OK, Sampson, here’s the drill

Senior Dental Officer Flight Lieutenant Natalya Taylor fixes the broken tooth of sedated Military Working Dog Sampson at RAAF Base Townsville’s dental section.

Sampson’s handler, Leading Aircraftwoman Erin Dedman, watches as her canine friend receives treatment. Photos by LACW Simone Liebelt

By LACW Simone Liebelt

A SPECIAL patient left a lasting impression on dental staff at RAAF Base Townsville when he was dragged out of the surgery on all fours.

Leaving behind a lingering odour and an abundance of hair, Military Working Dog “Sampson” had to be assisted out of the dental chair when he came out of anaesthetic after a one-hour procedure.

The two-year-old long-haired German shepherd received more than just a little attention when he arrived at the base dental section to get a filling for his cracked canine tooth.

Prepped for surgery by a local vet, Sampson was then handed over to Senior Dental Officer Flight Lieutenant Natalya Taylor and dental assistant Leading Aircraftwoman Linda Barry. As they worked on his bite, a string of spectators, including base personnel and the local media, watched with interest.

Sampson’s handler, Leading Aircraftwoman Erin Dedman, was among the onlookers.

“It felt a bit strange to watch. But I knew he was under good care and would be all right,” LACW Dedman said.

“You don’t realise how attached you get to these dogs, they’re like your best friend.”

FLTLT Taylor, who had previously worked on dogs in Timor, said while it wasn’t normal practice for dentists to do fillings on animals, the procedure was almost exactly the same as what would be used on a human.

“It was actually easier to work on Sampson because he was anaesthetised so you could open his mouth up really wide to get access,” she said.

“His teeth were big and very sharp and we had to take extra precautions for infection control, but otherwise it was pretty similiar to normal treatment.

“The big difference is you can advise a human of the precautions against breaking a filling but you can’t tell a dog not to bite a rock or a fence, so it will be interesting to see how long it lasts for Sampson.”

While the procedure was second nature to FLTLT Taylor, it was a different story for her assistant.

“I was very nervous beforehand because it was the first time I had worked on an animal and didn’t know what to expect,” LACW Barry said.

“It was like going into the unknown, but it turned out to be a very positive experience and I really enjoyed it. I would jump at the chance to do it again.

“Sampson is the only patient I’ve ever wanted to hug because he’s definitely one of the best looking patients I’ve worked on so far.”

.