Mucogingival approaches in young orthodontic patients: Combined strategies for success

Several conditions associated with dental eruption may generate soft/hard tissue periodontal impairments. Ectopic eruption occurs when the tooth erupts in facial or lingual version. Impaction is the absence of a tooth in the arch beyond the physiologic eruption time. The positional interchange of two adjacent teeth within the same quadrant is referred to as tooth transposition. These conditions can be treated with combined periodontal–orthodontic approaches following a careful interdisciplinary diagnosis and an accurate treatment plan. Preventive, interceptive, or reconstructive mucogingival techniques are able to provide adequate periodontal tissues around teeth before, during, and after orthodontic therapy, respectively. Therefore, periodontics and orthodontics are increasingly being considered complementary dental disciplines.