Periodontics
Guided Tissue Regeneration in Los Angeles
Giving the slow tissue a chance to win the race.
When periodontitis destroys bone around a tooth, the body will heal the site — just with the wrong tissue, because gum grows faster than bone. A barrier changes that. Smile LA Downtown Modern Dentistry uses it to preserve teeth that would otherwise be lost.
The problem
The problem it solves
A periodontal defect is a space where bone and ligament used to be. Left to heal on its own it fills with gum tissue, which regenerates far faster than either of them — and the tooth ends up with soft tissue in the place where it needed support. The result looks healed and is not, which is exactly the difficulty: from the outside the gum has closed over and the site appears to have recovered, while underneath the tooth has gained nothing it can be held by. Bone and periodontal ligament will rebuild into that space given the room and the time, but in a straight race against gum tissue they lose every time. The technique is about changing the odds of that race.
How the barrier works
A membrane is placed over the defect, physically excluding the fast-growing gum tissue from the space underneath. That gives the bone and the periodontal ligament the time and the room to rebuild into it.
- Selective, not additive The technique is about what it keeps out. Where volume also has to be added, it is combined with bone grafting.
- Around a tooth being saved This is a procedure for preserving a natural tooth, which is the point of it.
- Usually with surgical access Often done at the same appointment as pocket reduction surgery, since the site is already open.
Where it fits
Where it fits
Advanced periodontitis affects the bone supporting your teeth, and our methods aim to preserve affected teeth wherever possible — timely intervention is what makes that achievable. See gum disease, and periodontal maintenance for what holds the result afterwards.
What we have not stated
Membrane type, healing time and how much regeneration to expect all depend on the defect. Those belong in a consultation with your radiographs on the screen rather than on a web page.
Guided Tissue Regeneration FAQ
- What does the membrane do?
- It keeps fast-growing gum tissue out of the defect, so the slower-growing bone and periodontal ligament have room to rebuild there instead.
- Is it the same as a bone graft?
- No, though they are often done together. A graft adds material; regeneration is about excluding the wrong tissue so the right one can form.
- Why not just let it heal?
- It would heal — with gum tissue where the tooth needed bone and ligament. The site would look closed and the support would not be there.
- Is it done at the same time as other surgery?
- Often, yes — commonly alongside pocket reduction surgery, since the site is already accessible.
