Rich Pavlak excites young ceramists with free ceramics course

New York, N.Y.-On May 21, an excited group of young ceramists took part in a free ceramics course presented by Rich Pavlak, CDT, MDT, FNGS, at New York City College of Technology.

“Participating in Rich Pavlak’s Porcelain hands-on workshop was really exciting to me.” said attendee Rocio German.

By design, corporate sponsorships were limited to gifts for the students, technical support and lunch, so the event stayed focused on high quality ceramics and professional motivation.

Each participant completed 2 anterior porcelain/metal crowns to match a patient photo. The first was done step-by-step with Pavlak in real time, and the second was done by each ceramist based on what they learned from the first crown. Everyone completed the task successfully, and their shades were evaluated both visually and with the Vita Easy Shade.

Guest speaker Peter Pizzi CDT, MDT, FNGS, presented a talk on current trends and the future of dental technology. Both Pavlak and Pizzi stressed the importance of goal setting, positioning and seeking out the right mentors.

The event was coordinated by Professor Renata Budney, CDT, MBA, of the NYCT Department of Restorative Dentistry. She also had time to share insights with each of the former NYCT students.

Technical support and student gifts were provided by Vident, while Vision USA, Harvest Dental Laboratory Products and Wagner Rotary Instruments offered free gifts to the students. Biomet 3i provided the food during the training.

“We have to inspire young technicians not only to stay in the field, but also help them plan their career paths so that they can put themselves into the top 5%. This is the way to not only overcome the present issues, but also, a way to ensure that the dental technology industry will remain healthy for many years to come”, Pavlak said.

This program, the first in a series, was intended to raise the level of the dental ceramist awareness, as well as help the students increase their skill sets. Pavlak, in partnership with the NYCT, offered the free one-day course at the college mainly for alumni who are out of school one or two years. This is the first of many planned free courses. Pavlak said he will be recruiting top clinicians in the United States to join him in this effort during future classes.

“I’m so thankful that top technicians like Rich Pavlak take their time to organize workshops like this one,” Rocio said. "I’ll gladly participate in a future one, and highly recommend other technicians to be part of such a great experience.”

For more information, educators, technicians and dentists are welcome to contact Pavlak to express interest in being a part of this movement. He can be reached via e-mail at: ppdental@verizon.net.