Dentists are not miracle performers.

Patients come into my dental office in Flushing, NY, because they have an issue in their mouth.  The most common issues might be sensitive teeth, broken teeth, swollen gum, or swollen face.  I look at the x-ray and tell them either you have a big cavity or severe gum problem.  I don’t usually tell them that you have these problems because you don’t take care of your teeth.  I don’t want to offend anybody.  After letting them know, I prescribe antibiotics, do cleaning for the offended gum or do a root canal or take out the bad tooth.  We, dentists, try to get the patient out of pain and help them feel better for the moment.  I know I am not addressing the real problem.  I do what a mechanic would do for a flat tire.  The tire is flat, I fix the hole in the tire and the car can drive again.  But the owner of the car will drive on an unpaved road, the driver doesn’t watch over a pothole.  The driver is a maniac on the road, on a small road, on a high way, even on a construction site.  The tire will get another flat tire.  I am trying to say that the patient will get another broken tooth or another gum abscess. 

It never fails to surprise me when most people don’t ask what they can do to prevent this painful event recurring.  I know that I am not perfect.  And other people are not perfect.  However, even mundane task of brushing and flossing gets in the way of people’s lives.  We spend so much time selecting clothes, shoes, hair style, and what kind of perfume to wear every day.  Yet, we don’t spend enough time with brushing and flossing.  We eat and drink and sleep and eat again.  I wonder why it is so easy to neglect taking care of teeth.  World is full of wonders…  Yet, I am not a miracle performer.  Take care of your teeth, don’t snack on sugary drinks so often, and don’t be constantly chewing hard candies or hard nuts when you know that your teeth are weakened with large fillings.  If a patient doesn’t change their habit of eating and habit of oral hygiene, I can only do patch works but not a real cure for a long term oral health.

Leave bones for dogs!!

In New York, we have great access to food all the time. Chinatown in lower Manhattan has so many great eateries and I lose myself in the restaurants and exotic fruit stalls. It seems many of my patients do the same thing. When I do exams on patients, many have worn tooth structures. One patient had worn down a good portion of his chewing surfaces. I asked him: “Do you chew anything hard?” He answered that he loved chewing on bones to get to the marrow. Dentists can repair damaged teeth but we prefer preventing the loss of tooth structure. I told him to “eat the meat and leave the bone for your dog”.

Korean Dentist in New York

I started working at Chatham Square Dental Office in Manhattan in May 2010. It's a great location in lower Manhattan because there’s so much to see and do. It’s in the heart of Chinatown, and the neighborhoods of Little Italy and Koreatown are close by. Transportation is convenient with B, D, N, R, and number 6 train stops within short walking distance of the office.

I perform many endodontic, restorative, and cosmetic procedures. Being fluent in Both Korean and English, I am able to provide excellent service and convenience to New York's Korean community.

New York is an exciting place and I look forward to many more future postings of my adventures here.