Frenectomy
Frenectomy
The word frenum, or frenulum, describes the tough tissue that attaches any organ to the its neighboring tissue to prevent it from moving too much.
It is practically, a tether to limit movement. There are several frenums in the human body, but only a few that commonly require frenectomy, and they are all inside the mouth. Common frenectomies involve the tongue and upper lip.
In some cases, the frenum is too short, tight or tough, and basically does its job too well. The inhibited movement causes difficulty with regular tasks like eating and talking, or hurts proper development in children, leading to aesthetic problems. The frenectomy is the simple procedure by which the frenulum is severed and typically removed to free up more movement. It’s a low-risk, outpatient procedure that is usually successful the first time in solving the targeted problem.
Using a laser tends to reduce bleeding, cause less tissue damage, and improve healing and post-procedure pain.
The benefits of a frenectomy are usually fairly immediate and positive. The procedure itself takes only a few minutes usually, and will cause discomfort for just a couple of days. The site will usually heal in a couple of weeks.