Periodontists complete three additional years of CODA-accredited residency after dental school, focusing on the supporting structures of the teeth and the placement of dental implants. Diplomate status with the American Board of Periodontology requires written and oral qualifying examinations on top of that residency. The three Nashville practices below were selected for verified specialist credentials, multi-decade clinical histories, and case mixes that span the full range of soft-tissue and bone procedures.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville Periodontal Group | Three specialists Drs. West, Akin, and Temlock with Dr. Akin holding American Board of Periodontology Diplomate status, Middle Tennessee presence since the 1970s. | Single-tooth and full-arch implant placement, computer-guided implant workflows, esthetic plastic procedures, bone grafting. |
| Periodontal & Implant Associates of Middle Tennessee | Four-doctor team Drs. Pulliam, Meister, Fili, and Penner with Dr. Meister holding ABP Diplomate status, AAP member practice. | Full-spectrum periodontal therapy, implant site development, IV sedation, sinus augmentation, three-office coverage. |
| Dr. Dan Harris, DMD Periodontology | Dr. Dan D. Harris Jr., solo specialist with periodontology certification since 1984, AAP, ADA, TDA, Nashville Dental Society member. | Scaling and root planing, surgical pocket therapy, gingival grafting, crown-lengthening, dental implant placement with bone grafting. |
1. Nashville Periodontal Group #
Operating from 2000 21st Avenue South in the Hillsboro Village area of Nashville, Nashville Periodontal Group traces its presence in Middle Tennessee back to the 1970s and concentrates on periodontal and dental implant surgery. The practice fields three specialists: Dr. Brian D. West, DMD; Dr. Will C. Akin, DDS; and Dr. Alec J. Temlock, DMD, MS. Dr. Akin holds Diplomate status with the American Board of Periodontology, the certification that follows the three-year residency and the board’s written and oral examinations.
Surgical and Restorative Scope #
The clinic handles single-tooth and full-arch implant placement, including computer-guided implant workflows that pre-plan the osteotomy from a CBCT scan and a digital impression. Soft-tissue work includes esthetic plastic procedures for gingival recession and crown-lengthening cases. The practice also takes complex bone-grafting referrals, where ridge preservation and guided bone regeneration are used to rebuild edentulous sites before implant placement.
Referring Dentist Workflow #
A dedicated referral portal allows general dentists to send patient records and case notes online, and downloadable referral forms are posted for offices that prefer fax-based intake. The Nashville office runs Monday through Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with appointments scheduled at (615) 385-3334. A second location in Brentwood serves patients south of the metro core.
2. Periodontal & Implant Associates of Middle Tennessee #
Periodontal & Implant Associates of Middle Tennessee was established in its current form in 2000 and now operates from three offices, with the Nashville location at 4219 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 107, in the Green Hills neighborhood. The four-doctor team includes Dr. Robert Pulliam, DMD, MS; Dr. David Meister, DMD, MS; Dr. James M. Fili; and Dr. Jeff Penner. Dr. Meister is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, and the practice displays its American Academy of Periodontology membership prominently on patient-facing materials.
Case Range and IV Sedation #
Dr. Meister’s clinical scope is built around the full spectrum of periodontal therapy, dental implant site development, implant placement, and IV sedation. Dr. Pulliam, who established the Nashville practice in 2000, carries 25-plus years of in-state experience and has been recognized by local outlets as a top dentist in multiple years. Dr. Fili brought 19 years of independent periodontal practice in Iowa to the team before joining in Middle Tennessee, adding depth to the bone-grafting and sinus-augmentation caseload.
Three-Office Coverage #
Beyond the Green Hills flagship, the group runs offices in Brentwood and Hendersonville, which lets the team route patients to whichever location best fits their commute. The Nashville office answers at (615) 297-8973 and operates Monday through Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Online appointment requests and referral submissions are handled through the practice website.
3. Dr. Dan Harris, DMD Periodontology #
Dr. Dan D. Harris Jr. has run his solo specialty office at 102 Woodmont Boulevard in the Green Hills section of Nashville since obtaining his periodontology certification in 1984, giving the practice more than four decades of continuous local history. Dr. Dan Harris, DMD Periodontology is a current member of the American Academy of Periodontology, the American Dental Association, the Tennessee Dental Association, and the Nashville Dental Society.
Training Pathway #
Dr. Harris completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Mississippi in Oxford and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry in Jackson in 1980. He then served as a clinical instructor at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry and at National Public Health Services before entering the periodontics residency at the Medical College of Virginia, School of Dentistry, where he completed the specialty training that led to his 1984 certification.
Treatment Mix #
The office covers the procedure list a periodontal specialty office is expected to handle: scaling and root planing as the non-surgical baseline, surgical pocket therapy when the disease has progressed past what closed-instrumentation can resolve, gingival grafting for recession defects, crown-lengthening procedures to expose adequate tooth structure for restorative work, and dental implant placement with associated bone-grafting protocols. Appointments are booked at (615) 386-3800.
Selecting a Periodontist in Nashville #
For a Nashville patient weighing these three options, the practical differences are scope and scale rather than credential gaps. Dr. Harris offers a long-running single-doctor office where every appointment is with the founding specialist. Nashville Periodontal Group provides a three-doctor team with a 50-plus-year practice history and a Diplomate on staff. Periodontal & Implant Associates of Middle Tennessee runs a four-doctor team across three offices, with Diplomate credentials, IV sedation, and the broadest geographic coverage of the three. Patients with complex implant or full-arch reconstruction needs may prefer the depth of the larger groups, while those who prioritize continuity with one specialist may favor the solo-practice model.
Selection Methodology #
Three periodontal practices cleared the working filters used to narrow the wider Nashville periodontal field: continuous patient-care tenure under stable practice ownership, American Board of Periodontology Diplomate status on the named lead where applicable, an identifiable practice brand carrying a working street address on the office’s own site, and a service catalog that stays inside three-year periodontal residency rather than reaching across into prosthodontic or full-arch territory. General dentistry offices marketing limited periodontal services without three-year specialty residency, dental service organization branches without long-tenured specialists, and offices without verifiable street addresses were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: How do I verify a Nashville periodontal practitioner holds the right credentials?
A: Use the Tennessee Department of Health Board of Dentistry license verification at health.tn.gov, the American Board of Periodontology Diplomate directory, and the American Academy of Periodontology member directory at perio.org.
Q: What sets these three apart from the broader Nashville periodontal field?
A: A three-year CODA-accredited periodontal residency separates a periodontist from a general dentist offering “deep cleanings,” and the doctors above each completed that training. The next layer of differentiation is implant placement volume, comfort with regenerative bone grafting (PRF, allograft, xenograft) for severe ridge loss, and Pinhole or LANAP soft-tissue protocol availability for patients who prefer alternatives to traditional flap surgery.
Q: Are any of the three practices paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No practice sponsored placement.
Q: How should I prepare for a first appointment?
A: Confirm in-network status with your insurer, bring photo ID and a list of current medications, request the referring dentist’s chart notes and radiographs to be transferred in advance, and request the practice’s published new-patient intake forms to streamline the first visit.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.