Jeffrey Casiglia, DMD, DMSc

I moved to Salem, MA in July 2010. The cross-​country move meant I had to find new doctors, new dry cleaners, new everything. Shopping for doctors is always a challenge. Competency, of course, should be at the top of one’s list, but also bedside manners – meaning, likeability/​friendliness and allows patients to ask questions without taking personal offense.
In a previous evaluation of a dental office in Torrance, CA, I spelled out some of my concerns with prior dentists. Needless to say, shopping for a dentist is not on my list of «fun things to do.»
Fortunately for the internet, it makes things easier.
I first searched on Unilocal,but found very few outstanding dentists. I then Googled «dentists in Salem, MA,» and it brought me to
. Dr. Casiglia was not rated, but the site provided a link to his dental office, which I read carefully. Dr. Casiglia’s pedigree is impressive. He graduated from UPenn and did his postdoc at Harvard.
The website also included the staff bios, which I thought was a really nice touch, because, first, it gave me the impression that Dr. Casiglia is not an arrogant pompous ass; he seems to treat his employees with respect, regarding them as important, contributing members of his office. Second, the staff bios allowed me to place names with faces at my first visit.
Fast forward to the present day (literally). Today I had my first visit with Dr. Casiglia. His dental office is called ESSEX STREET DENTAL MEDICINE (I copied and pasted this review for the Essex St. Dental Medicine). The dental office is located in an old blue house, just past the Salem Public Library.
As soon as I entered, Lucy, the receptionist, greeted me. Her in-​person demeanor is just like her phone demeanor: She is very pleasant, friendly, and helpful. Right after that, almost immediately, I was ushered into the dental area, where Lenka, the Czech x-​ray technician, readied me for bitewing and panoramic x-​rays. Then Dr. Casiglia evaluated me.
The service was quick, efficient, and informative. And the panoramic x-​ray machine was very impressive! The dental office is located in an old house, but the dental area is very clean and the equipment is state-​of-​the-​art!
Lastly, I saw Lori, the hygienist, who cleaned my teeth. I would estimate that she spent at least 15 – 20 minutes scraping the calculus from my teeth. I told her that she did a very thorough job, and that hygienists – at least in my experience – tend to scrape teeth in a very cursory manner. They seemed to spend most of the time polishing, which is superficial, so the actual cleaning portion lasts just a few minutes. But Lori said she cannot imagine cleaning teeth any other way, meaning thoroughly cleaning it. Lori’s work was very thorough, but curiously gentle. In fact, I think this may be my first cleaning EVER in which my gums were not left bleeding during the cleaning.
All in all, Dr. Casiglia and his staff at Essex Street Dental Medicine far exceeded my expectations. Competency was definitely demonstrated, but aside from that, Dr. Casiglia and his staff were very friendly, easy-​going, and informative. THIS is how dental visits should be.
Another plus: Since Dr. Casiglia’s office is about 1.25 miles from where I live, I just walked to and from the dental office, so I got my exercise out of the way too!