Ricardo Kern / Perio Amigos Advanced Soft Tissue Course (3 Days Hands-On)- October 2027 Los Angeles

About This Course

This intensive 3-day continuing education course is designed for general practitioners and specialists who want to expand their understanding, confidence, and surgical skills in soft-tissue management around dental implants.

The course focuses on the biologic principles, diagnosis, treatment planning, and surgical techniques required to create and maintain healthy, stable, and esthetic peri-implant soft tissues. Particular emphasis is placed on esthetic-zone reconstruction, where successful implant therapy often depends on the coordinated management of both hard and soft tissues.

Rather than teaching isolated procedures, the course is structured around developing a practical decision-making process that helps clinicians determine which soft-tissue procedure, graft type, flap design, and timing are most appropriate for a given clinical situation.

What You Will Learn

Biology, Diagnosis & Treatment Planning
Review the biologic principles that influence peri-implant soft-tissue stability, mucogingival defects, tissue phenotype, vascularity, wound healing, and the relationship between hard- and soft-tissue architecture.

Esthetic & Non-Esthetic Soft-Tissue Augmentation Around Implants
Learn the principles of gingival augmentation around implants in both esthetic and non-esthetic areas, with an emphasis on developing a clinically useful decision tree for treatment selection.

Special attention will be given to the esthetic zone, including the management and reconstruction of:

• Soft-tissue deficiencies
• Facial contour deficiencies
• Implant recession
• Thin tissue phenotype
• Lack of keratinized tissue
• Papilla and interproximal tissue deficiencies
• Combined hard- and soft-tissue defects

Recipient & Donor Site Management
Learn how recipient-site preparation, graft selection, vascularity, stabilization, and donor-site management influence surgical outcomes.

Harvesting and grafting techniques discussed and practiced will include:

• Free Gingival Grafts (FGG)
• Connective Tissue Grafts (CTG)
• Vascularized Interpositional Periosteal Connective Tissue Grafts (VIP-CTG)
• Pedicled connective tissue grafts
• Socket-seal techniques
• Tuberosity grafts
• Autogenous soft-tissue grafts
• Non-autogenous soft-tissue substitutes
• Donor-site protection and postoperative care

Autogenous Tissue vs. Biomaterials
Compare the indications, advantages, limitations, and biologic behavior of autogenous soft tissue and alternative biomaterials used for peri-implant soft-tissue augmentation.

The course will explore how material selection changes depending on the clinical objective, including:

• Increasing tissue thickness
• Increasing keratinized tissue
• Correcting implant recession
• Improving ridge contour
• Reconstructing esthetic-zone deficiencies
• Supporting tissue during staged or immediate implant therapy

Timing of Soft-Tissue Augmentation
Review when soft-tissue augmentation may be most beneficial:

• Prior to implant placement
• At the time of implant placement
• During bone augmentation
• At second-stage surgery
• Following implant restoration
• During correction of existing peri-implant esthetic complications

Flap Design & Suturing
Review flap design, tissue release, graft stabilization, and suturing principles that influence wound stability and vascularity.

Topics will include:

• Flap design and access
• Split- and full-thickness approaches
• Flap advancement and release
• Graft positioning and stabilization
• Suturing techniques
• Suture selection
• Tension-free wound closure
• Protection of the surgical site during healing

Management of Complications
Learn how to recognize, prevent, and manage common postoperative complications associated with peri-implant soft-tissue surgery and grafting procedures.

Extensive Hands-On Training

A major component of this course is hands-on surgical training using pig jaws and surgical models.

Over the three days, participants will perform and practice a variety of procedures designed to reproduce common clinical scenarios encountered before, during, and after implant therapy.

Hands-on exercises will include:

• Free gingival grafting
• Connective tissue grafting
• Donor-site harvesting techniques
• Recipient-site preparation
• Graft preparation, positioning, and stabilization
• Pedicled graft techniques
• Suturing techniques
• Flap design and release
• Soft-tissue augmentation before implant placement
• Soft-tissue management during implant and bone-augmentation procedures
• Techniques for managing peri-implant soft-tissue deficiencies

The objective is for participants to leave the course with a stronger understanding of peri-implant soft-tissue biology, surgical decision-making, graft selection, and technique execution, allowing them to approach both routine and complex implant soft-tissue cases with greater confidence and predictability.

Continuing Education

Participants will receive 24 PACE-approved continuing education credits upon completion of the course.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Refunds are available for cancellations made at least 30 days prior to the course date.

Please note that Stripe credit-card processing fees are non-refundable.