Treatment of gingival recession with collagen membranes

Periodontal plastic surgical techniques to obtain root coverage traditionally have utilized autogenous soft tissue grafts. Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) increasingly is being used as an alternative to soft tissue grafting in attempting root coverage. Resorbable membranes in GTR therapy prevent the need for a second surgery to harvest donor tissue. GTR membranes composed of collagen are effective barriers that add to the thickness of the overlying gingiva and possess platelet-aggregating properties that may help in early wound healing. The cases presented here demonstrate the treatment of gingival recession with a resorbable collagen membrane.