Frenectomy

At Truly Dental we appreciate the immense trust involved when patients place their health and welfare needs under our care.

No matter what oral healthcare concern our patients come to us with, our clinical team is dedicated to ensuring as comprehensive and diverse an offering of essential procedures are available as possible. 

A Frenectomy - also known as a frenotomy - is a minor surgical procedure which involves the removal of excess or disruptively positioned tissue in the oral cavity. A frenum is the name given to the soft tissue that connects the muscles of the cheeks and lips to the gums and flexible tissues of the mouth. There are three frenums located in the mouth – one under the tongue connecting to the floor of the mouth, and two connecting the upper and lower lips to the gums. 

An overly short, tight, or pronounced frenum between your upper or lower lip and the gum can cause spacing between the teeth (often very noticeable in the upper front teeth), contribute to gum recession, and even interfere with routine oral hygiene procedures. Whereas a short, thick, or tight frenum connecting the tongue to the mouth can prohibit the normal range of movement of the tongue, which can have an impact on speech and normal oral functions such as swallowing. 

A Frenectomy is a simple, straightforward procedure which offers enormous benefit to the patients who require it, and which can usually be completed in as little as 5 to 10 minutes with one of Truly Dental’s highly experienced and specialised surgical dentists. 

Benefits of a Frenectomy

• Remove an obstructive band of tissue which is causing a gap between upper or lower front teeth, or preventing that gap from being closed by treatment with Braces
• A minor-surgical solution to spaced teeth, greatly reducing the chances of relapse once a gap is closed
• Prevent and reverse gum recession, particularly caused by a short or tight band of tissue under the lower lip, improving the overall health of your gums 
• Improve speech and swallowing function and comfort in adults, by greatly restoring your tongue’s range of movement  

What to Expect When Having a Frenectomy

Initial consultation 

Your dentist will carry out a full examination to determine the health of your teeth, gums, and mouth tissues, and to assess your need for treatment. Your dentist will be happy to address any questions or concerns you have at this stage, whether you have taken an appointment specifically to discuss an issue resulting from excess tissue, or if the benefit of treatment by Frenectomy was an incidental finding during your regular Dental Check-Up.

Based on this discussion with you regarding your ideal treatment outcomes and your smile goals - in addition to the full assessment of your mouth - your dentist will prepare a detailed treatment plan for you, including scheduling you to return to the clinic for a Frenectomy procedure if that is indicated and recommended for your situation.  

Frenectomy procedure

Your dentist will first administer a highly effective local anaesthetic to numb your mouth before beginning the procedure, ensuring that the entire treatment will be completely pain-free. 

In the majority of cases at Truly Dental, a high-tech electronic laser will be used to release the frenum or excise the excess tissue . This technique greatly improves the speed of the procedure over a traditional surgical scalpel, and the ability of the laser to cauterize the surgical wound as it goes also accelerates the healing process, as there is greatly reduced bleeding or swelling using this method, which also does not require the use of post-surgical stitches. 

Alternatively, your dentist will simply excise the frenum with a hand scalpel, and your suitability for either of these options will have been discussed with you during your initial consultation. The gums will be held together with dental stitches to aid in the healing process in the event that a conventional scalpel was used for your procedure. Using either method, in most cases the treatment will be over in 5-10 minutes. 

Once the surgical procedure itself is complete, a flexible, protective gauze will be applied, as it is normal after your local anaesthetic wears off to experience some bleeding and discomfort at the site. Your dentist will also give you full aftercare instructions and guidance at this stage, to make sure that your recovery and healing process goes as smoothly and uneventfully as possible. You will also have the chance to ask any questions you need, and your dentist will let you know when you should return to the clinic for a check-up and review of the surgical site.