No Rush to Drill,Dr. Chanoh Park

Q1.What do you weigh first in a treatment plan?

“I try to be as conservative as I can when I diagnose. Once you cut into a tooth, there’s no going back, so I’m extra careful.”

“If a treatment isn’t urgent, I’m honest with patients about that. Holding off and monitoring it a little longer can be an option, too.”

Q2.What was your externship at UIC like?

“An externship is a program where you go to a dental school overseas and learn by watching clinicians treat patients. I did mine at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry—UIC for short.”

“It’s a public university, well known for its medical and dental programs. You could almost say half the dentists in Illinois trained there. Honestly, when I applied, I had no idea it was such a good school.”

“In the US, it’s the reverse of Korea: private practices tend to cost more than dental school clinics. So in Chicago, a lot of patients go to the dental school clinic first. I got to see a dental system unlike ours up close, along with residents in training and patients from every kind of background. What I remember most is how carefully the faculty went over every resident’s cases.”

Q3.How do you use what you learned at other clinics?

“Every practice has its own philosophy and its own way of running things, so how they treat patients and the systems they use can differ a lot. That’s why I try to find something to learn wherever I am. I still use what worked well at my previous clinics, both in treatment and in how we looked after patients, and I think about how to make it fit with the good systems I’ve found here at SU Dental Hospital. Over time, that kind of thinking is what lets us give patients a better experience.”

Q4.Why have you taken so many courses?

“At my previous clinic, I had the chance to take on a wide range of cases fairly early in my career. In particular, I did a lot of surgery, like wisdom tooth extractions and implants. I also helped before and after surgery: starting IVs, drawing blood, and preparing for conscious sedation. That gave me a much wider view of treatment as a whole. You could say it opened my eyes.”

“After that, I wanted to broaden what I knew. I tracked down books and signed up for seminars. Weekend seminars can be tiring, but it turns out I really enjoy studying. I’m bringing what I learn into the clinic, one thing at a time.”

Q5.Is there a patient you still remember?

“My very first implant patient. Since it was my first, I’d have remembered them anyway, but they were so gracious and kind that I went out of my way to do right by them.”

Q6.After years of surgery, why SU Dental?

“Cosmetic dentistry, which is SU Dental Hospital’s focus, is hard to learn in dental school. It’s not something every clinic does, either. I wanted to try my hand at veneers and gum surgeries such as gum contouring and root coverage.”

“If I was going to learn it, I wanted to learn from someone really good at it. I already knew Dr. Suwan Kim, our clinical director, was excellent in this field. I wanted to work alongside Dr. Kim and learn firsthand from all that cosmetic experience.”

Q7.What kind of care do you want to focus on?

“I want to keep building on my background in general dentistry, wisdom tooth extractions, and implant surgery, while expanding into cosmetic treatments like veneers and gum grafts.”

Q8.How do you spend your time off?

“I’ve sung in choirs since college. I’m still in an alumni choir, and we perform about once a year. And though I can’t do it often, I also love having friends over and cooking for them.”

“On a typical evening, I work out or study dentistry at home. On weekends, I volunteer as a Sunday school teacher at my church.”

Q9.Finally, any words for future patients?

“To me, SU Dental Hospital isn’t just somewhere you get treated and leave. It’s meant to be an experience. Everyone here, starting with our clinical director, has thought through and designed every detail so you feel at ease from the moment you walk in until you head home.”

“For people who have always found the dentist intimidating or out of reach, we want to make it easier to walk through the door. That’s what we mean by dental wellness. Please don’t hesitate to come in. We’ll take good care of you.”