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Dr. Steve Choi has years of experience performing oral surgery, specializing in pediatric care. As a father of three little ones himself, Dr. Choi understands how important it is for parents to have a dental home they can trust. That’s why he’s dedicated to continually improving his craft, making San Marino Pediatric Dentistry the office you can trust for all of your child’s oral health and oral surgery needs.
He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DDS) from the University of Southern California, and went on to attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he obtained his medical degree (MD) and underwent additional specialty training. Dr. Choi stays current with the latest advancements in oral surgery techniques and best practices by regularly attending continuing education courses.
Impacted teeth can cause a host of problems as children develop. An impacted tooth is just a tooth that is somehow unable to erupt, and if left untreated, has the potential to result in a misaligned bite or other issues. Under the guidance of an orthodontist, Dr. Choi and the orthodontic team will work to remedy this. To ensure your child’s teeth result in a properly aligned and fully functional bite, we will perform an expose and bond procedure as a part of your child’s orthodontic treatment.
To expose the impacted tooth, Dr. Choi will make a small incision in the gum above it, lifting to reveal the unerupted tooth. Dr. Choi will then attach a bracket to the tooth, and connect it to the brackets on surrounding teeth in order to apply gentle pressure to allow the tooth to erupt. The process may be a gradual one, but under the guidance of your oral surgery and orthodontic team, the end result is a beautiful grin that your child can feel confident in.
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Wisdom teeth, or third molars, which usually erupt between the ages of 17 and 21, are the most prone to becoming impacted, meaning becoming stuck and unable to erupt. If left untreated, impacted wisdom teeth can cause crowding in the rest of the mouth, as well as painful infections in cases where the teeth are partially erupted. Unlike an impacted canine, for example, it is usually best to extract impacted wisdom teeth, rather than attempting to expose them.
To extract an impacted wisdom tooth, the patient will first be offered sedation or nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, to ensure they feel comfortable throughout the procedure. Dr. Choi will make an incision at the site of the impacted tooth, and remove any bone that is blocking its roots, exposing the whole tooth. Some teeth may require being divided into smaller pieces to make it easier to remove. Once the tooth is completely extracted, Dr. Choi will clean and sterilize the area, and suture the opening if necessary. He’ll then place gauze over the extraction site in order to control bleeding and promote the formation of a blood clot. We’ll provide you with information about what to expect from the healing process, and how to minimize the risk of infection or “dry socket.”
Dr. Steve Choi specializes in a wide variety of pediatric oral surgeries, including:
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