Novo Dental Lab Carves Out Niche in Chairside Surgical Support

For six years, Fernando Pedraza, CDT, was a technician at a Clear Choice Implant Center and, thanks to his background in dental assisting, he also worked chairside, an aspect of the job he loved. Opening his own lab had always been a goal and, based on his experience, an idea took shape: a niche business that offers a four-office-visit service to scan patients, assist with surgeries, perform chairside conversions and fabricate and deliver the final All-on-X restoration.

In 2019, he invested in an intraoral scanner, face scanner, mills and printers and began building a team. In addition to his wife Wendy Pedraza who is Managing Partner, Operations and Branding Director, he hired his friend Erick Romero, a dental assistant, and Gerardo Ramos, his tech-savvy brother-in-law. Today, Novo Dental Lab is a fully digital operation that services oral surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists and GPs in the Houston, TX, area.

LMT: What was your biggest...