Cordido Dental Pros: ADA Design Innovation Award Small Build Finalist

by Stacie Crozier

As a 5-year-old growing up in Venezuela, Dr. Andreina Cordido already knew she would become a dentist.

“I couldn’t even say the word at that age, but I told everyone I wanted to be an odontologist,” said Dr. Cordido. “Even when I played with Barbies, I played I was a dentist.”

Fast-forward to her graduation from dental school in 2009, when she began working in a private dental office. By 2013, she and her husband had emigrated to Texas, where she began a 3-year prosthodontics residency at Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry followed by an implant fellowship and a teaching position at the dental school.

The prosthodontist, educator and mother of a 3-year-old and a 20-month-old said she always dreamed of having her own small clinic — and her dream came true in January 2021 when she opened Cordido Dental Pros in Plano, Texas, focusing on prosthodontics and implant dentistry. Her vision, executed by a trusted building team, netted the 2021 Design Innovation Awards Finalist honors in the new small buildout category.

“I’ve always known I’ve wanted a small practice clinic where I could provide the best care for my patients,” she said. “My husband, my contractor and my equipment team were exceptional. They built my dream.”

Dr. Cordido said she interviewed many realtors, contractors and equipment distributors before putting her “dream team” together.

“Building the team is the most important step in building an office,” she said. It’s so important to find a team whose goals and personalities match yours. “I became the common denominator for a group of people who had not worked together before. I was involved in every decision, every detail, and I also knew that I could trust my team to do what was best for the vision, and ultimately for my patients.”

The building project began in July of 2020, while she was expecting her second child. “My third baby is the new practice,” she joked. “I was ready to start the project in 2020 and then COVID happened. The pandemic made the process longer than usual. There were delays in getting permits and materials. Building a dental office is stressful, and there are always things that change in the middle of the process. I trusted my contractor and my team and that made it easier.”

Dr. Cordido’s warm entrance welcomes patients with a sleek design and pops of blue and orange and dark wood.

The blue ceiling and art niche make the compact clinical hallway feel more open and connects the spaces.

A glass wall brings maximum light to the patient consult room and the orange and blue color scheme brings some added drama to the space.

The hygiene operatory was designed for patient comfort and the best possible clinical flow.

The cone beam computed tomography system is tucked into a niche in the clinical hallway for easy access from any treatment room.

Dr. Cordido’s design team incorporated the latest technologies and most comfortable chairs into the main treatment room.

Dr. Cordido specifically planned space for an in-office laboratory allowing her to bring in the best technology.

Although the design and building process was not without bumps in the road, Dr. Cordido enjoyed designing the space of her dreams. “Once the team decided what we wanted, we made it come together, almost like arranging and rearranging Lego blocks, until the vision came together.” Together with her husband, they used Visio software to experiment with possible layouts until they landed on the perfect floor plan.

Her 1,450-square-foot office is housed on the second floor of a building and has large windows throughout. She incorporated two prosthodontic operatories, one hygiene operatory, a small lab, a consult room, an X-ray room, a patient restroom, a staff room and restroom, a mechanical room and two offices.

Dr. Cordido wanted to create a warm and welcoming space that would help her patients feel comfortable. She chose a color scheme of neutral light gray with accents of teal in the ceilings and orange chairs that pop in the calming neutral space.

She and her contractor designed her reception area with a combination of wood, stone and glass to make a stunning first impression on her patients. And, because space constraints meant the consult room would not have a window, she added a glass door, textural elements and an accent wall to make the space feel, light, friendly and welcoming. She also used high-end tile in both spacious restrooms to add a touch of elegance to the space.

The lion’s share of her budget went to purchasing dental equipment. She said one of the most important takeaways from her prosthodontics training was to use the best technology possible to make treatment easier and better for her patients. She spent a lot of time researching her choices and thinking about her experiences from dental school and practice to make her decisions.

“I wanted the best chairs I could get so my patients would be comfortable during and after treatment,” she said. “I didn’t want a patient to go home with stiffness or back pain. I also wanted a highly accurate imagining system. And I wanted to have my own lab with equipment that works quickly and provides the best possible results. Choosing proven technology is the key. Product choices are a personal decision, so every dentist should do their research and draw on their experience when choosing equipment for their practice.”

Dr. Cordido still dedicates one day a week to teaching and mentoring students in the prosthodontics program at the dental school. “It allows me to give back and be part of the experience for up-and-coming practitioners,” she said.

“Every day when I come to the office, I breathe the air and I’m so happy to be in a place I like and feel comfortable in,” she said. “My husband, my contractor and my team helped me build my dream. It’s been a great experience to be in my own practice. It’s my dream come true. I am blessed. I am definitely blessed.”