The astronauts who took part in the 1973 Skylab space flights were given the opportunity to use a variety of advanced dental equipment as they orbited the earth. The in flight medical support system or IMSS was created primarily for the Skylab space travels and the military dentists working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA saw to it that a dental component be included. Modern dental equipment during the Skylab missions served the three man crews for each of the three flights that were launched with each flight lasting about 4 to 8 weeks on the average.

Commenting on the reason for the dental equipment on of the military dentists said that they wanted outpatient based services to be available for the astronauts. The equipment remained to provide ample treatment to those in need far from the capacities of a do it yourself kit. The design for the dental component relied heavily on the statistic that there is a one percent risk that dental treatment may be required during the 28 days that the three man crew will spend in space. The dental risks consist of situations where dental problems may lead to a decreased effectiveness for the astronaut who may be experiencing pulpitis or even periodontal abscess. See this braces sydney nsw information for a deeper understanding.

When minor dental problems surface the possibilities of chipped teeth and the like can reach five percent. The dental equipment for the IMSS includes tooth removal forceps, elevator, local anesthetic with syringe, periodontal curette, restorative material applicator, file, battery powered light source with mirror, selvage gauze, Gigli saw, and temporary restorative material. This restorative material was specially developed by the Air Force den corps to meet certain in-flight specifications. The formulation allowed it to be mixed even with zero gravity.

A two day intensive training program for using the equipment has been devised and conducted and the equipment has been successfully tested. Basically the purpose of conducting the training programs was for the flight crews to learn implementing different procedures not exceeding the skill level needed for tooth removal. Aboard the space craft will be an integrated manual containing pertinent information on diagnosis and illustrated procedural guides not to mention an oral structure image for each crew member sourced from their personal radiographs.

Aside from the manual and training sessions there is a dentist stationed in mission control should further assistance be requested and this practitioner will have all the necessary records from diagnostic casts to the crew members’ current dental records and radiographs.Space to ground communication is always a crucial factor where there should always be consistent exchanges from both sides and this is extremely important should dental problems arise as on ground dentists are the only people who have the authority to allow procedures to be executed. As a person looking for mouth braces sydney you should visit that site.

It is only fair to say that the availability of such dental equipment especially designed for space expeditions and accompanying training programs are not enough for some people to have complete faith in the idea of non dentists performing procedures. When something can lead to the downfall of a space mission then there should definitely be much consideration especially when the excruciating dental pain experienced by a crew member causes him to jeopardize everything resulting to millions in financial losses. The conclusion to the argument regarding dental procedures in space is that these will only be considered as a last point of action.