As a board-certified comprehensive dentist and officer in the U.S. Army Dental Corps, Maj. Jae Lim, DDS, ABGD, DC, has built a career defined by precision, mentorship and service under pressure. Selected for Iron Majors Week, an honor reserved for the top 3% of Dental Corps officers, he has led multidisciplinary teams of more than 30 providers and staff while maintaining the highest standards of clinical care. He is currently chief dental officer of Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center and officer in charge of Epes Dental Clinic.

“In military dentistry, continuity of care beyond a couple of years is rare,” Lim explained. “That uncertainty drives me to hold myself to the highest possible standard. I often ask, ‘Have I done enough to ensure this won’t become someone else’s problem later?’” 

That belief means he’s been known to redo entire restorations on the spot if he deems them substandard.

Lim won the 2022–2023 Uniformed Services University Postgraduate Dental College Tri-Service Dental Research Competition for his work, “Comparing the Shade-Matching Effectiveness of OMNICHROMA and Filtek Supreme Ultra Composites Using a Spectrophotometer and Human Evaluators.”

“During my first deployment, I found that my biggest issue was one of supply, specifically with storage and resupply,” Lim said. “When I saw that there was a composite resin that could match any shade, my first thought was that we could now potentially have just one standard resin used for deployment purposes and drastically simplify the armamentarium. I don’t think we’re quite there yet, and the streamlining of our field dental supply packs remains a topic that I feel is ripe for research idea purposes.”

Beyond clinical and research excellence, Lim’s mission is to strengthen military dentistry by developing new dental officers.

“I have been fortunate in my career to have had formal and informal mentors who challenged me and guided me in my growth,” Lim said. “My time with the military will be worthwhile if I can do the same for the next generation and ensure that they grow to be better than I am.”