When the field of periodontics moves forward, it rarely does so in isolation. It moves when experienced clinicians gather in one room, put their hands on instruments, and work through the questions that define better patient care. That is exactly what happened this June, when Dr. Michael McGuire, Dr. Todd Scheyer, and the Perio Amigos hosted Soft Tissue Management Around Teeth and Dental Implants: A Comprehensive Approach in Bellaire, Texas.
Held June 12–14, 2026, the three-day course brought together dentists and dental specialists at every level, from those newer to soft tissue work to seasoned practitioners refining advanced techniques. Across 24 hours of continuing education, the program offered something increasingly rare in dental education: not just lectures, but methodical, hands-on guidance grounded in decades of practice-based research.
A Course Built on Decades of Research
What distinguished this course was the depth of experience behind it. The faculty’s approach to soft tissue management has been shaped by more than twenty years of dedicated study into how different materials, techniques, and biological factors influence clinical outcomes.
“We have more experience using live cell-based structures than anybody else in the world in the oral environment,” Dr. McGuire noted in reflecting on the practice’s body of work. That experience translated directly into the course content, where attendees explored not only what techniques exist, but when and why to use them.
The emphasis throughout was on evidence. “It’s our job to know what’s out there really, what is the evidence supported,” Dr. McGuire explained. “What are the things we need to look at? What are the defect factors that will control the outcome?” As Dr. Scheyer added, the change in trajectory “towards regeneration versus repair” is among the important things to know from a scientific basis. This is the distinction between a predictable result and an uncertain one, and it can only be drawn from rigorous, translatable research.
“Practice-based research allows us to be able to produce studies that are going to be more translatable to your practice,” Dr. McGuire noted, capturing the philosophy at the heart of the course: science that clinicians can actually carry back to the operatory.
What the Course Covered
The program offered a comprehensive examination of soft tissue management around both natural teeth and dental implants, organized around the biological principles that govern healing and outcomes. Attendees worked through:
- The biological principles of periodontal and peri-implant soft tissue
- Soft tissue augmentation techniques, including harvesting and suturing methods
- Flap management
- The use of non-autogenous graft materials as alternatives to autogenous tissue
- The application of biologics in soft tissue procedures
A recurring theme was the development of decision-making frameworks, helping clinicians sort through when a non-autogenous alternative might be a reasonable choice, and how patient expectations factor into every plan. “Understanding patients, their expectations, is super, super important here,” Dr. Scheyer emphasized. The goal, ultimately, was practical: to make clinicians’ work more efficient and their patients’ lives easier.
True to the Perio Amigos model, much of the learning happened with instruments in hand. As Dr. Scheyer described it, the value lies in being able “to put your hands on instrumentation, materials, and have someone over your shoulder guiding you on what we do clinically on a day-in, day-out strategy.”
Bringing Experts Together
A comprehensive course is the product of a comprehensive team, and the Perio Amigos brought together complementary expertise across periodontics and implant dentistry. Alongside Dr. McGuire and Dr. Scheyer, two fellow members of the group shared their clinical and academic perspectives with attendees.
Dr. Fadi Hasan, DDS, MSD is a Board-Certified Specialist in Periodontics and Dental Implant Surgery. He earned his DDS from the University of Colorado and completed advanced training in Periodontics and Implant Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he also earned a Master of Dental Science. Dr. Hasan serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at VCU and practices in the DC, Virginia, and Maryland areas.
Dr. Dmitriy Ivanov, DDS is a Board-Certified Periodontist specializing in periodontal disease treatment, hard and soft tissue augmentation, and dental implantology. He received his DDS from UCLA and completed his residency in Advanced Periodontics and Implant Dentistry at the Veterans Hospital of West Los Angeles/UCLA Medical Center. He has also served as a Clinical Instructor of Periodontics at UCLA.
Together, the Perio Amigos represent what these courses are designed to do: unite experienced clinicians so that knowledge moves outward, from the research center to practices across the country.
Moving the Field Forward
The work of advancing periodontics does not end when a course concludes. Every technique demonstrated, every framework shared, and every conversation between specialists becomes part of a larger effort to raise the standard of care across the profession.
“I don’t think anybody has done more than we have in looking at alternatives in a methodical way,” Dr. McGuire reflected. “This is something we live by.” That methodical commitment, sustained over more than two decades, is what makes courses like this one possible, and it is what continues to draw clinicians from every experience level to learn from the team at Perio Health Professionals.
For dentists and specialists who want to stay at the forefront of soft tissue management, this course was a reminder that the future of the field is built collaboratively, one shared technique and one well-supported decision at a time.
Perio Health Professionals and the Perio Amigos host continuing education courses throughout the year. To learn more about upcoming programs, visit https://www.periohealth.com/register/