Histologic assessment of new attachment following the treatment of a human buccal recession by means of a guided tissue regeneration procedure.

A deep, long-standing recession on a mandibular incisor was treated in a 56-year-old female patient. The tooth was tilted buccally and was scheduled for extraction. The recession was 8 mm deep, with a pocket depth of 1 mm and no keratinized tissue. The recession was treated by guided tissue regeneration; the membrane was left in place for 4 weeks. The tooth was extracted along with marginal tissues 5 months after the removal of the membrane. At the time of extraction, 4 mm of root coverage had been achieved and 3 mm of keratinized tissue were measured buccally. Histologic measurements showed that 3.66 mm of new connective tissue attachment had been obtained associated with newly formed cementum (2.48 mm) and bone growth (1.84 mm). The crestal bone level after treatment was located coronal to the preoperative location of the gingival margin.