North Texas Dentistry Volume 8 Issue 1 NTD 2018 ISSUE 1 DE | Page 9

Pre-Op Lesion
Post-Op Reconstruction
This biopsy-proven high-grade adenocarcinoma required resection of the entire soft palate to the hard palate, bilateral tonsillectomy and lateral pharyngeal wall
and reconstruction with a folded radial forearm free flap to reconstruct the soft palate and lateral pharyngeal wall. Immediately postoperatively, she had excellent
function, with elevation of the neb-soft palate, but with adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy, there was significant scarring of the reconstruction resulting in the
outcome shown above.
When Stacie went to her doctor with a sore throat, he noticed a
suspicious-looking spot and referred her to an ENT. She worked
at a small non-profit and had no insurance, so specialist visits
added to her already worrisome financial burden. The ENT was
concerned that the lesion might be cancer, but he didn’t know
of a doctor with the special expertise Stacie needed. A friend
recommended a head and neck specialist, but with no insurance,
they were unable to provide care. Weeks passed before she
finally heard through a friend of a friend about Dr. David Kang.
“Even without insurance, he immediately wanted to help me,”
she remembers. “I was scared. I needed a capable, confident
surgeon who would be honest, but I also wanted a doctor who
would fight for me. Dr. Kang instantly put me at ease. He was
straight with me and laid out my very limited options clearly.
Post-Op Frontal
Pre-Op
He explained that my life was not going to be the same and I
would never have an entirely clean bill of health, but he prom-
ised to restore the best functionality possible. I had a long
surgery which included a resection, removal of 10 teeth in
preparation for radiotherapy, and a graft to reconstruct my soft
palate. Dr. Kang did the whole surgery himself, and I was so
grateful to avoid the anguish of having multiple surgeries. After
surgery, he told me he would provide any future care I might
need if the cancer returns and emphasized that he would never
give up on me. I feel so blessed that I was in the right place at
the right time to find Dr. Kang and I feel fortunate to know him
as a person. He is a rock star in his field ― he treats every one of
his patients with respect and compassion and passionately
provides the aggressive, expert care they deserve.”
Post-Op Reconstruction
Immediate Post-Op Perfect Facial
Parotid tumor: Parotidectomy with facial nerve dissection. Facial nerve shown intraoperative with no damage and perfect function of facial nerve immedi-
ately postoperatively in the recovery area. (This patient has a parotid tumor but is not the patient described in the account below).
Joe, a professional in hospitality management for a renowned
hotel in Arlington, had a parotid tumor that had been present
for years. It wasn’t growing, so he put off surgery when his
doctor told him it was most likely benign. However, his job kept
him in the public eye and he wasn’t happy with its impact on his
appearance. Eventually, his general dentist sent him to an ENT
for a biopsy, but Joe hesitated after hearing the discouraging
prognosis for post-op functionality. “He told me there was a high
risk of nerve damage that would affect my speech and facial
movement. With my career in hospitality, that wasn’t an accept-
able outcome.” Then Joe happened to see a segment on tv about
Dr. Kang’s successful surgery on a patient with a large, disfig-
uring parotid tumor and called him, thinking it would be weeks
before he would be able to schedule an appointment. “I was
shocked when I got a call back right away to set up the consul-
tation. I was so worried, I came in to the appointment prepared
with my DNR i n hand. He reassured me that my surgery would
be straightforward, and told me to relax, that he would take care
of me.” Dr. Kang removed the benign tumor and painstakingly
reconstructed Joe’s facial contours using autologous fat transfer.
Joe is thrilled with the aesthetic and functional outcome, noting,
“Dr. Kang is an artistic perfectionist. He hid the incisions so the
scars are almost impossible to detect, and my face is symmetri-
cal. I even look a little younger now.“
www.northtexasdentistry.com | NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
9