Reactive repositioning of pathologically migrated teeth following periodontal therapy

Pathologically migrated teeth generally require orthodontic correction, as well as restorative options, as treatment. The term reactive positioning has been used to describe tooth movement that occurs without the use of appliances after periodontal treatment. This article describes the case of a young woman with periodontal attachment loss and distolabial pathologic migration of the maxillary central incisors, with midline diastema formation. Papilla preservation flap surgery was performed on the maxillary anterior segment, which spontaneously resolved the midline diastema without orthodontic treatment. This article also explores the possible mechanisms (hypotheses) for such an outcome of a simple periodontal surgery. Keywords: pathologic migration, periodontal surgery, reactive positioning