Dentist Near Elsmere, DE
If you live in Elsmere, the trip to our office is essentially one road. Kirkwood Highway runs straight through the middle of town, and 25 Milltown Road sits a short distance off it, just past the point where Route 41 branches north at Prices Corner. Figure on ten minutes or so, and a handful of turns once you leave your street.
Elsmere is worth calling by its own name rather than lumping it in with Wilmington. It is an incorporated town of about 6,200 people packed into roughly one square mile, begun in 1886 when developer Joshua Heald turned farmland here into what is generally called the first suburb in northern Delaware, and incorporated as a town in 1909. The street grid still shows it: short blocks, narrow frontages, cars parked tight along the curb.
That density is part of why patients like coming here. Gawlas Family Dental has its own lot, so an appointment does not mean circling for a space. We provide general, cosmetic, restorative, preventive and emergency care for children, adults and seniors.
A Neighborhood Practice for an Old Neighborhood Town
Gawlas Family Dental has served patients under its current ownership since 2021, when Dr. Matthew Gawlas purchased the practice from Dr. Todd Rowen. Dr. Rowen had already spent approximately 40 years caring for patients at this location, and nearly the entire team remained with the practice through the transition.
That continuity matters to patients who want to know the people providing their care. Dr. Gawlas has family ties to the area and is raising four children close to their grandparents.
Many of our patients want an independent dental practice where decisions about care are made by their dentist rather than a large corporate chain. Gawlas Family Dental is a member of the Independent Dental Society of Delaware, a group of independent dentists working to keep quality dental care accessible and affordable.
Because Elsmere is so close, patients here often use us for the small things as well as the large — a cleaning on a Tuesday morning, a sealant for a child’s new molar, a crown that finally needs replacing.
Our Dental Services
General Dentistry
Routine care that keeps teeth and gums healthy and catches problems early.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Treatments addressing the color, shape, spacing, and appearance of your teeth.
Restorative Dentistry
Repairing damage from decay, infection, injury, grinding, and everyday wear.
Preventive Care
Services that reduce the risk of future problems and catch changes early.
Elsmere to 25 Milltown Road
Gawlas Family Dental
25 Milltown Road
Wilmington, DE 19808
The whole drive, in one line: get onto Kirkwood Highway heading west, stay on it through Prices Corner, turn right onto Newport Gap Pike (Route 41), then take the first left onto Milltown Road. We are a few hundred yards along on the right, before the road runs down toward Brandywine Springs Park.
Landmark on the way: you will pass the Wilmington VA Medical Center on Kirkwood Highway. Once you are past it, Prices Corner is only a couple of minutes ahead.
Timing: the drive is short enough that traffic, not distance, decides how long it takes, and every minute of it is on Kirkwood Highway — the busiest road in this part of the county. Late morning and early afternoon move well. If you are coming straight from work in Wilmington, allow a little extra through the shopping-center stretch. We are open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Free on-site parking with handicap-accessible spaces.
Who Comes to Us From Elsmere
Elsmere grew up around a railroad junction as housing for people who worked in Wilmington, and a version of that pattern still holds. Many of our Elsmere patients commute east or north for work and want their dentist on the opposite side of that commute, somewhere they can reach on a day off without adding a highway to the trip.
Families are the other large group. Austin D. Baltz Elementary School serves the town’s kindergarten through fifth grade students, and All Saints Catholic School is here as well, so we frequently schedule siblings back to back and parents alongside them.
Then there are the longtime residents. A town that hosted the Delaware State Fair from 1917 to 1928 and still keeps seven parks inside its square mile has a long memory, and people here tend not to switch providers casually. Some of them have been coming to this building since Dr. Rowen’s decades here, and stayed after Dr. Gawlas took it over in 2021.
Dental Care for Patients Without Insurance
Gawlas Family Dental offers the Smile 365 Dental Discount Plan for qualifying patients without dental insurance. The plan provides included preventive services and reduced fees on additional eligible care for an annual membership fee.
Smile 365 is a dental discount plan rather than insurance. There are no yearly maximums, deductibles, claim forms, preauthorizations, preexisting-condition limitations, or waiting periods. Please review current plan terms and eligibility with our office before enrolling.
We currently accept Aetna Extend, United Concordia, and Delaware Children’s Medicaid, along with all standard forms of payment. Because insurance participation can change, contact the office to confirm current acceptance and coverage before scheduling treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you actually in Elsmere?
No — we are just west of it, at 25 Milltown Road in the 19808 ZIP code, roughly three miles from the middle of Elsmere. The town line is close enough that many Elsmere patients treat us as their neighborhood dentist.
Can I get there without leaving Kirkwood Highway?
Almost. Kirkwood Highway carries you the entire way to Prices Corner; from there it is a right onto Route 41 and an immediate left onto Milltown Road.
I park on the street at home. Is parking difficult at the office?
Not at all. We have a private lot on site with no charge, no meters and no shared shopping-center overflow, plus handicap-accessible spaces.
What days and hours are you open?
Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We are not open Fridays or weekends, but we hold space in the schedule during those four days for patients with urgent problems — call 302-994-5887.
Is parking available at the dental office?
Yes. Gawlas Family Dental has a free on-site parking lot for patients, including handicap-accessible parking.
Can I call the office for a dental emergency?
Yes. Call the office immediately if you are experiencing a dental emergency. We try to reserve room in our schedule for urgent needs and will make every reasonable effort to see you as soon as possible.
Does Gawlas Family Dental offer a membership plan?
Yes. The Smile 365 Dental Discount Plan helps qualifying patients without dental insurance receive included preventive care and save on additional eligible services. Contact the office for current pricing and complete plan terms.
Ten Minutes From Elsmere, and Taking New Patients
Whether you need a routine cleaning, something cosmetic, a repair, or help with a tooth that started hurting today, our family-owned office is a short run west on Kirkwood Highway.