Hello,

Dr. Maira Estrada

Hello,

Dr. Maira Estrada

Hello,

Dr. Maira Estrada

September 18 – 19, 2026

September 18 – 19, 2026

September 18 – 19, 2026

Date

Date

Date

New York City

New York City

New York City

Location

Location

Location

The sculptor sees what is hidden. The architect draws up the plans. The artisan shapes with intention. The engineer ensures that it stands.
Here we bring them all to smile design.
The sculptor sees what is hidden. The architect draws up the plans. The artisan shapes with intention. The engineer ensures that it stands.
Here we bring them all to smile design.
The sculptor sees what is hidden. The architect draws up the plans. The artisan shapes with intention. The engineer ensures that it stands.
Here we bring them all to smile design.
Mission

Michelangelo did not look at a block of marble and see stone. He saw what was already inside it, waiting to be revealed.

Design by Hand is where the art of smile design is passed on directly. Centered around hand sculpting on models, the program teaches the same precise process Dr. Apa has refined for decades.

Mission

Michelangelo did not look at a block of marble and see stone. He saw what was already inside it, waiting to be revealed.

Design by Hand is where the art of smile design is passed on directly. Centered around hand sculpting on models, the program teaches the same precise process Dr. Apa has refined for decades.

Mission

Michelangelo did not look at a block of marble and see stone. He saw what was already inside it, waiting to be revealed.

Design by Hand is where the art of smile design is passed on directly. Centered around hand sculpting on models, the program teaches the same precise process Dr. Apa has refined for decades.

Two days.
Two patients.
One method.
*Pre-Event Evening — Only available to Inner Circle attendees
Two days.
Two patients.
One method.
*Pre-Event Evening — Only available to Inner Circle attendees

Friday, September 18

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Day One Course

Friday, September 18

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Day One Course

overview

Day One is centered around developing a deep understanding of additive smile design through the lens of Dr. Apa’s complete clinical workflow.

Day One is centered around developing a deep understanding of additive smile design through the lens of Dr. Apa’s complete clinical workflow.

Beginning with consultation and treatment planning, students will:

I

Refine direct mockups to achieve ideal contours and proportions, learning the clinical reasoning behind each adjustment.

ii

Translate diagnostic wax-ups into functional preparations using putty matrix techniques and prep-through-mockup protocols.

III

Fabricate temporaries, capture impressions, and cement provisionals — validating how each stage informs the final restorative result.

COURSE CURRICULUM REFERENCE

1

Lecture

Consultation, Case Review & Treatment Planning

2

Hands-On

Direct Mockup on Original Model

3

Lecture

Lab Wax-Up, Lab Communication & Putty Guides

4

Hands-On

Putty Matrix Fabrication & Wax-Up Transfer

5

Lecture

Adjusting the Wax-Up

6

Hands-On

Mockup Adjustment

7

Lecture

Preparation: Temporaries as the Blueprint

8

Hands-On

Preparation (Through the Mockup)

9

Hands-On

Temporary Fabrication (LuxaTemp Shell)

10

Lecture

Mastering Impressions

11

Hands-On

Temporary Cementation

overview

Day Two advances into combined additive and reductive treatment, where preparation precedes restorative design and every reduction decision is made with purpose.

Day Two advances into combined additive and reductive treatment, where preparation precedes restorative design and every reduction decision is made with purpose.

After closing out Day One's case, students will:

I

Read and plan a more complex additive-reductive case, determining when and how reduction is indicated for each individual tooth.

ii

Transfer ideal contours into precise preparations using putty matrix techniques and prep-through-mockup execution.

III

Fabricate LuxaTemp shell temporaries and execute the full cementation protocol from provisional through final delivery.

COURSE CURRICULUM REFERENCE

1

Lecture

VPO1 & Lab Communication Review

2

Lecture

The Difference in Additive/Reductive

3

Lecture

Advanced Preparation Design

4

Hands-On

Procedural Mockup

5

Hands-On

Putty Matrix & Transfer

6

Hands-On

Preparation (Additive/Reductive Case)

7

Hands-On

Temporary Fabrication (LuxaTemp Shell)

8

Hands-On

Temporary Cementation

9

Lecture

Final Cementation Protocol

10

Hands-On

Veneer Cementation Practice

Pre-Event
Meals and Amenities
After Hours
Friday, September 18
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Evening Reception

Close out Day One with cocktails, conversation and curated bliss alongside Dr. Apa, fellow attendees, and the Apa Aesthetic New York team.

Saturday, September 19
5:30 - 8:00 PM
Private dinner with Dr. Apa

Reserved exclusively for Apa Inner Circle attendees, this intimate private dinner offers a smaller setting to connect with Dr. Apa and Apa Associates over a curated dining experience.

Thursday, September 17
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Pre-Event Welcome Tour

Apa Inner Circle attendees are invited to an intimate private tour and gathering at Apa Aesthetic New York with the Apa Aesthetic team.

Pre Event
Friday, September 18
4:00 – 8:00 PM
Pre Event Welcome Tour

Apa Inner Circle attendees are invited to an intimate private tour of the Apa Aesthetic Suite at NYU followed by an inside look and drinks at the Apa Aesthetic New York Office.

Meals and Amenities
OVERVIEW

Each day begins at 8:00 AM with a curated welcome breakfast designed to set the tone for the morning, followed by a thoughtfully catered lunch and scheduled breaks throughout the day. Beverage service will be available continuously, with a selection of coffee, tea, and soft drinks provided throughout the program to maintain comfort and flow between sessions.

All meals are designed with attention to quality, simplicity, and ease of experience, allowing attendees to remain fully immersed in the course without interruption. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated with advance notice.

After Hours
Saturday, September 19
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Evening Reception

Close out the day with cocktails, conversation, and curated bites alongside fellow attendees and the Apa team.

Saturday, September 19
6:30 – 8:30 PM
Private inner-circle dinner with Dr. Apa

Reserved exclusively for Apa Inner Circle attendees, this intimate private dinner offers a smaller setting to connect with Dr. Apa and Apa Associates over a curated dining experience.

Pre-Event
Thursday, September 17
4:00 – 6:00 PM
Pre-Event Welcome Tour

Apa Inner Circle attendees are invited to an intimate private tour and gathering at Apa Aesthetic New York with the Apa Aesthetic team.

After Hours
Friday, September 18
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Evening Reception

Close out Day One with cocktails, conversation and curated bliss alongside Dr. Apa, fellow attendees, and the Apa Aesthetic New York team.

Saturday, September 19
5:30 – 8:00 PM
Private dinner with Dr. Apa

Reserved exclusively for Inner Circle attendees, this intimate private dinner offers a smaller setting to connect with Dr. Apa and Apa Associates over a curated dining experience.

Pre-Event
Thursday, September 17
4:00 – 6:00 PM
Pre-Event Welcome Tour

Apa Inner Circle attendees are invited to an intimate private tour and gathering at Apa Aesthetic New York with the Apa Aesthetic team.

After Hours
Friday, September 18
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Evening Reception

Close out Day One with cocktails, conversation and curated bliss alongside Dr. Apa, fellow attendees, and the Apa Aesthetic New York team.

Saturday, September 19
5:30 – 8:00 PM
Private dinner with Dr. Apa

Reserved exclusively for Inner Circle attendees, this intimate private dinner offers a smaller setting to connect with Dr. Apa and Apa Associates over a curated dining experience.

Dr. Apa & His Method
Dr. Apa & His Method
This most-important skill breaks us free from the limitations of relying on wax-ups alone. It enables us to truly lead our patients and teams through this procedure and create smiles without fear.
Dr. Apa’s methodology was not developed from textbooks or traditional cosmetic dentistry protocols alone. It was shaped through mentorship, repetition, and artistic discipline, rooted in a philosophy he absorbed while training under Dr. Larry Rosenthal.
Long before aesthetic dentistry became what it is today, Dr. Rosenthal envisioned dentists as
"creators, pioneers, and artists of the smile and the canvas of the face."
Drawn to that vision and driven by an uncompromising refusal to accept average, Dr. Apa made it his mission to learn directly from Larry and pursue smile design at the highest level. Early in that mentorship, after attempting to shape a seemingly straightforward case himself without a wax-up, he realized that translating vision into form required far greater precision, control, and repetition than instinct alone.
The experience became a humbling and defining lesson in mastery. Dr. Apa returned to wax-ups and fundamentals, refining his understanding through smaller, controlled cases and developing the eye, confidence, and technical command required to design by hand.
What emerged became the foundation of the hand-crafted smile philosophy now practiced at Apa Aesthetic around the world. Refined over years of repetition, the methodology evolved into a system centered on facial harmony, movement, personality, and artistic control. As Dr. Apa explains,
“A dentist masters this procedure when he or she understands how to design the smile truly themselves. Doing so influences every part of the process: the facial design, the preparation, the ceramic. It brings everything under your control as the practitioner."
Design by Hand was created to pass down that philosophy directly through hands-on training, giving clinicians the ability to develop control, precision, and confidence in smile design.
Dr. Apa’s methodology was not developed from textbooks or traditional cosmetic dentistry protocols alone. It was shaped through mentorship, repetition, and artistic discipline, rooted in a philosophy he absorbed while training under Dr. Larry Rosenthal.
Long before aesthetic dentistry became what it is today, Dr. Rosenthal envisioned dentists as
"creators, pioneers, and artists of the smile and the canvas of the face."
Drawn to that vision and driven by an uncompromising refusal to accept average, Dr. Apa made it his mission to learn directly from Larry and pursue smile design at the highest level. Early in that mentorship, after attempting to shape a seemingly straightforward case himself without a wax-up, he realized that translating vision into form required far greater precision, control, and repetition than instinct alone.
The experience became a humbling and defining lesson in mastery. Dr. Apa returned to wax-ups and fundamentals, refining his understanding through smaller, controlled cases and developing the eye, confidence, and technical command required to design by hand.
What emerged became the foundation of the hand-crafted smile philosophy now practiced at Apa Aesthetic around the world. Refined over years of repetition, the methodology evolved into a system centered on facial harmony, movement, personality, and artistic control. As Dr. Apa explains,
“A dentist masters this procedure when he or she understands how to design the smile truly themselves. Doing so influences every part of the process: the facial design, the preparation, the ceramic. It brings everything under your control as the practitioner."
Design by Hand was created to pass down that philosophy directly through hands-on training, giving clinicians the ability to develop control, precision, and confidence in smile design.
This most-important skill breaks us free from the limitations of relying on wax-ups alone. It enables us to truly lead our patients and teams through this procedure and create smiles without fear.
Dr. Apa’s methodology was not developed from textbooks or traditional cosmetic dentistry protocols alone. It was shaped through mentorship, repetition, and artistic discipline, rooted in a philosophy he absorbed while training under Dr. Larry Rosenthal.
Long before aesthetic dentistry became what it is today, Dr. Rosenthal envisioned dentists as
"creators, pioneers, and artists of the smile and the canvas of the face."
Drawn to that vision and driven by an uncompromising refusal to accept average, Dr. Apa made it his mission to learn directly from Larry and pursue smile design at the highest level. Early in that mentorship, after attempting to shape a seemingly straightforward case himself without a wax-up, he realized that translating vision into form required far greater precision, control, and repetition than instinct alone.
The experience became a humbling and defining lesson in mastery. Dr. Apa returned to wax-ups and fundamentals, refining his understanding through smaller, controlled cases and developing the eye, confidence, and technical command required to design by hand.
What emerged became the foundation of the hand-crafted smile philosophy now practiced at Apa Aesthetic around the world. Refined over years of repetition, the methodology evolved into a system centered on facial harmony, movement, personality, and artistic control. As Dr. Apa explains,
“A dentist masters this procedure when he or she understands how to design the smile truly themselves. Doing so influences every part of the process: the facial design, the preparation, the ceramic. It brings everything under your control as the practitioner."
Design by Hand was created to pass down that philosophy directly through hands-on training, giving clinicians the ability to develop control, precision, and confidence in smile design.
This most-important skill breaks us free from the limitations of relying on wax-ups alone. It enables us to truly lead our patients and teams through this procedure and create smiles without fear.

location

Manhattan,
New York City

Manhattan,
New York City

details

Location:

NYU College of Dentistry

Street Address:

345 E 24th St, New York, NY 10010

Area:

Gramercy/Kips Bay

hotels

Nearby Stays

Nearby Stays

The Ned NoMad

NoMad

Open on map

The New York EDITION

Flatiron District

Open on map

The Marmara Park Avenue

Murray Hill

Open on map

The Langham

Fifth Avenue

Open on map

Frequently Asked
Questions

Frequently Asked
Questions

Will CE be offered for this course?

Are assistants or team members allowed to attend?

What do I need to bring?

Will you cater to dietary restrictions?

What is the dress code?

Do you offer Visa Support Letters for international attendees?

Mission

Agenda

Method

Reservations

FAQ

Mission

Agenda

Tickets

FAQ

Method

Limited seats available
Limited seats available