Leadership

OPT-In Leadership is comprised of dental professionals, both dentists and dental technicians, that share the same concerns and same purposes:

• The importance of protecting and serving the doctor-patient relationship with the best quality and service for every budget
• Elevating the knowledge and capabilities needed by dental professionals to deliver upon our promises

 

Dean Mersky, DDS, founder & president, OPT-In Management, LLC. Dr. Mersky practiced general dentistry in Manhattan Beach, CA for 26 years. His private practiced focused on maladies of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), full mouth reconstruction, and cosmetic dentistry. His professional memberships included the American Society for Dental Aesthetics, and the Northeast Gnathological Society. With a back injury forcing his retirement from clinical practice in 2002, Dr. Mersky joined the Captek company as director of clinical communication. In that role, he reviewed and reported on clinical and technical research, authored numerous papers for publication for Inside Dental Technology, Dental Town Journal, Journal of Dental Technology, Dentistry Today, Lab Management Today, and the quarterly issue of American Society for Dental Aesthetics,  and lectured nationally and internationally for both dentist and dental technicians. After a year of serving as implant coordinator for a large dental laboratory, Dr. Mersky launched OPT-In Dental Laboratory Cooperative, October, 2012, a dental laboratory organization comprised only of small laboratory owners. Recognizing that private practitioners have the same disadvantages and needs as small dental labs, he launched OPT-In Dental Advantage in June, 2014. Dr. Mersky graduated from the University of Detroit School of Dentistry, 1976, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in public health, from UCLA.

 

David Hornbrook, DDS, FAACD, FACE, Co-director OPT-In Professionals CE. Dr. Hornbrook is an internationally acclaimed lecturer, Adjunct Faculty at the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, University of Texas, Houston Dental Branch, and A.T. Still University Health Sciences. He has served as Clinical Editor, Dental Practice Report, and Editor, Journal of the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. In 1997 he was awarded Mentor of the Year Award, Crown Council, and in 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award, GenR8TNext for Educational Excellence. Dr. Hornbrook has published numerous research reports and has served as Executive Director, The Hornbrook Group, Director and Founder, Pac-live, and Director, Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. His professional affiliations include American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Dental Association, California Dental Association, and San Diego County Dental Association. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Signature Magazine, Practical Procedures and Esthetic Dentistry, and Esthetic Dentistry Research Group. Dr. Hornbrook graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry, in1986, and holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from San Diego State University. He currently practices dentistry in La Mesa, CA.

 

Peter Pizzi, CDT, MDT, FNGS, Co-director OPT-In Professionals CE, Kois Mentor (Center for Dental Excellence), has been a technician since 1984. Peter is a recognized expert in implants and esthetics, a member of American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, Technical Fellow of Northeast Gnathological Society, and serves as faculty at the New York University School of Dentistry. Peter has lectured internationally on the art and science of dental technology, and is known not only for his exceptional artistic talent, but also as a leading teacher of integrating dental technology with specific clinical conditions, needs, and desires of individual patients. He conducts courses throughout the U.S. that include both hands-on techniques as well as important concepts that extend well beyond the usual. He is on the Executive Board of the Northeast Gnathological Society, Editorial Board of Inside Dental Technology, National Advisory Board of Dental Dialogue, and a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Peter is a featured author for Inside Dental Technology, Lab Management Today, and contributed to clinical articles in Dentistry Today. He consults to several manufacturers and has developed his own line of laboratory instruments (Evolution Series), and dental implant solutions. Peter maintains his dental technology studio and teaching facility in Staten Island, NY.

 

Education Planning Committee:

Peter Karsant, DDS

Rick Sonntag, RDT, AAACD

Mike Dominguez, CDT/TE