Regeneration or Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR)

When you have periodontal disease, the supporting tissue and bone is destroyed and pockets develop. Eventually, if too much bone is lost, the teeth will need to be extracted.

Recent advances in periodontal therapy allow the doctors at Northwest Periodontics & Implants  the opportunity to reverse some of the damage caused by periodontal disease by regenerating lost bone and tissue. In very specific situations, Dr. Hyde, Dr. Greising and Dr. Tzanos may recommend a regenerative procedure when the bone supporting your teeth has been destroyed.  This procedure is referred to as guided tissue regeneration or GTR.

During this procedure, we fold back the gum tissue and remove the diseased tissues and bacteria. We may utilize bone grafts and various types of regenerative membranes to enhance your body’s ability to regenerate bone and tissue.  The membrane covers the bone graft so that the fast growing soft tissue is blocked, allowing the slow growing bone to begin to grow, mature, and regenerate itself.

The effectiveness of the guided tissue regeneration (GTR) procedure generally depends on the specific type of bone loss you have and your ability to keep the area clean. Drs. Hyde, Greising and Tzanos will help you determine if a GTR procedure is right for you.


Regeneration Therapy
Following care, the patient maintains health.
Marker demonstrates bone levels before and after treatment.
White arrow points to improved bone levels on radiograph following the regeneration procedure. Blue arrow shows pre-treatment bone levels.


Before Regeneration
This patient had advanced bone loss with pocketing. The gums were red, swollen, and bled easily. Regeneration of the bone and supporting tissues destroyed by periodontal disease was recommended. Arrow points to extensive bone loss on radiograph.

After Regeneration
Two years following care, the patient maintains healthy teeth and gums. White arrow points to improved bone levels on radiograph following the regeneration procedure. Blue arrow approximates pre-treatment bone levels. Inset shows healthy clinical presentation.