The diastema, the frenum, the frenectomy: a clinical study.

1. The pretreatment relationship between a clinically "abnormal"-appearing maxillary midline frenum and a midline diastema showed a strong, but not absolute, correlation. A certain percentage of patients demonstrated (1) a diastema but not an "abnormal" frenum or (2) no diastema but an "abnormal" frenum. 2. Diastema cases in which there were "abnormal" pretreatment frenums demonstrated a decidedly stronger potential for relapse after orthodontic closure. The exceptions to the rule were explained by the clinician's inability to differentiate between "normal" and "abnormal" frenums and by the periodontium's apparent (if not consistent) ability to recognize the frenal and interdental tissues following orthodontic tooth movement. 3. A three-stage surgical procedure was shown to be very effective in alleviating the relapse phenomenon following orthodontic treatment of diastemas. The surgical procedures were successful in avoiding many of the hazards to the periodontium associated with previous techniques.