Periodontist Near UCLA: Implant and Gum Disease Care for Westwood and Brentwood

Quick Summary

Westwood and UCLA-area patients have a short drive to specialist periodontal care in Brentwood. The Center for Advanced Periodontal and Implant Therapy handles dental implants, advanced gum disease treatment, gum recession repair, and full-arch reconstructions for patients across the Westside, including UCLA students, faculty, healthcare workers, and families in Westwood Village and the surrounding neighborhoods. We are a periodontist-led office, dual board-certified in periodontics and oral implantology, which matters when your case involves bone loss, prior implant complications, or a complex full-mouth plan. The cases we see most from Westwood are receding gums, peri-implantitis rescue, and patients researching All-on-4 or zygomatic implants for failing teeth.

A periodontist focuses on the gums, supporting bone, and dental implants, not general dentistry.
Westwood to our Brentwood office is a short drive on Wilshire or Sunset, depending on traffic.
Common UCLA-area cases: gum grafts, complex implant planning, advanced periodontitis, peri-implantitis.
We coordinate with referring general dentists in Westwood and across the Westside.

Why Westwood and UCLA-area patients choose a Brentwood periodontist

Westwood has plenty of general dentistry options inside the village and along Wilshire. What it has fewer of, especially within a short drive of UCLA, is specialist periodontal care that handles complex implant and advanced gum disease cases under one roof. That gap is why we see consistent referrals and self-directed searches from Westwood and the UCLA campus area.

A periodontist completes three additional years of training after dental school. The focus is the supporting structures of teeth: the gums, the periodontal ligament, and the bone. We also surgically place dental implants. When a general dentist tells you they are referring you out for a gum graft, an All-on-4 case, or a difficult implant site, that specialist is usually a periodontist.

Our office is led by Dr. Alexandre Aalam and Dr. Alina Krivitsky, both Diplomates of the American Board of Periodontology and the American Board of Oral Implantology, and both Clinical Assistant Professors at the USC School of Dentistry’s Department of Advanced Periodontics. Dr. Aalam was the first periodontist in the United States to train in and perform advanced platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), a regenerative technique that uses components of your own blood to accelerate tissue and bone healing. Dr. Aalam is also a Nobel Biocare Young Clinician Award recipient with more than ten peer-reviewed publications in implantology and periodontics. That research-and-teaching background shapes how we approach the harder cases that come in from the Westside.

For UCLA students, faculty, and healthcare workers, our Brentwood office is close enough to fit between classes, shifts, and meetings, and it is a specialist office, not a general dental practice. That distinction matters when the case is complicated.

Gum disease cases we see most from Westwood

Periodontal disease is the most common reason new Westwood patients come to us. Sometimes they arrive on a referral from their general dentist after a cleaning showed deep pockets. Sometimes they search after noticing bleeding gums, receding gum lines, or shifting teeth.

The cases we see in highest volume from the UCLA area break down into four categories:

Early to moderate periodontitis caught at a routine cleaning. Treatment usually starts with scaling and root planing and structured maintenance visits.
Advanced periodontitis with bone loss, often discovered when teeth feel loose or pus shows at the gum line. Treatment may involve pocket reduction surgery or non-surgical microscopic approaches.
Gum recession that exposes tooth roots and creates sensitivity or cosmetic concerns. Options range from traditional gum grafting to the Rejuvagum Lift.
Peri-implantitis in patients who had implants placed elsewhere and are now showing signs of bone loss around the implant.

The right treatment for the stage of periodontal disease you are in depends on imaging, pocket depth, and how your tissue is responding. We do the diagnostics in-house and walk you through the path before you commit to anything.

Dental implants for Westwood patients: what to expect

Dental implants are the second most common reason Westwood patients come in, and the conversations vary widely. Some patients are missing one tooth and weighing implant against bridge. Others have a failing tooth and need a coordinated plan covering extraction, bone preservation, and implant placement as a single workflow. A growing share are full-arch patients researching All-on-4 or zygomatic implants because their existing teeth are no longer salvageable.

Planning begins with imaging. We use 3D cone-beam imaging to map bone volume, sinus position, and nerve location before any surgical step. That planning work is what separates a clean implant case from one that runs into surprises in the chair.

A few questions Westwood patients ask most:

Will I leave with a tooth in place that day? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on torque at placement and whether the site needed bone grafting.
How long does it take overall? Most single implant timelines run three to six months from placement to final crown.
What does it cost? Specifics depend on imaging, grafting needs, and the restoration. Our Southern California implant cost guide breaks down what drives the number.

For deeper background on the procedure itself, the comprehensive guide to dental implants covers steps, timelines, and recovery in detail.

Advanced cases: zygomatic, full-arch, and severe bone loss

A meaningful share of Westwood referrals are patients who were told elsewhere that they were not a candidate for implants. Severe bone loss, failed prior implants, and long-standing tooth loss often get a ‘you need extensive grafting before we can even start’ answer from offices that do not regularly handle complex cases.

That is not always the only path. Zygomatic and pterygoid implants anchor into bone outside the traditional implant zone, which can rescue cases where the upper jaw is too compromised for standard implants. Same-day full-arch designs including All-on-4 use angled implants to avoid grafting in many situations. Where regeneration is the better path, we lean on advanced platelet-rich fibrin to accelerate healing and improve outcomes in cases that need every advantage, an approach Dr. Aalam helped introduce to periodontics in the US.

These are not the right answer for every patient. They are the right answer for the patient who has been told no everywhere else and wants a real second opinion before resigning to dentures.

Insurance, scheduling, and the Westwood-Brentwood logistics

Periodontal therapy and implant procedures often involve a mix of dental and, in some cases, medical billing. Coverage varies more for these procedures than for routine cleanings, and the amount your plan reimburses depends on your benefits, your deductible position for the year, and how the work is classified. We help patients run benefits before treatment so the cost picture is clear before you commit.

For UCLA students, faculty, and healthcare workers on plans through the university or local medical institutions, we are glad to verify coverage in advance. For larger cases, third-party financing options like CareCredit help spread the investment over manageable monthly payments.

Scheduling-wise, the drive from Westwood to our Brentwood office is short enough to fit between class blocks or shifts. We work to keep appointments on time so you are not stuck in a waiting room when you have somewhere to be.

Schedule a consultation at our Brentwood office

If you are in Westwood, on the UCLA campus, or anywhere on the Westside and you have been told you need periodontal therapy, a gum graft, or dental implants, the next step is a consultation. We review imaging, walk through your options, and tell you which approach fits your case. Reach out to our Brentwood office and we will get you on the schedule.

Sources

American Academy of Periodontology on the role of periodontists in dental implant placement and gum disease treatment.
Centers for Disease Control: Periodontal Disease on prevalence and risk factors among U.S. adults.