Joseph D Giangrasso, DDS

I recently had my first crown, and my dental insurance company (what an oxymoron) reflexively refused to cover the expense. Dr. Joe and his administrator Lucia went to bat for me as vocal advocates, having me come back in for more detailed photos with a high-​tech camera to give the insurance company visual confirmation that the work was necessary, and also making sure that I got the maximum amount covered. Dr. Joe and Tsui, the dentist’s assistant, were patient and kind and helped me get through what for me was a terrifying experience. I’m grateful for the attention and support I got from all the staff, and highly recommend this dental provider and his staff.

NEGATIVE STARS
I found the entire experience to be traumatic, demeaning, and hostile. My hygienist was very nice, the doctor seemed nice, but none of that matters after the negligence displayed by this office and the hostility I encountered when speaking with LUCIA the Office Manager.
I have a severe allergy to latex. Having had a lot of bad experiences with dental and doctors offices because of negligence and habitual use of latex gloves, I ALWAYS make every effort to make my allergy known so that I am not exposed once again. If you do not know, latex is a cumulative allergy, meaning every time you are exposed you become MORE SENSITIVE so the next reaction will be much worse. Knowing this, I take great effort to protect myself from being exposed again. Here’s what happened.
1. I made the appointment and let the person on the phone know I had a latex allergy prior to my visit
2. I filled out the new patient paperwork and indicated clearly I have a latex allergy.
3. When I entered the exam room I specifically asked the hygienist if there was any latex in the room. She told me there was no latex in the room. (This was a lie.)
She took xrays and cleaned my teeth using vinyl gloves. She reminded the dentist that I had a latex allergy. He poked around my mouth and I could feel lips start to tingle and swell. I asked him if he used latex gloves and he said he did. I immediately (about 1 min after) took the 3 Benadryl I had and started icing my lip to control the swelling. The staff was apologetic meanwhile I was in immense pain, scared I may have to go to the ER, and panicking as I am hoping the Benadryl would be enough to counteract the reaction. Later the dentist called my cell to apologize again which I appreciated, yet continued to blame the hygienist for his error, although I was present when she reminded him.
I ran out of the office with an icepack on my face back to my apartment. By the time I got home, about 5 min as I live next door, both lips had swollen to about 3x their normal size and I was starting to have an asthma attack. Benadryl has a intense sedative effect so I spent the next 7 – 8 hours sleeping, my entire day lost due to negligence and inattention to detail. The staff said they had an epipen on site when I discovered he used latex, but I can tell you the experience of stabbing yourself and encountering an unhealthy amount of adrenaline (what is in an epipen) is JUST as painful and traumatic as the reaction itself, so I take Benadryl in every case that I can. If I had not realized the dentist used latex when I did, I no doubt would have had to go to the ER.
I called this morning to file an official complaint with the Office Manager, LUICA. I know a lot of offices do not understand the severity of latex allergies and I hoped by filing a complaint my case might help educate them about handling this in the future. It’s as simple as removing the gloves from the room upon specific request by a patient/​client like I had asked. While speaking with her I was continuously interrupted, my experiences dismissed by saying «I don’t know what you want me to do, it was human error,» and after explaining I do not want anything but to tell her that when I specifically ask latex to be removed from an exam room because of the severity of my allergy, I would hope I can expect not to be lied to. Because the gloves were still in the room, because the doctor made an error, I experienced a great deal of physical and emotional trauma. And LUCIA’s response was, «if you have such a severe allergy, maybe you shouldn’t be going to a dentist. You need a sterile hospital environment.» There was no apology, nothing but placing blame onto me for having entered the office and that because dentists are human I should just shrug off what could have been anaphylactic shock, and laugh because that’s what humans do is make errors and how dare I not understand that. Her suggestion to me was that I shouldn’t go to dentist offices any more. Just… incredible.
I have had great experiences with Dentists before and KNOW how easy it is to remove a box of gloves from a room after a patient specifically requests it due to a severe, and life threatening allergy. ALL of this could have been prevented by doing one simple task… but according to LUCIA it is not protocol therefore not their responsibility and I should have just stayed home or gone to a hospital instead. This woman’s handling of this situation is reprehensible and embarrassing for the entire office.

I have had VERY few cavities in my life. Once I started going to Dr. G I have had to go back for «small cavities» after almost EVERY cleaning. Then I told them I was leaving and «magically» I have 2 other cavities they were «watching» I went to get one filled and in that appointment they tried to get me to have the other one filled before I left them. They also said the the current one they were filling was so small I didn’t need novocaine, as a result I made the appointment during my work day. They GAVE ME novocaine! Then after I said I’m not going to have Dr. G fill it he said to me, «Okay, if you just keep brushing you will probably never have to have it filled» What the heck! I am 100% convinced that he is just trying to get $$$ out of me. Absolutely absurd and I feel taken advantage of! I DO NOT recommend going here!!! I wish I could give negative stars. Awful!

Everyone here is very friendly, and more importantly, good at their jobs. I’ve had a number of cleanings and several cavities filled here, and the procedures are always relatively quick and not painful. I had no idea how bad my last dentist was until I switched to Dr. G & Son– they are top notch.

Let me start off by saying I am absolutely terrified of going to the dentist. I rarely go, which is why this past summer I was in need of an emergency visit. A friend suggested Dr. G and I am so glad she did. The staff is amazing. They were all very friendly and professional, from the office staff to the hygienists. I got an appointment right away with no hassle. Sadly, I came in petrified and in tears. They calmed me down as much as they could, given my crazy phobia. Honestly, Dr. G is the first dentist I’ve allowed to touch my teeth in over 10 years. He and his staff are very gentle and patient. While I can’t say I’ll ever be excited to go to the dentist, I know I’m in good hand here. I absolutely recommend this place.

I’ve been going to this dentist office for at least six years —
I picked it based on its proximity to my office. .. as well as its proximity to Mike’s or Modern Pastries. .. If I manage to leave my appointment with no cavities, I can reward myself with a North End treat. (I’ve never actually had a cavity, so I can always equate a dentist appointment with a cannoli. Makes one want to go the dentist).
Now, I’ve never had any real dental work, so my only real experience with the dentist is the biannual cleanings (which, given my coffee habit is a little more aggressive than need be) — but the staff has always been prompt, friendly and professional.
In one of my first appointments, Dr. Giangrasso (the son) did ask me if I was interested in teeth whitening (after ranking my teeth on a scale as a 2, in a 1 to 15 ranking [1 being the best]) — I think I snapped at him for recommending something purely cosmetic when this should be a health care facility (I am opposed to the American dentist way of attempting to enforce a uniform, perfectly straight gleaming white smile in every individual. We lose the beauty in uniqueness). Since then, I haven’t heard a peep about this. Nor has anyone pushed any other service on me, where other dentists have (Like braces. I have a slight overbite).
It’s the way the dentist should be — they remind you of your appointment, you sit in a chair, they give you a hard time for not flossing, clean your teeth, give you x-​rays, the dentists comes in and checks you out, you schedule your next six month appointment and then you go across the street and get pistachio cookies. And then repeat.

Does anyone ever really enjoy going to the dentist? (You sugar-​phobic freaks with no cavities don’t count.) I certainly don’t.
Dr. Giangrasso Sr. is my current dentist, chosen primarily because of the proximity of his office to my former address in the North End. While I wouldn’t say the office experience at Dr. Giangrasso’s establishment makes a visit to the dentist a pleasurable one, the friendliness of his staff certainly makes what would otherwise be an f-​ing nightmare a somewhat bearable experience.
As you can see I went with 4 stars, but for awhile I wavered on the fence between 3 and 4 because while I experienced no significant problems at Dr. Giangrasso’s office, my experience with him as a dentist is actually quite limited. His technicians/​hygienists/​whatever they’re called actually do all the manual labor. So this 4 actually applies to them. Dawn, specifically, was great. She’s very friendly and chatty and puts you at ease as she’s messing around in your mouth. Dr. Giangrasso comes in at the end, takes a look around, and occasionally delivers bad news. That has been the extent of my exposure to him.
Anyway, the staff at Dr. Giangrasso’s office is spectacular. Very friendly, very professional. None of that what the hell do you want, why are you bothering me? attitude you often get with admins at doctors’ offices.

I love this office, the staff is always really friendly and the father/​son team of dentists always takes the time to talk to you about any concerns and learn your name to boot.
I’d never change now that I’ve found these guys!