Gainesville Sun Magazine - Doctor Storoe
Restoring Happiness, One Smile at a Time
Dr. William C. Storoe IV, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMS), understands that a visit to his office isn’t just a “walk in the park.” He and his staff, however, work hard to make the experience as much like one as possible.
“I am a big fan of Disney World,” Dr. Storoe says. “When you visit Disney, their staff ensures that you have the best experience possible. Problems are resolved quickly and efficiently. I ask everyone in my office to put on their ‘Mickey ears.’”
As an OMS, Dr. Storoe specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions relating to aspects of the mouth, teeth, gums, jaws and face. The services he most often provides in his thriving practice include removing impacted or infected wisdom teeth, installing dental implants and bone grafting and treating oral and facial infections, pathologies and injuries. Many of these procedures can be performed with different levels of IV sedation or general anesthesia.
What sets OMS’ apart, he says, is the specialized training beyond that of general dentistry. “Residency training to become an OMS requires four or more years of intensive, postdoctoral, hospital-based surgical and medical training. OMS residents spend significant time rotating through related medical fields such as internal medicine, general surgery, anesthesiology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, surgical intensive care and emergency medicine. This is in addition to their extensive training in surgery of the oral and maxillofacial areas and anesthesia.”
Dr. Storoe runs an office-based surgical practice, and most procedures, including those requiring IV sedation or general anesthesia, can be performed right in the office. “I have many of the same capabilities as a hospital operating room or a surgery center—our patients are fully monitored during surgery and anesthesia,” he assures. “It is more efficient and cost effective to perform most oral surgery here at the office. However, when patient care dictates, I am on staff and hold privileges to perform surgery at NFRMC.”
Dr. Storoe has treated patients of all ages, all types and “all levels of apprehension.” And for patients who prefer a more holistic approach to their treatment, he has become very familiar with many alternative therapies. “We always accommodate patients with special needs or special requests,” he says.
Education's Role
Patient education is key, Dr. Storoe says, because “an informed public makes for much better patients. We want our patients to completely understand all aspects of their oral surgery care—physically, mentally and financially.” And with 32 teeth in over 300 million mouths in this country, there’s a lot of work to be done. Dr. Storoe wants to be sure his patients have the information they need to ensure the outcomes they desire.
As such, Dr. Storoe encourages his patients to be proactive when it comes to their dental care: “Oftentimes treatment is reactionary—people present in a lot of pain or end up in the ER. Routine dental visits, appropriate care and proper oral hygiene can help prevent an unexpected trip to the emergency room.”
Advancements in dental implant technology are another area the doctor wants people to know about. “People are not necessarily aware of the options available to them today,” he says. “Implants are now bio-mechanically engineered with major advancements in surface technology and the materials used, allowing for almost near-perfect success rates when performed by a specialist, like an OMS.”
The Road to Gator Country
Despite his obvious passion for his work, dentistry was not Dr. Storoe’s original career path. A true “farm boy,” he grew up on a small family farm west of Chicago. In his senior year of college, he realized his intended career path—professional chemistry—wasn’t a good fit, and after consulting with his advisor, took the required entrance exams for medical, law, dentistry and pharmacy schools, with no additional preparation. His career was born when he scored the best on the dental exam.
During dental school, Dr. Storoe commissioned as a United States Navy Officer and served as a lieutenant in the Navy Dental Corps for six years active duty and six years in the reserves. After completing his active duty, he continued his training at a level-one trauma center in Cleveland, Ohio, receiving his residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery and serving as chief resident his final year. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and National Dental Board of Anesthesiology.
Happily settled in Gainesville, Dr. Storoe and his wife, DeAnna, are the proud parents of 4 children, two girls and two boys, who range in age from 7 months to 8 years. “We really enjoy Gainesville, and we are definitely Gators now!” he says with a smile.
Accordingly, he is passionate about giving back to this community and donates his time and professional services regularly through We-Care, The Acorn Clinic and Give Kids a Smile.
Dr. Storoe is very involved in the future of his specialty as well. He is currently Legislative Chairman for the Florida Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and just completed serving six years as a trustee. He has also served as President of the Alachua County Dental Association and currently sits on that board. In addition, Dr. Storoe volunteers his time once a month teaching dental students at UF’s College of Dentistry.
So while surgery may be his specialty, Dr. Storoe says his goal is happiness. “I have a great staff that allows me to really enjoy what we do—provide the best possible care in a pleasant and comfortable setting for each and every patient we see.”
