Every day many people put their health in the hands of Dr. William Storoe, a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
His hands have reconstructed faces, placed thousands of dental implants and extracted tens of thousands of teeth. His hands have worked on all age ranges, from small children to their great-great grandparents. His hands have also milked cows and delivered babies.
Dr. Storoe grew up on a small farm west of Chicago surrounded by goats, cows and horses. As the oldest of four, he was in charge of giving his parents a hand with daily chores. From shoeing horses to milking goats, Dr. Storoe has been putting his hands to work since day one.
Throughout his childhood and young adulthood, he has worked in construction, plumbing, roofing, concrete flatwork and wall work, bricklaying and so on. He was also an entrepreneur. When he was in junior high school, he started his own lawn mowing and snow removal business.
“I have always been a very hard worker,” said Dr. Storoe. “It’s just the way we were raised.”
He recalled working over 100 hours a week during the summer, cutting lawns all day while all the other kids played.
In the end, the labor produced by his hearty hands allowed him to pay for all of his education without any loans or scholarships, including up through college, dental school and surgical residencies.
Dr. Storoe studied professional chemistry at the University of Illinois. He originally wanted to be an engineer like his father, but during his senior year in college he realized it was not the right field for him. So, without any additional preparation, he decided to take the entrance exams for medical, law, dentistry and pharmacy school. He ended up scoring highest on the dental exam, so he decided to apply for dental school.
He was accepted into the University of Illinois’ College of Dentistry, where he received a bachelor of science in dentistry and a doctorate in dental surgery.
Halfway through dental school, Dr. Storoe was commissioned as a dental officer in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps. Upon graduating in 1990, he served as a Lieutenant in the Navy Dental Corps for six years.
After being honorably discharged, Dr. Storoe trained at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where he completed a four-year residency. In 2000, he graduated with certificates in oral and maxillofacial surgery, chief resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery and dental anesthesiology.
Dr. Storoe is board certified by both the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and National Dental Board of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Storoe is in his fifteenth year of private practice and focuses mostly on placing dental implants and removing wisdom teeth. Over the years, his business has grown exponentially through word of mouth.
“I would say more than 50 percent of my practice is referrals from other patients, or word of mouth,” he said.
Besides being well known among his clients, Dr. Storoe is recognized for his contributions to the community. He teaches at UF’s College of Dentistry and donates his time to different charities, including The Acorn Clinic, We Care and the Give Kids a Smile campaign.
“I love this community,” said Dr. Storoe. “Gainesville is a wonderful place to dedicate my profession to helping one smile at a time.”