Soft tissue response to surgical and nonsurgical periodontal treatment

The appearance of the soft tissues is important, especially in the anterior aesthetic area. Gingival recessions, uneven margins, large interproximal spaces, and loss of papillae height are some of the consequences of periodontal disease or undesirable results of therapy. These problems can be corrected with various treatment modalities--surgical, nonsurgical, prosthetic, or a combined therapy. Before any treatment, it is important to understand the behavior of the soft tissue of the particular patient. The objective of this article is to present an analysis of soft tissue response to nonsurgical therapy at buccal and interproximal sites, using several cases to illustrate.