Dr. Kristen Yant, DMD, MS

What a periodontist is

Every dentist treats gums. A periodontist has completed three additional years of surgical residency after dental school, devoted entirely to the tissue and bone that hold teeth in — and to the implants that replace them when that support is gone. Board certification means passing the specialty's own written and oral examinations on top of that training.

It matters most in the cases that sit at the edge of what general dentistry handles: deep pockets that haven't responded to cleaning, recession with almost no attached tissue left, teeth that are borderline between saving and replacing, and bone that needs rebuilding before anything can be built on it.

Her training

• Doctor of Dental Medicine — Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 2020.
• Periodontal residency and Master of Science in Oral Biology — University of Maryland School of Dentistry, 2023.
• Bachelor's degree — University of Maryland, 2016.
• Board-certified periodontist.

What she treats here

• Gum disease — from scaling and root planing through pocket reduction surgery and regeneration.
• Gum recession — connective tissue grafts, allografts and minimally invasive techniques.
• Extractions and bone grafting — atraumatic removal, socket preservation, ridge augmentation and sinus lifts.
• Crown lengthening — functional and esthetic.
• Surgical implant placement, including guided placement from 3D CBCT imaging.
• Complex cases where periodontal and restorative treatment have to be sequenced together.

How she practises

In her own words: "I became a periodontist because I believe everyone deserves to feel confident about their oral health." That plays out as thorough explanation before anything is decided — what your diagnosis is, what each option actually involves, and what happens if you do nothing.

Periodontal treatment asks a lot of patients: three-month cleanings, changed brushing habits, sometimes surgery on tissue that never hurt in the first place. People commit to that when they understand why, and not otherwise.

Professional memberships

• American Academy of Periodontology
• American Dental Association
• Colorado Dental Association