Firm aims to lead state in supplying dentists

When Resolve Dental Lab opened in May 2013, it seemed as if the dental community in and around the Austin area had been waiting for it, said Joey Hamernik, president of the Round Rock laboratory.

Hamernik arrived last year after running a dental lab in California for 11 years. He said many Austin-area dentists did not have local laboratories that could handle all their needs. Oftentimes, dentists were sending work orders out of state, he said.

"The response to Resolve Dental Lab in Austin and in Texas has really been overwhelming," he said. "It has seen a great response and reaction from the dentists."

Dental labs manufacture crowns, bridges, dentures, tooth implants and other dental products. Including smaller-scale laboratories, about a dozen dental labs are located in the Central Texas area, Hamernik said.

"We wanted to form a lab in Austin showing the community that it is best to support homegrown ... businesses that don't outsource," Hamernik said. "We are really here to support the community."

The lab is certified by the Dental Appliance Manufacturers Audit System, or DAMAS, which means it must be compliant with U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards.

That additional accountability measure ensures the company is running a tight ship and provides customers and patients the peace of mind that their dental restorations are not being produced with third-rate materials, Hamernik said.

"Point-blank, what do you want in your mouth?" he asked rhetorically. "Using [our services], you know it's made here, and you know that we're using some of the best vendors and material out there."

Accounts are growing daily at the recently established lab, Hamernik said. Resolve's owners hope to grow the business' staff to 25 or 30 employees within four years and entrench it in the Austin community and surrounding areas. The lab currently employs 19 people.

Resolve delivers to cities throughout the state including Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. The products also travel as far as Washington and Florida.

Resolve owner Ace Jovanovski's impetus for creating the laboratory was to fill a void he saw between the coasts. The largest dental laboratory in the nation is in California, and several labs on the East Coast offer high-quality services, Resolve office manager Amy Walker said.

"We would like to be the premier lab in Texas," Walker said. "That's our main goal. We want to take care of pretty much anything for anyone and do it quickly and do it the best."

Hamernik said some of the lab's most gratifying work resides in its full-mouth restoration procedures, which typically take between 10 and 15 days.

"From women to some of the toughest guys out there, I've seen them cry when they look in the mirror ... [and] see their whole smile change," he said. "That's the biggest reward, that we can make someone break down and feel happy again."

425 Round Rock West Drive, Ste. 105, Round Rock, 512-671-3000, www.resolvedentallab.com, Hours: Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.–5 p.m.