Still Going Strong
Dr. David Stall, a fixture of West Chester’s dental community for 40 years and counting, offers comprehensive care to patients of all ages in a new setting at Water’s Edge Dental.
Reaching a professional milestone is particularly meaningful for members of the health care profession, people who have forged lasting personal relationships with their patients and guided them to positive outcomes. To David Stall, D.M.D., the fact that 2025 marks his 40th year of practicing dentistry in West Chester is less about his own accomplishments and more about his role in serving a community that has embraced him fully.
“There’s a certain satisfaction in knowing that I’ve grown every year in what I understand and knowing what I can and can’t do,” he says. “But treating families all of these years has been really fulfilling. I actually still see two of the original patients who started with me—which is amazing—and I have patients who I saw when they were young adults, when they got married and had kids, and now I’m seeing their kids, who have kids. It’s three generations and it’s pretty special.”
Dr. Stall has undergone one major change in the past year, this one having to do with the office he calls home. His practice—Westtown Dental Arts—has merged with Water’s Edge Dental, and moved to the latter’s location under the leadership of The Smilist, a nationally recognized dental service organization.
Longtime patients and new ones can expect the same compassionate, personalized care that Dr. Stall has been providing for four decades. Likewise, they can expect the same commitment to offering a broad range of specialized procedures, such as treatment of complex cases, as well as the latest technological advancements to facilitate care.
“I’m still doing everything I was doing before: IV sedation for anxious patients, infant frenectomies, and the advanced dentistry I’ve always done,” he says. “None of that changed; I’m just doing it in a different location.”
Dr. Stall and his team have been welcomed with open arms by the staff at Water’s Edge Dental, a practice just a few minutes down the road that is led by practice co-founder Merle Saldivar, D.D.S., and Damian Milillo, D.M.D. Together, the three doctors provide comprehensive care for patients of all ages.
“When we built the practice, we had always envisioned having three dentists,” Dr. Saldivar says. “Dr. Stall is great. He has a thriving practice, and he’s been in West Chester since 1985. He has kept up on his continuing education, so he’s a very competent and accomplished dentist. We all have different backgrounds … so it’s nice to have a lot of different ways to approach things and to share ideas.”
Dr. Stall, who previously taught at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, enjoys mentoring his younger colleagues, and learning from them as well. The other dentists also appreciate the chance to pick his brain.
“I like having people around to bounce ideas off of, or just having a colleague to talk to,” adds Dr. Milillo. “I think Dr. Stall feels the same way because we have a good camaraderie and a good working relationship. He’s helped me get through a couple of procedures, just giving me his wisdom about how he would approach things.
“We’ve also been able to provide more services,” he continues. “Dr. Stall does a few different procedures than I do—he does sedations, he places implants—so it’s nice to have the patients stay in house and get that work done here rather than go to other offices.”
One of the additional services Dr. Stall has brought is a laser frenectomy to correct tongue ties in newborns, often discovered through difficulty with breast feeding.
“I’m probably one of only three or four people in the whole Philadelphia region who does that,” he says. “I’ve seen four or five infants this week. I usually get referrals from lactation consultants who have seen moms having struggles with feeding their infants. They do an exam and then send them to me for complete diagnosis and treatment.”
Solving those kinds of issues for patients has kept Dr. Stall in love with his profession. He has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
“I enjoy what I do, so I plan on practicing for a number of years,” he says. “This new arrangement is going well, and we’re excited to move forward. It’s nice to know that if I have to step away from seeing patients for any reason, my patients will continue to receive great care.”
Water’s Edge Dental
1244 Wrights Lane
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 696-6070
www.watersedgedg.com
1244 Wrights Lane
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 696-6070
www.watersedgedg.com
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, June 2025.
