostly preventative care. Usually when you have impacted teeth or teeth that are partially erupted, infection can occur in that area, and it's very, very, very difficult to clean, and eventually it can actually compromise the tooth in front of it as well. It's not a big procedure if the molars aren't impacted, but it's very common to get those removed. Petty Officer Eric Siegel, Diego Garcia.