Keep on Smiling:Annese Dental Continues 60-Year Tradition in Revere

By Cary Shuman

When Dr. Amelio Annese put out his shingle in 1957 after completing his service in the U.S. Navy and graduating from Tufts University and Tufts Dental School, he might not have known at the time that he was starting a family tradition of excellence in dentistry that would span in to the next century.

But 60 years later, the Annese family is proudly carrying on his supreme legacy with the continuation of the dental practice in the same office at 106 Broadway, Revere.

Dr. John Annese, son of the late AmelioAnnese, and his two handsome sons, Dr. Alexander Annese, 26, and Nick Annese, 23,– both graduates of Immaculate Conception in Revere and former All-State soccer stars and captains at Malden Catholic – are leading the well-known practice that Revere residents have been depending on for their dental care for six decades.

Dr. Alexander Annese graduated from Boston College magna cum laude in 2012 and Tufts Dental School in 2016. Nick Annese, who is the manager of the practice, graduated last year from Boston College with a degree in Biology.

Nick said the office is moving forward with an expansion project.

“We want to build a second floor,” said Nick. “There’s new technology, and we want to locate the new dental equipments there.”

Alexander Annese said he always envisioned the day when he could join the family practice. “The plan was always to come in here and set up shop,” said Alexander.

The brothers remember coming to their father’s office as young boys and working on different tasks.

“I remember a long time ago, the planter (in the lobby) started leaking, and Nick and I had to dig up the whole thing and re-cement it,” recalled Alexander. “We always did projects around the office, whether it was climbing on the roof or trimming the hedges. It wasn’t always dental stuff.”

While he credits his father’s influence in choosing dentistry as a career, Alexander said, “I really enjoy working with people. I like helping people. I get a good sense of self-worth and gratification for making people happy and creating nice smiles. It brings me a lot of joy.”

Alexander is proud of the family’s heritage, recognizing the foundation that was established by his grandfather and carried on with distinction by his father.

“Most of our patients have been under the care of my grandfather and my dad, so it’s nice to see some of them grow up, and now they’re adults and I’m getting to treat them,” said Alexander. “It’s sort of like one big family, and we have a really nice relationship with all of our patients.”

Dentists must be dexterous and Alexander points to his childhood experiences of helping fix things around the house for advancing that skill.

“I consider myself handy and like fixing things so that’s another reason why I enjoy what I do,” he said. “There are not many jobs where you get to physically fix and make things. In this profession, you get to do that.”

Alexander said he’s learned so much from his father about developing dentist-patient relationships based on trust. He’s grateful for “the wisdom that my father has bestowed upon me” in the profession of dentistry.

“My father has been a great resource for me, watching him work with patients,” said Alexander. “He really helps me to establish a good working relationship with a patient because it’s not all technique and hand skills – you really have to develop a relationship with patient that has a level of trust, because we can agree that going to a dentist is not one’s favorite activity – so trust is probably one of the more important things. It’s very important for me to make them feel comfortable during their visit for treatment.”

Dr. John Annese describes the pride of having his two sons involved in the dental practice as being “ecstatic.” His wife, Maria, also works in the practice.

“It’s been a family business. In 1957, my parents started the practice. My mother was the dental assistant, and my father was the dentist. And there were just the two of them. That’s how you did it back then – you hung out a shingle and you started your practice.”

While family practices are falling by the wayside today as the business becomes more corporate, the Annese family is committed to maintaining its presence in Revere.

“We hope to keep our practice in our family for a long time to come,” said John Annese, who grew up on Ridge Road in Revere and attended the Immaculate School. He graduated from Malden Catholic, Boston College, and Tufts Dental School. “We’re a family practice, and we’re treating the grandchildren of the patients who were coming here 50 years ago so there’s a long line of families from Revere whom we’ve been treating.”

And the patients are still flocking to the Annese offices on Broadway for regular dentistry, orthodontics and aesthetic dentistry. Alexander Annese is trained in implant dentistry. In a growing trend, many patients are seeking brighter and whiter smiles.

“We do a lot of aesthetic dentistry,” said John Annese. “People are very much in to it and we’re glad to help them. People want to restore their smile.”

For 60 years, the Annese family has kept Revere residents smiling – and they’ve shown the family their loyalty through their own children and grandchildren as patients.