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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Dentists Offer Free Wine to Take the Edge Off Visits

 Dentists including Marini and Manci, DMD, left, and The Dental Boutique, right, offer free wine in the waiting room to help patients take the edge off.
Dentists including Marini and Manci, DMD, left, and The Dental Boutique, right, offer free wine in the waiting room to help patients take the edge off.
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Composite with DNAinfo and Yelp/The Dental Boutique

MANHATTAN — Care for a riesling with your root canal?

Dentists across Manhattan have been serving up complimentary glasses of wine to patients to take the edge off dreaded dental work, DNAinfo New York has learned.

Nolita's Marini and Manci, DMD, located at 21 Spring St., features a small table in the waiting room with a collection of glassware alongside a bucket of bottles of red and white wine for patients to pour for themselves and sip at their leisure. It's one of several dental practices around the city to offer the service — according to a longtime patient and online reviews.

"It's an extra something that helps you dread the dentist a little less. I don't know why more places don't do it, quite frankly," said a 29-year-old longtime patient who asked that her name not be used.

"The wine helps take the edge off." 

Other dentists who also offer their customers free wine before appointments include The Dental Boutique at 151 West 30th St., and Park South Dentistry at 30 Central Park South, according to staff and online reviews.

None of the dentists' offices have been licensed by the State Liquor Authority, according to SLA spokesmen, and are not allowed to serve the wine even if it's free.

But the dentists at Park South said they only offer the free wine to create a soothing and luxurious environment.

"We offer the beverages as part of our efforts to create a welcoming, boutique, spa-like environment in the office and make patients more comfortable," said Dr. David Janash of Park South, which also offers its patients complimentary coconut water, juices and tea.

"We also provide cozy blankets for people while they get treatments and warm, scented towels to refresh their face and hands. Our patients love it," Janash added.

The Dental Boutique, which opened in 2013, and Marini and Manci DMD did not respond to requests for comment.

The dental clinics are the latest businesses to serve up free wine to enhance their customer experience. DNAinfo recently revealed that a Clinton Hill veterinary office offers wine and home-brewed beer to waiting pet owners.

The complimentary vino swayed a Marino and Manci patient who had been to five other dentists before finally settling with them in 2010. The friends she refers there are usually sold when they hear about the wine, she said.

"It was incredibly mellow. It's not a fancy office, but they have the wine so it adds a little something, a little extra touch that shows they care," the patient said.