Embracing Serenity
Water’s Edge Dental in West Chester uses the latest technology and techniques, as well as a soothing lakefront setting, to provide the best possible dental experience for each patient.
Nestled alongside West Chester’s Fernhill Lake, Water’s Edge Dental represents one of Chester County’s newest havens of good health. Water’s Edge offers an array of services, including veneers, bridges, implant restorations, crowns, Invisalign, teeth whitening, full mouth reconstruction, and more. Even though the practice is less than a year old, it’s already thriving.
For one of the founding practitioners, Damian Milillo, D.M.D., Water’s Edge Dental is the fruition of years of hard work and planning.
“I remember when I was in my early teens, my mother would take me to the dentist with her to hold her hand,” Dr. Milillo recalls. “Her dentist was great. He took the time to talk to me and showed me the dental procedures he was performing on my mother. I always knew I wanted to go to college to be in the medical field, but was unsure in what area. Once I experienced going to the dentist, I knew being a dentist was going to be my path and passion.”
Partner Andrew Lieberman, D.M.D., who also maintains a thriving practice in Delaware County, similarly became interested in dentistry at a young age. Most specifically, he felt compelled to help individuals who suffered from facial trauma.
“We have a solid foundation here of dentists who are capable of all aspects of general and family dentistry,” Dr. Lieberman says. “We all have very similar goals in striving to provide exceptional care in a facility that is well kept, modern, and has the technology to do just about anything.”
Today, he joins Dr. Milillo and colleague Merle Saldivar, D.D.S., in providing a full range of cosmetic and general dentistry services to patients of all ages.
“One of my favorite things to do is aesthetics,” Dr. Saldivar says. “I really enjoy making people feel better about their teeth. A lot of times, people will come in and say that other dentists haven’t listened to them or that another dentist made them feel bad. Our job is to build people up so they feel good about their mouth and their teeth, and want to come in every six months for care.
“For me, it’s just trying to create a good experience for the patient,” she continues. “We want that person to be comfortable as soon as they walk in. It’s more than just offering a cleaning every six months—our practice is about being happy and healthy.”
To Dr. Saldivar’s point, every aspect of the practice is designed to benefit patients and improve the quality, accuracy, and effectiveness of treatment.
“As soon as we acquired the practice, we began updating all the systems and technology,” says Dr. Milillo, who notes that Water’s Edge took over its space from another dental professional. “We are now completely chartless. We use iPads for patients forms, we offer digital X-rays including a CT scanner for state-of-the-art 3D imaging. We invested heavily in putting our systems in place to accommodate our patients.”
Using the latest in digital scanning technology is just one way the practice stays at the cutting edge.
“With our 3D technology, we do not have to take impressions anymore,” says Dr. Saldivar. “We have a camera that takes 300 to 1,000 images in just two minutes, and then assembles them into a 3D picture. It’s very quick, and much more accurate. With Invisalign, we no longer take impressions; we simply scan a wand over the patient’s teeth, and in just two to three minutes we have the digital image we require.”
For the future, Dr. Milillo hopes to acquire a 3D printer to make aligners, temporary crowns, and more. Thanks to this technology, things that used to take more than a week to manufacture “can now be done in a day,” he says.
Dr. Lieberman expects the practice to grow into a vital part of the local community. It has already made progress in this regard, he says, one patient at a time.
“There are perceived fears of going somewhere new or going to the dentist in the first place,” he says. “I have many years of converting people to being very comfortable with the treatment I provide, and I think I have really helped many patients who had either preconceived notions or legitimate experiences made them afraid of trying a new dentist. I think my 20 years of practice have made me very good at listening, understanding, and providing the care that my patients are looking for.”
While the tools and technologies the practitioners of Water’s Edge use to treat patients will continue to evolve, one thing is less likely to change: the serenity afforded to patients and staff by the office’s woodland surroundings.
“There is so much to look at here. When my patients sit in the dental chair, there is a chance they will look out of the window and a deer or groundhog will be sitting outside looking back at them,” Dr. Milillo says. “It’s just so calm and peaceful.”
He is also quick to credit his fellow practitioners and team members as a central reason for the practice’s success thus far.
“We have an amazing team,” he says. “Anyone can choose any dentist. It’s the experience that makes people decide where they would like to go. Our office has an experienced and friendly staff who are happy to be here and go above and beyond for all of our patients.”
Water’s Edge Dental
1244 Wrights Lane
West Chester, Pa.
(610) 696-6070
Photograph by Nina Lea Photography
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, January 2020.
