Soft-tissue surgery to alleviate orthodontic relapse.

This article has presented three soft-tissue surgical techniques that have been shown to alleviate the relapse of orthodontically treated teeth in three specific situations: (1) rotations (and possibly also labiolingual irregularities), (2) extraction site closures, and (3) maxillary midline diastemas. The anatomy and histophysiology of the periodontium have been discussed briefly as they pertain to the rationale for these surgical procedures. None of the techniques discussed, if performed as indicated, will be detrimental to the supporting periodontal tissues and all can easily become a routine part of the clinician's standard retention therapy.