Meet the Doctors

Your doctors at Kirkwood Dental are proud to give every patient who walk through our doors the time, patience and effort that their smile deserves. We believe it’s important for potential patients to learn more about their Newark and Wilmington dentists so they can feel comfortable and know what to expect at our office. If you have any questions about us or would like to schedule an appointment, please give us a call at the office nearest you.

eric esbitt Eric S. Esbitt, DMD

Dr. Esbitt graduated from the University Of Virginia in 1983 with a B.A. in Chemistry.

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1988. In his fourth year, he completed an extensive internship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Chester Crozier Hospitals in hospital dentistry and oral surgery.

After dental school graduation, Dr. Esbitt completed a one-year residency in Dentistry at the Medical Center of Delaware (now Christiana Care). Rotations included anesthesiology, oral surgery, pediatrics, and oral medicine.

Dr. Esbitt joined Kirkwood Dental Associates later in 1989. He continues his educational endeavors by taking over forty hours of continuing education each year. Some of his extensive training has been in short-term orthodontics, porcelain veneers and teeth bleaching, implants (placement and restoration), botox for facial esthetics and facial pain/headaches, and dermal fillers (Juvederm) for facial esthetics. His professional affiliations include the American Dental Association and the Delaware State Dental Society. He provides excellent dental care not only for his Kirkwood Dental patients but for residents from six local nursing home/rehabilitation centers he travels to in his "free" time. He also enjoys family time, playing basketball and softball, working out, playing guitar and watching sports events and movies.

For his excellence in dental care, Dr. Esbitt is a past "Top Doc" in the popular Checkbook magazine.

 

Robert Christy Robert Christy, DMD

Dr. Christy joined Kirkwood Dental Associates in 2005 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 2004 and completing his dental residency at Christiana Care. As a resident, he received additional training in oral surgery, anesthesiology, and dental implant restoration. Dr. Christy is also trained and certified in Invisalign orthodontics, implant placement and porcelain veneers. He is currently on the teaching staff at Christiana Care and Polytech High School and is contracted by the military to provide annual examinations and necessary treatment to service men and women in the Army Reserve and National Guard. Additionally, he is a member of the American Dental Association, the Delaware Dental Society and the Academy of General Dentistry. His continuing education is focused on cosmetic and implant dentistry and he had performed many complex procedures combining Invisalign, porcelain veneers and implants to dramatically improve the esthetic appearance of patients smiles.

Dr. Robert Christy has been recently named as one of the 2017 “40 Under 40” by Incisal Edge dental lifestyle magazine, which recognizes America’s finest young practitioners for their achievements in dentistry.

 

Nicholas J. Punturieri, DMD

Dr. Punturieri attended the University Center at Binghamton, in Binghamton, New York, where he earned a B.A. degree in Biology. While attending Binghamton, he worked part-time in the Cell Biology and Zoology laboratories while also acting as a teaching assistant in Microbiology. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1988. He then completed a General Practice residency at the Veteran's Hospital in Albany, New York, which included rotations in Oral Surgery and Anesthesiology.

Dr. Punturieri joined Kirkwood Dental in 1992 and is currently a member of the American Dental Association, the Delaware State Dental Society, the Philadelphia County Dental Society, and the Greater Wilmington Dental Study Club. Dr. Punturieri attends continuing education courses sponsored by each organization, to keep abreast of the latest advances in dentistry.

 

Michelle Friedberg Maher, DDS

Dr. Friedberg Maher grew up in Wilmington, DE graduating from the University of Delaware in 2011 with a B.A. in Biology. She is a 2015 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. She completed her General Practice Residency at Christiana Care Hospital, where she received training in general dentistry, oral surgery, anesthesiology, pediatrics and implant restoration.

Dr. Friedberg Maher joined Kirkwood Dental in July 2016. She is a member of the Delaware State Dental Society and the American Dental Association.

 


Alexis Esbitt, DMD

Dr. Alexis was born and raised in Hockessin, DE. Even for college she could not get enough of the blue hen state, so she attended University of Delaware. She received her undergraduate degree in biology and also played on their field hockey team. Dr. Alexis attended Kornberg School of dentistry where she received her D.M.D in 2019. After school she completed a residency in Advanced General Dentistry at Jefferson Abington. Now she has gotten to come back home and practice with her father Dr. Esbitt at Kirkwood Dental Associates. Completing over 100+ hours of CE in implant dentistry, she has enjoyed being able to bring smiles to her patients. She is currently a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Dental Association.

Outside of the office she enjoys staying active with her wife Meg who is a personal trainer. These activities usually include golfing, crossfit, or the occasional long distance run if she is forced to. She also loves ALL philadelphia sports teams and won’t hesitate at the opportunity to discuss the latest trades or coaching decisions with anyone. She has also enjoys spending time with her dog Winston.

 

John Clive, DMD

Dr. Clive graduated from Brigham Young University in 2017 where he earned a B.S. in Biology. Having a knack for visualizing fine esthetic details, he scored in the 99.7th percentile on the perceptual ability test to get into dental school. He graduated from Temple University’s School of Dentistry in 2021.

Dr. Clive completed his dental residency in New Brunswick, New Jersey at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. As a resident, he received additional training in oral surgery, anesthesiology, family medicine, and emergency medicine. He is a member of the American Dental Association.

Dr. Clive is fluent in Malay and Indonesian. He can also provide dental services in Spanish.