Expert care. Life changing results.

Our Team

We are privileged to have some of the best dental experts, team members, and people here at Ward Periodontics. Allow us to introduce you to the friendly faces you will see at our office.

  • Emily Arnold

    Practice Administrator

    Registered Dental Hygienist

    Emily serves a dual role here at Ward Periodontics. She first joined the Ward Perio team in November 2014. She began one day a week as one of Dr. Ward’s dental hygienists. Then in 2016, she took on the role of our practice administrator as well. We joke that Emily “wears all the hats” in our office, because you never know where you will find her in the office on any given day - be it at the front desk, in her office, or chair-side.

    Emily is a Kansas City native. She attended the University of Kansas where she received her bachelor’s degree in Human Biology. She later attended the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Dentistry where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene.

    Emily has a passion for learning and considers herself a lifelong student. She takes many continuing education courses throughout the year to stay on top of the latest research and techniques available to help our patients become healthy and to maintain their health. Clinically, Emily believes in a “gentle but thorough” approach. And, more than anything, she wants her patients to be comfortable and to feel well cared for while in her care. Emily can be found chair-side on most Wednesdays when she sees hygiene patients.

    On the administrative side, Emily enjoys working with our patients to help them make their treatment goals become a reality. She has many years’ experience navigating the nuances of dental benefit plans and works with our patients to help them understand and maximize their dental benefits.

    Emily’s favorite part about working at Ward Periodontics is the wonderful people that she has gotten to know - both colleagues and patients alike. And she says you will not find a more friendly, caring team anywhere else. When you walk into our office, you immediately feel like you are among friends. It’s a great place to be.

    In her free time, Emily loves spending time with her husband, their two young children and their rescue dog. They love entertaining and regularly host friends and family. She also loves watching Friends reruns, seeing movies, doing yoga, and walking.

  • Holly Bell

    Treatment Coordinator

    Holly joined the Ward Perio team in August of 2018. Prior to that, Holly worked with Dr. Ward as her nanny. Holly actually credits Dr. Ward for changing her career path – without Dr. Ward, Holly would never have considered entering the dental field.

    Holly serves as our Treatment Coordinator. You can find her with our admin team at the front desk - welcoming our patients, reviewing treatment plans, and working to help maximize benefit coverage for our patients.

    When Holly is not at work, she loves to spend time with her husband Cody, and their son, Beckham. In her free time, Holly loves to travel, organize, scrapbook, and make Christmas crafts – no matter what time of year it is. Holly’s favorite holiday is Christmas, and you will likely find her Christmas decorations up before Halloween every year.

  • Peg Prockish

    Lead Patient Care Specialist

    Peg joined our practice in January of 2010. She is our Lead Patient Care Specialist. She has been in dentistry for 40 years, over half of which have been in a periodontal office.

    In the office, you will see Peg alongside Dr. Ward assisting with both exams and procedures. She enjoys getting to know our patients and keeping them laughing throughout their appointment with her gift of storytelling. Peg is also responsible for the beautiful decorations and live plants that you will see in our office. She has an amazing green thumb and can make anything grow, as evidenced by the orchids that she keeps blooming in our office year-round. We often refer to her as the “Plant Doctor.”

    Peg is a Kansas native, originally from Hays. She and her husband, Dan, and their two dogs, Blizzy and Joey Bandit, moved to the area several years ago to be closer to their son and her three grandchildren. In her free time, Peg stays busy in her garden and doing various craft projects around her home. She also enjoys traveling, reading, and attending her grandkids' many sporting events.

  • Elena Figueroa

    Sterilization Coordinator

    Elena joined our team in September of 2021. You can find her around the office being the right hand to our clinical team. She came to the United States in 1990 and began studying at Napa Valley College, studying English and completing their CNA program.

    Elena is very grateful to be a part of our team at Ward Perio, and says that her favorite aspect of our team is the calm, respectful environment. She believes that an important part of being a team is caring for one another, and she always brings joy to the office with her kind words and smile.

    Outside of the office, Elena enjoys spending time with her husband Leo, and her two daughters Katherine and Stephany. She loves travelling, oil painting, and taking care of her 4 chihuahua puppies. Elena is very proud of her daughter’s academic achievements with her daughter Katherine is currently studying a MA in Psychology, and her daughter Stephany who is completing her BA in graphic design.

  • Emma Eckman

    Hygiene Team Lead

    Registered Dental Hygienist

    Emma joined the Ward Perio team in October of 2019. After working in many family dentistry practices, she joined our team and fell in love with the world of periodontics.

    When she is not clinically practicing, Emma can be found helping out the team in all areas of the office. From assisting Dr. Ward and being the team’s fix-it guru, to working with our admin team in the front office, she loves to learn new things and help out in any way she can. Emma also helps with coordinating our dental sleep medicine program. She was voted loudest in the office 3 years running and you can always hear her exuberant laughter keeping the office cheery.

    Emma’s favorite aspect of being a part of the team at Ward Perio is helping her patients learn about their oral health and finding the right solutions to achieve it. She loves answering questions almost as much as she loves finding out the answers to questions she has yet to ask.

    Emma is originally from southwest Kansas and enjoys the upbeat pace of the KC area. Outside of her time in the office, Emma enjoys fitness, finding new books to read, and spending time being the favorite aunt to her nieces and nephews. While most days she can be found on a run or in the gym, she will be the first to admit that Mexican food will always be the way to her heart.

  • Robin Garrett

    Registered Dental Hygienist

    Robin joined the Ward Periodontics team in January 2015. She has enjoyed over 30 years in dentistry, spending the majority of that time in periodontics. She would admit that perio was not her favorite class back in dental hygiene school, but once in private practice, she quickly developed a passion for this specialty, and it has stuck! She loves the time it allows her to spend with patients while helping them develop a treatment plan and home care regimen that will help ensure their optimum oral health. Seeing patients return for subsequent visits with improved dental health is very rewarding to her and keeps her motivated to help patients improve. Robin also enjoys learning about each patient and their interests, likes and families as well. She often says, having so many different personalities in the chair throughout the day keeps it fun! Robin has especially enjoyed the many learning opportunities she has been part of since joining the Ward Perio team. Keeping up with the latest technology and research in the world of periodontics is a top priority of the whole team!

    Robin enjoys vacationing with her family and treasures the many trips taken while her kids were growing up. Now, with grown kids, she finds herself with free time, often spent doing DIY projects and crafting. Learning new paint techniques keeps her busy when she’s not chair side. She loves to nurture her creative side.

  • Kylie Stokes

    Registered Dental Hygienist

    Kylie has been with us since summer 2020. She dove into the world of periodontics, although she never thought she would work in the specialty field. She now can’t imagine working anywhere else! Kylie enjoys getting to know her patients and learning about their oral health goals. We joke that Kylie is our resident therapist as she has a knack for turning the dental chair into a therapy chair on occasion - she does an outstanding job of putting nervous patients at ease!

    Kylie enjoys working at Ward Periodontics because we are never done learning. Our team is dedicated to staying abreast of the most current research regarding the practice of periodontics to better serve patients and enhance our skills. She finds joy in working alongside her patients to improve their oral and general health alike. And finds it very rewarding being a part of patients’ success stories.

    Kylie was born in California and moved to the Kansas City area as a child. In her free time, Kylie loves to spend time with friends and family - whether it be camping, road trips, campfires, church, sporting events, or the occasional lazy pajama day at home. With a young kiddo, life is never boring outside of work and she’s holding on to every moment she can while the “little” phase lasts.

  • Erin O’Neal

    Professional Relations Coordinator

    Erin joined the Ward Perio team in March of 2022. Her background in education and hospitality has proven to be a useful foundation for her role on our admin team. After taking 2 years off of work to be a stay-at-home-mom, Erin was excited to be able to join such a dynamic, supportive team.
    Erin serves an important role as the Insurance Coordinator in our office. You will be welcomed by her smiling face as you walk in the door, and she will do her best to answer any questions you have about your dental benefits (or find someone who can).

    Erin’s favorite part of working at Ward Periodontics is the true care the team has for one another and for the patients. She loves getting to know the patients in our office and helping them feel comfortable and peaceful.

    When she’s not in the office, Erin enjoys spending quality time with her family. Together with her husband and two children, she loves to explore new places and to go on long walks. In her personal time, she loves listening to podcasts and audiobooks, swimming, and knitting. Erin values learning as much as she can and helping others solve problems.

  • Katie Barrer

    Registered Dental Hygienist

    Katie joins our practice with over a decade of hygiene experience. When she’s not seeing patients at Ward Perio she travels the country with the American Academy of Facial Esthetics educating other health care professionals on how to inject! Katie holds the distinction of being the first hygienist esthetic instructor for the AAFE.

Meet Doctor
Audra Ward

Dr. Audra Ward leads our team of professionals here at Ward Periodontics. A graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, a certified periodontist, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, Dr. Ward has established herself as one of the finest periodontists in the Kansas City region. Learn more about why our patients trust Dr. Ward for all of their periodontal needs!

What our patients are saying

Silvera Ford

“The staff are professional, courteous and focused on providing safe patient care. This is evidenced by the pleasant clean environment, hand washing practices and willingness/capability to answer questions about their sterilization processes.”

Linda Higgins

“I was immediately impressed by the friendliness of the staff and their professionalism. Dr Ward did a thorough analysis of my dental health and then explained a treatment plan in detail.”

Michele Rose

“I could not speak more highly of the entire staff at Ward Periodontics. I was fortunate enough to be referred to their office when my local dentist recognized that I needed specialized care.”