Course Description
Soft tissue optimization around dental implants: Evidence-based strategies for esthetics, stability, and complication management
Achieving predictable and esthetic outcomes around dental implants depends as much on soft-tissue quality and architecture as on osseous foundation. This comprehensive, evidence-based course, led by two board-certified periodontists with advanced expertise in soft tissue surgery, peri-implant site development, and complication management, provides participants with the biological understanding and surgical skills necessary to optimize peri-implant soft tissues and prevent or correct complications.
The didactic portion will review the fundamental principles of peri-implant mucosal biology, keratinized tissue dynamics, and the impact of soft-tissue phenotype on long-term implant health and esthetics. Participants will examine clinical decision-making pathways regarding soft-tissue augmentation, including connective tissue grafts, pedicle flaps, and collagen matrices. Topics will include implant positioning considerations, peri-implant mucositis and early soft-tissue dehiscence, mucosal recession, and management of peri-implant esthetic challenges. Emphasis will be placed on evidence-based selection of grafting techniques, material characteristics, flap designs, and suturing approaches tailored to various defect presentations.
The hands-on component will provide participants with practical experience in performing commonly used soft-tissue procedures. Through simulated exercises, attendees will practice connective tissue graft harvesting and placement, soft-tissue thickening techniques, apically and coronally advanced flaps, and suturing methods designed for tension-free closure and enhanced esthetic outcomes. Management of early complications such as flap necrosis, membrane exposure, recession, and mucosal deficiencies will be integrated into the practical training. By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with scientific rationale, technical competence, and updated clinical protocols required for predictable soft-tissue management around implants, supporting both functional stability and high-level esthetic results.
What You Will Learn
- Understand the biological principles of peri-implant mucosal healing, soft-tissue phenotype, and keratinized tissue physiology.
- Identify soft-tissue deficiencies and risk factors that compromise implant esthetics and long-term stability.
- Differentiate between connective tissue grafts, pedicle flaps, and soft-tissue substitutes, including their indications, limitations, and handling characteristics.
- Select evidence-based techniques for soft-tissue augmentation, including thickening, root/implant coverage, and contour enhancement.
- Perform key soft-tissue surgical procedures on simulated models, such as connective tissue graft placement, coronally advanced flaps, and peri-implant soft-tissue thickening.
- Demonstrate advanced suturing techniques to achieve tension-free closure, optimize vascular supply, and support stable soft-tissue contours.
- Recognize common soft-tissue complications around implants — including early dehiscence, recession, mucositis progression, and esthetic discrepancies — and apply contemporary management strategies.
- Integrate soft-tissue augmentation protocols into implant treatment planning to enhance esthetic outcomes and reduce long-term biologic complications.
Notes
Instructors
Shayan Barootchi DMD, MS
Dr. Shayan Barootchi, DDS, MS, is a board-certified periodontist and internationally recognized educator in the fields of periodontal and implant therapy. He received his specialty training in periodontics and a Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan, where he also serves as faculty, and he additionally teaches in the Division of Periodontology at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Barootchi’s clinical and research focus centers on regenerative therapies, soft tissue grafting, implant esthetics, and the management of complex implant complications.
He has authored nearly 150 peer-reviewed publications in leading dental journals and serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Periodontal Research and Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research. Dr. Barootchi lectures nationally and internationally, sharing evidence-based and clinically applicable protocols for achieving predictable and esthetic outcomes in implant and periodontal therapy.
In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Barootchi maintains an active private practice limited to periodontics and implant dentistry. He is deeply committed to advancing patient care through innovation, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Zeeshan Sheikh Dip.Dh, BDS, MSc, M.Perio, PhD, FRCDC, Dip-ABP
Dr. Sheikh is a Clinical Scientist in Periodontics and a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Dentistry, an Adjunct Professor at McGill University, and a Status-Only Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. With extensive training as both a dental clinician and a biomaterials scientist, Dr. Sheikh's expertise spans biomaterials research, clinical dentistry, surgical periodontics, and implantology. He also practices privately in Halifax.
Sessions Management
- Participants may choose to attend the lecture portion either in person or online.
- Those interested in the hands-on component must also complete the lecture, which serves as a prerequisite.
- If you register for the virtual session, you will be provided with an MS Teams link to the course.
Policies
Before registering, be sure to review our cancellation and refund policies. Understanding these terms will help you make informed decisions in case your plans change.