In this part of the introductory series about the basic principles of oral surgery Markus Troeltzsch, DMD, MD, gives an overview over the surgical techniques for soft tissue management. The first section focusses on the anatomical conditions for flap surgery, the indications for flaps and their design. In an off-topic digression Markus Tröltzsch gives an instruction what procedure is best to preserve the soft tissue during tooth extraction.