To evaluate the clinical crown length relative to fixed-appliance orthodontic treatment of excessive overjet and deep overbite and to correlate such changes to the vertical dental height, the following measurements were undertaken for 12 females and 8 males, between the ages of 16 and 20 years, on three separate occasions--2 days before banding, 2 days after debanding, and 12 months after debanding: (1) overjet, overbite and dental height measured from right lateral cephalometric x-ray films; (2) clinical crown length, measured from study models, of 400 teeth divided into four groups--maxillary incisors and canines (120 teeth), maxillary second premolars and first molars (80 teeth), mandibular incisors and canines (120 teeth) and mandibular second premolars and first molars (80 teeth); and (3) gingival condition by means of the gingival index of Löe and Silness. Fixed edgewise orthodontic appliances were used and the four first premolars were extracted. From the results of the investigation, the following conclusions were evident: after a 12-month follow-up observation period, the achieved reduction in overjet, overbite, and dental height showed relapses of 9%, 11%, and 29%, successively; only 7% of the 400 teeth examined showed reductions in clinical crown length. This change was probably the result of gingival hyperplasia. The gingival condition greatly improved by approximately 64% after 12 months of debanding, accompanied by 25% to 50% relapse in the amount of change in clinical crown length (noted 2 days after debanding); and the intrusive tooth movement during orthodontic correction of deep overbite was the result of vertical movement of the tooth, with its investing tissues and soft-tissue attachment, into the jaws.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)