Our History

In November 1974, while serving as an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatric Dentistry and Dentist-in-Chief of the Tufts Dental Facilities for Persons with Special Needs, Dr. Joseph P. O’Donnell started a part-time practice of pediatric dentistry in Winchester. The office was very small—just two dental chairs—and was only open two weekday afternoons and Saturdays. Dr. O’Donnell had one employee—a dental assistant who also served as a secretary. In early 1975, he hired his first hygienist Bea Wheaton.

As the practice became busier, Dr. O’Donnell added a partner, Dr. Gary Warrington who had been an outstanding student in Dr. O’Donnell’s post-graduate residency program at the Tufts-New England Medical Center. At this time the practice officially became Pediatric Dental Associates of Winchester (PDA).

With the continued growth of the practice, the office moved to a new professional building in Winchester, the Russell Hill Condominiums, in 1985. The new facilities had seven operatories and offered orthodontic services in addition to pediatric dentistry. Within a short time, the demand for appointment times spurred additional growth as the office expanded into an adjoining suite and four more operatories were installed.

Over the subsequent years, the practice added several highly qualified pediatric dentists to the staff: Dr. Sonia Wu, Dr. Nicole Harrington and Dr. Matthew Freitas — all of whom are partners. We are also proud to say that all of our pediatric dentists are Board Certified.

In 1998 PDA expanded and opened a second location in Reading, MA where our services include pediatric dentistry, orthodontics and adult dentistry. Dr. Shannon Duffy is also a partner and directs the orthodontic department, while Dr. Kimberly Weiss and Dr. Taleen Kalajian provide adult dental services.

Our practice is now PDA Dental Group of Winchester and Reading. We are proud to say that we have more than seventy five employees—part-time and full-time—many of whom have worked with us for more than twenty years. We are grateful to our patients for the tremendous support and confidence that has combined to help our practice grow. We pledge to reward your confidence by continuing to offer dental services of the highest quality in a safe, friendly and state-of-the art environment.