Lawrence Dental Lab #006

There is no polished marble entryway at Lawrence Dental Lab, no sleek showroom lights or luxury furniture to greet you. But the moment you walk in, you feel something much rarer: purpose. It lives in the quiet rhythm of the space, in the sound of tools shaping teeth, the smell of acrylic and polish in the air, and the way Andy Lawrence, the founder, carries himself, like a man who knows this is where he is meant to be.

He did not arrive here by chance. In 2008, while the world felt the weight of a financial downturn, Andy felt a stirring in his spirit. He began to pray, not just for a business, but for a mission. Something that would create opportunity and restore dignity — to quite literally help bring back joy through a smile.

“I just wanted to help create jobs,” he says, “and help people feel joy again. A smile can do that. It changes how someone sees themselves, what they believe they can accomplish, even restoring their confidence and their love for themselves.”

For Andy, dentures are not just dental prosthetics. They are restoration tools for confidence, for connection, and for transformation.

But Lawrence Dental Lab was not built only for the clients. It was built for the people who work inside it, too.

A Place That Shapes People

Chris is one of them. When he started, he was a different man. With a military background, he was not used to working side by side with people from so many different walks of life, especially not in an environment shaped by patience, prayer, and peace.

“I didn’t have great social skills,” he admits, “but here, I have learned how to connect. I remember a prayer a dentist said that stuck with me. I think about it every day. It helps guide my decisions and keeps me focused on the detail of making dentures.”

As for what changed him most?

“It is the culture here. The faith and the patience, the way people genuinely care for one another, including Andy. He is someone who really listens, especially when it comes to the Lord. That kind of faith is contagious.”

If you ask Chris why this place matters, he does not hesitate. “It changes people’s lives. The way they see themselves, the way they treat each other. It helps me bless others financially and spiritually. Our end goal here is not just great dentures. It is the Kingdom of God.”

Andy prays for his team and for their peace, for their joy and for their growth in every part of life, especially in their faith. That spirit of prayer and purpose runs throughout the lab. It is the culture here — a place where people are encouraged to grow personally and spiritually.

The lab feels more like a discipleship space than a production line. The goal is quality, calm, and a nurturing work environment, a place for crafting dentures and cultivating people.

Excellence With Intention

From quiet precision to forward-thinking processes, everything about Lawrence Dental Lab reflects intentional care and professional excellence. Andy combines nearly two decades of technical experience, including hands-on work in a dentist’s office, with advanced digital tools.

Most lab techs never see the patient, but Andy has, and that perspective informs everything they make.

“We accept digital scans from any system,” he explains, “but there is still a balance between digital and physical that you have to understand. And sometimes, things just change overnight. You have to stay open and roll with it.”

A Mission Confirmed

That openness and faith showed up in a defining moment of Andy’s life. In 2015, Dr. Patrick Singley helped sponsor him on a mission trip to the Santa Elena Mountains in the Dominican Republic.

For four days, Andy crafted dentures for people who never imagined such care was possible. In many cases, there was no shared language — just smiles, tears, and sign language. What stayed with him was seeing people give glory to God when they received dental work.

“That moment stuck with me. It was confirmation. This wasn’t just a job. It was my calling.”

Relationships, Not Transactions

Back home in Columbus, Andy brings that same heart to every denture, every employee, every interaction. Ask the UPS driver, Chuck, who never misses a chance to check in. Or Dr. Fincher from Greenwood, a loyal partner and a genuine fan of the lab’s work.

These are not transactions. They are relationships.

“I just want this place to mean something,” Andy says. “I want it to be remembered not just for the work we do, but for the way we loved people while doing it.”

Looking Toward the Future

When asked what success looks like, Andy laughs and says, “A fast boat in the Caribbean,” before pausing.

“But really, it is generational growth. Seeing my employees become better people. Changing lives through smiles all over the world.”

That is the future Andy is building: more dental workshops, assistant training for dentists, creating jobs, and one day, taking his whole team on a mission trip — maybe back to Haiti, or maybe just down the road, where someone is quietly waiting for a reason to smile again.

“Satisfaction, service, and quality” is how Andy sums up the lab, but those who know him would add something more.

Faith. Vision. Heart.

For dentists who care not only about the result but about the people behind each smile, and for patients who believe a smile can change everything, this is the kind of lab where those values take shape. Especially now, when trust is harder to find and local care matters more than ever, Lawrence Dental Lab continues to show that restoration is both an art and a calling.