Useful during oral or periodontal surgery, resorbable membranes are placed in the surgical site to prevent epithelium from growing into the healing site before bone and other desired tissues can form. Also known as resorbable barrier membranes, they are made from either collagen or synthetic materials. Because they are resorbable, these membranes naturally break down during the healing process and do not need to be removed. This eliminates the need for a follow-up procedure and reduces the chance of infection at the surgical site.