A frenectomy is a procedure often required in dentistry.

There are several muscle attachments in the bottom and top jaws that may require relief under certain circumstances. A frenectomy is completed to relieve the muscle in question minimizing its effect in the oral cavity.

Although several of the muscles exist, it is uncommon for all but a select few to need released. The most diagnosed areas are between the two upper center front teeth, between the lower middle teeth and beneath the tongue. The following summary describes the 2 most involved areas.

We will consider each area individually and determine why each may require this procedure.

1. Between top middle teeth: This muscle attaches the upper lip to the gingival tissue in the vicinity of the top center teeth. There are 2 probable reasons that this muscle may require the mentioned procedure.

A. As children are maturing, a low muscle attachment that is secured to the gum tissue between the teeth can prevent the center two teeth from moving together in their normal location as the child grows. Surgical intervention can allow the teeth to gravitate to a natural position. Orthodontics may be necessary to assist in the positioning.

A low muscle location that continues into adulthood can constantly tug on the gum tissue between the top center teeth. This can result in gum recession leaving an ugly black space between the teeth in question. A surgical procedure performed in a timely manner can prevent this occurrence.

2. Attachment under the tongue: This situation is also known as "tongue tied" or "ankyloglossia". This presents with muscle attaching the tongue to the floor of the mouth and in excessive cases, restricts movement of the tongue while possibly effecting speech. A frenectomy can provide improved tongue mobility as well as speech.

3. Between the bottom 2 center teeth: In addition to the above described areas that exhibit frenum pull, the area that connects the lower lip to the gum region between the bottom middle two teeth can also be afflicted. The reason this muscle may need removed is because of its ability to cause significant gum recession. If gingival recession is pronounced enough, the risk of tooth loss is a possibility.

Historically a frenum releasing procedure was performed by a scalpel technique with sutures. This involves bleeding, stitches, increased healing times and moderate discomfort. Modern techniques are performed with a soft tissue laser. The procedure executed with a laser is very quick, has very little to no bleeding, no stitches and minimal pain. Truly, this method is state of the art.