What condition might be suggested by complaints of excessive space between teeth post-treatment?

The presence of excessive space between teeth following treatment can often indicate a reduction in edema, which refers to swelling caused by the accumulation of fluid in certain tissues. When teeth are moved during orthodontic treatment, there may be some degree of swelling in the surrounding gum tissues and other supportive structures. As the swelling resolves, it can lead to the appearance of increased spaces between teeth that were not noticeable prior to treatment.

In contrast, conditions like orthodontic relapse typically refer to teeth moving back towards their original position after treatment, which would not explain the feeling or observation of extra space. Over-removal of tissue could lead to other issues but wouldn't directly correlate with just having excess space, and gingival hyperplasia involves an overgrowth of gum tissue rather than a space increase. Therefore, the situation described is best understood by recognizing that the reduction in edema can result in the teeth appearing more spaced apart as the supportive gum tissues return to a more normal state.