Guided Tissue Regeneration
Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) is a surgical procedure that inserts a thin barrier membrane to direct the growth of new bone and gingival tissue at sites that have insufficient volumes or dimensions of bone or gingiva for proper function, esthetics or prosthetic restoration. Guided tissue regeneration is often performed in conjunction with a bone grafting procedure.These procedures are used to stabilize endangered teeth or to prepare an area of the jaw for dental implants. The barrier membrane serves to prevent epithelium, which regenerates relatively quickly, from growing into an area in which bone, a more slowly growing tissue type, is desired. Resorbable collagen membranes are gradually hydrolyzed or enzymatically degraded and therefore do not require a second surgical stage of membrane removal.