Guided Tissue Bone Regeneration

Traditionally, eliminating the gum pockets by trimming away the infected gum tissue and re-contouring the uneven bone tissue treats gum disease. Although this is still an effective way of treating gum disease, new and more sophisticated procedures are used routinely today.

Guided Tissue Bone Regeneration "regenerates" the previously lost gum and bone tissue.

The bone and gum tissue are supposed to fit tightly around your teeth, the way a turtleneck fits snugly around your neck. In periodontal disease this firm connection is destroyed and pockets form around your teeth. Over time, these pockets become deeper and create more room for the periodontal bacterial plaque under the gum tissue, in the depths of the pockets. This results in further bone and tissue loss around the teeth, eventually leading to tooth loss. Deep periodontal pockets cannot adequately be cleaned with daily at-home care. The bone grafting procedure is necessary when the bone supporting your teeth has been destroyed. It aims out to repair some of your lost periodontal tissue.

Eliminating existing bacteria and regenerating bone and tissue helps to reduce pockets caused by the progression of periodontal disease. In conjunction with daily home care and an individually designed professional maintenance program, you can significantly increase the chances of keeping your own teeth and maintaining a healthy smile.

Procedure

Most techniques utilize membranes, which are inserted over the bone defects. Some of these membranes are bio-absorbable and some require removal. Other regenerative procedures involve the use of bioactive gels.