Meet Dr. Austin Gaal
Oral Surgeon in Kirkland
Diplomate | American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Dr. Austin Gaal is a fellowship-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeon who practices the full scope of the specialty (including dental implants, complicated dental extractions, orthognathic surgery, and trauma) with special focus on cleft lip and palate primary and secondary surgical management.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Gaal completed his Doctorate of Dental Surgery at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York City. He completed his residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) at the University of Washington. He completed his fellowship in cleft and craniofacial surgery at the University of Oklahoma under Drs. Kevin Smith and Paul Tiwana, with special emphasis managing children born with cleft and craniofacial differences.
Returning to Seattle, Washington in 2019, Dr. Gaal joined Drs. Wang and Amini at Cascadia Oral and Facial Surgery. He is one of the clinical assistant professors in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery training program at the University of Washington.
Dr. Gaal is member of two cleft teams: The Puget Sound Cleft and Complex Sleep clinic and the Yakima Cleft team at Children’s Village. He maintains a high-volume cleft practice providing both primary and secondary cleft surgical and perioperative care for both children and adults born with cleft differences. He serves at several hospitals in the area including Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Evergreen Health Medical Center, and Yakima Memorial.
Engagement with cleft international mission work is also a keen focus of Dr. Gaal. He usually participates in at least two international surgical trips per year, and he works with Free To Smile, Tess Unlimited, and Healing The Children.
Dr. Gaal is proud father of three children.
Dr. Gaal is accepting new adult and pediatric patients for general and complex oral and maxillofacial procedures including primary and secondary cleft lip and palate surgery, orthognathic surgery, and dental extractions.
Schedule An Appointment With Dr. Gaal Today!
Education
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, NYC
Doctor of Dental Surgery
University of Washington, WA
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Certificate
University of Oklahoma, OK
Fellowship in Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery
PUBLICATIONS
JOURNALS:
- Gaal A, Bailey B, Patel Y, Smiley N, Dodson T, Kim D, Dillon J. Limiting Antibiotics when Managing Mandible Fractures May Not Increase Infection Risk. J Oral and Maxillofac Surg 74:2008-2018, 2016.
- Gaal A, Chisholm K, Egbert M. How Rare Is an Oral Presentation of Myeloid Sarcoma in the Infant? J Oral and Maxillofac Surg 76:561-568, 2018.
- Gaal A, Basiaga ML, Zhao D, Egbert M. Pediatric Chronic Nonbacterial Osteomyelitis of the Mandible: Seattle Children’s Hospital 22-patient experience. Pediatric Rheumatology 18:4, 2020.
CHAPTERS:
- OMS Reference Study Guide: 4th ed. Resident Organization American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. 2016. 2015-2016 ROAAOMS Executive Committee: Hammer DA, Covello PA, Read-Fuller AM, Lawler ME, Shakoori P, Zastrow SN, Bruno EK, Burk TF, Gaal A.
- Gaal A. Pediatric Anesthesia Update for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. Selective Readings in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 26.1, 2019.
- Yen S, Gaal A, Smith KS. Orthodontic and Surgical Principles for Distraction Osteogenesis in Children with Pierre-Robin Sequence. Orthodontics for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Patient, Part II. Elsevier 2020. – in publication
INVITATIONAL LECTURES, COURSES, AND SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS
2017 Clinical and Scientific Innovations in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chicago, IL
Limiting Antibiotics when Managing Mandible Fractures May Not Increase Infection Risk
2018 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Chicago, IL
Is There a Role for Outpatient Surgery in the Cleft and Craniofacial Patient in the Age of Efficiency and Cost Reduction?
2018 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Chicago, IL
Ensuring Safety and Managing Major Anesthetic Complications in the Pediatric Craniofacial Patient
2019 Pediatrics Research Day, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK
Virtual Surgical Planning in Children with Craniofacial Differences
2019 OMS Grand Rounds, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Alveolar Cleft Reconstruction for the OMS
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
2019 Limiting Antibiotics When Managing Orthognathic Patients May Not Increase Infection Risk
Cascadia Oral Surgery
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Everyone was absolutely wonderful! From the moment I walked in, everyone was welcoming and kind. Rana was extremely pleasant and Dr. Gaal was amazing! My tooth extraction went better than I hoped. Lilly was very kind today in my followup visit. Thank you to everyone!
- Dorothy D
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Great service
- Noshin K
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
It was very nice experience. Dr Gaal is extremely professional and helpful. I had to remove all 4 wisdom teeth, which is pretty scary to me. But he made it much better than expected. Will definitely recommend him to my three friends who also need to do this.
- Chong C
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Doctor and all staffs are very kind! Everything looks perfect.
- Ruochen R
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Everything is great!
- Chart sharma S
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Front desk was helpful with making my appt and any questions I had. Doctor and staff was also helpful and informative, and made me feel comfortable before and during the procedure.
- Stephanie D
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Dr. Gaal was very attentive before and during the surgery. He and his staff explained every step and calming my nerves during the surgery.
- Ron C
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Everyone was great nd made sure I was comfortable and informed about what was happening and how i might feel after
- Anissa B
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Did great, they were more than willing to answer all my questions. And made sure I knew what exactly was going on.
- Morgan C
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Friendly caring staff made this wisdom teeth pull as simple as possible!
- Annjanette K
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
They were able to schedule me for surgery the same day. I was so thankful as I was in a lot of pain. They helped eased my mind and were very Friendly. The surgeon was awesome! I would definitely recommit them. L
- Kathy Sorenson S
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Everyone was great!
- Jack Podolsky P
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Great experience. Great doctor and awesome staff.
- Mengjiao W
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Dr. Gaal is very caring and takes his time with his patients.
- Shelby A
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Being financially challenged they were very considerate and understanding.
- Kimmie W
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Thanks, great service!
- Jadon C
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Excellent! Informed me about procedure. Met my needs during procedure. Good explanation of post care.
- Jan H C
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Everyone has been very nice and answered all questions I had. Would definitely come back and recommend to friends.
- Misty K
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Comfortable with service.
- Robert P
Our Latest Patient Testimonial
Dr.Gaal is the best and most awesome dentist ever! Gentle, kind, genuine, funny, and comfortable to be around, he put me at ease immediately, telling me exactly what he planned to do; and, told me step by step, as he was doing the actual surgery, every detail. I am almost 70 years old and grew up on candy bars and soda pop, so believe me when I say my lifetime- dental-experience is vast and profound. Heather and Tamara are highly skilled in assisting Dr.Gaal, both compassionate and professional. I was a little overwhelmed by having to fill out the registration ahead of time on-line, but it was easy. I was somewhat apprehensive about the drive from Snohomish to Kirkland, but it was only a half hour away, and the directions were very clear and easy! (Bonus: Hot coffee on my arrival.). Finally, I got to see my x-rays, and, I got to keep the tooth that was extracted. By the way, I not only had the tooth pulled, but I had horizontal and vertical bone grafting and a sinus lift! My overall experience was very positive.
- Denise C