DENTISTS IN NEW BRAUNFELS
Prospero Matos, DDS
General Dentist, Owner
Dr. Prospero Matos was born in New York before relocating to the Dominican Republic at an early age. There he received his Bachelor’s in Dental Sciences from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in 1998. He was later accepted into the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) advanced placement program for foreign-trained dentists and graduated with his DDS in 2011. Dr. Matos practiced dentistry in New Jersey from 2011-2014, then relocated to Texas with his wife Lela.
Dr. Matos decided from a young age that he wanted to become a dentist due to his experiences with his own caring and patient dentist. He says, “As a child, I remember thinking that the sight of my panoramic radiograph on the old view box with all of the crazy jumbled up teeth was the coolest thing ever.”
As a practitioner, Dr. Matos most enjoys seeing a patient regain self-confidence by being able to smile fully. He combines the latest state-of-the-art technology to provide patients with a thorough and caring examination to meet each patient’s needs and wants.
Dr. Matos is a recipient of the Dr. Bernard E. Rudner Memorial Award for clinical excellence from NYUCD. He maintains memberships in the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Texas Dental Association, and Hispanic Dental Association. In addition, Dr. Matos has participated in dental outreach programs, serving people in need in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Mexico.
Dr. Matos has children Diego, Isabel, Amelia and Lydia. In addition, he and his wife Dr. Lela have an English Setter fur baby named Potter and a rescue Great Dane named Hagrid.
Lela Matthes Matos, DDS
Pediatric Dentist
Dr. Lela was born and raised on a farm in Bay City, TX, with her parents and older sister. As a young girl, she spent countless hours in her grandfather’s orthodontic office and knew from a young age that she wanted to follow in his footsteps, practicing in the field of dentistry.
Dr. Lela attended Austin College in Sherman, TX, where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Biology. She received her degree in dentistry at New York University College of Dentistry. After dental school, she spent two years at Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) in Staten Island, NY, as a General Practice Resident and served as Chief Resident her second year. She completed her 2-year postgraduate education in Pediatric Dentistry at SIUH under the direction of Dr. Steven Schwartz, a pioneer in the specialty of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Lela’s comprehensive training at SIUH makes her well-trained in handling dental needs among patients of a wide range of ages and medical issues.
While at NYU College of Dentistry, she was invited to attend an Outreach Program in the Dominican Republic where she provided much-needed dental care to people that otherwise did not have access. Since finishing her pediatric training, she has been invited back by NYU to serve as faculty on their Outreach Programs to Nicaragua, Mexico, and Nepal. Being able to provide this type of service for those in need is on the top of her list of things that make her happiest.
Dr. Lela met her best friend and husband, Dr. Prospero Matos, in dental school. They love spending time together cooking, traveling, and doting on their daughter, Amelia, and furbaby, Potter.
Rachel Roberts
Dental Hygienist
Rachel received her Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene from UT Health San Antonio. She is CPR certified and takes 12-plus hours of continuing education a year. In 2017, New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung readers voted her Best Dental Hygienist. She enjoys getting to know patients and helping educate them about oral health and taking care of their teeth at home.
Rachel’s interests include spending time with family and friends, participating in Bible study and worship at church, volunteering in the community, running, cycling, swimming, hiking, and yoga. A self-proclaimed “foodie,” she also likes trying new foods.
Betty Hinojosa
Front Office Coordinator
Betty moved here from Corpus Christi, Texas. She is married to her best friend for over 25 years now and is the proud mother of two beautiful girls. She is also a very proud grandmother of two handsome grandsons. Betty enjoys getting to know her patients and helping them while they are in our office. Since moving here she made many friends that have become like family to her.
Betty’s passions are traveling and playing shuffleboard for a league that gives back to the community. She enjoys spending as much time as possible with her grandsons and loves plants.
Paulina Ortiz
Front Office Coordinator
Paulina was born in Mexicali, Baja California and lived there until she was 16.
She went to New Braunfels Dental Assistant School and graduated in 2023. Eventually, she would like to continue her education in Dental Hygiene.
Paulina enjoys meeting new people and being able to interact with them as often as she can. She especially loves interacting with all the kids that come into the office.
One of the things she loves the most is spending time with her family, friends, and her two little fur babies. She loves to swim and watch movies whenever she gets the chance.
Nicole Medina, RDA
Front Office Coordinator
Nicole graduated from San Antonio College in 2019, with her Associates in Applied Sciences and her dental assisting certification. She has worked in both General Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry prior to working with Drs. Lela and Prospero Matos, giving her the knowledge she needs to help with patients of any age! With her in-depth knowledge on the clinical side, she has proven a huge asset to the front office.
When Nicole isn’t at work, she enjoys relaxing at home with her little family. She also enjoys anything outdoors; hunting, fishing, hiking, etc. One fun fact about Nicole is that she used to have 6 pets – a ferret, bunny, 3 dogs and an Axolotl!
Elizabeth Walker
Dental Assistant
Elizabeth has been a dental assistant since 2014. Since graduating from assisting school, she has worked with in both orthodontic and general dentistry offices. She brings her friendly attitude to work every day and is excellent at helping patients feel at ease.
She has 2 boys, Zaden and Oliver, and is married to her wonderful husband, Jeff.
Robert Acosta
Dental Assistant
Robert received his Registered Dental Assisting at University of Texas at San Antonio. He takes great joy in providing the best patient care possible and bringing smiles to everyone he meets, especially those visiting our practice. He strives to make sure patients leave with a smile to show off to the world and looking forward to their next visit. Robert’s passion for dentistry comes from wanting to give others a better experience than he encountered growing up as a child. He loves expanding his knowledge and education every chance he gets in dentistry to better help all those we meet, especially for their individual needs. So much so, he would like to continue his education and become a dental hygienist.
Robert’s other passions include: Power Lifting, traveling, filming/photography, and music. If he’s not working out in the gym breaking personal records, he’s looking for his next adventure out in the world, fully ready to enjoy new cultures and capture the moment on camera. His most recent trip was to the Hawaiian island, O’ahu. He grew up being a musician since the age of 10 years old, playing a total of four different instruments. His favorite being the Vihuela, a native instrument from Mexico similar to the guitar, used in Mariachi music. Robert is also a die hard fan of Major League Baseball’s, Houston Astros, and will take any chance he gets to make it to a game at Minute Maid Park!
Taylor Smith
Dental Assistant
Taylor graduated from Austin Dental Assisting School in 2016. She moved from her hometown of Austin to New Braunfels recently with her husband, Justin, and fur babies, Ace and Bronson. She has a passion for dentistry and has been assisting in General, Oral surgery and now Pediatric. She loves working with children and always strives to give the best care possible and educate as much as she can. When she is not working with Dr Lela she is traveling around the world and working out.
– Fun Fact!
Taylor was a Professional Figure Skater and has been figure skating since she was 3 years old. She also competed in synchronized figure skating. She has traveled all over the US and has received over 100 medals and was featured in Sports Illustrated at 11 years old.
