Frenectomy

Everyone has a muscle attachment (frenum) that connects their lips to their gums. However, when this attachment is too close to the teeth, it can cause a gap (diastema) in between the teeth, usually the front upper teeth and the front lower teeth. Braces or orthodontics will not be able to close the gap without the fibrous frenum being removed.

The frenulum is a piece of tissue that attaches the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. When a baby has a restrictive or tight frenulum it is referred to as tongue tie, and can impair the ability of the tongue to move properly and may affect breast feeding. Your frenulum may look like a string that holds the tongue in place. You can see your frenulum in the mirror by opening your mouth and sticking your tongue out and up. Many babies can find it difficult to breastfeed if they are tongue tied.

A person with a tongue tie will commonly have a reduced ability to move their tongue and may not poke their tongue out as far as a normal person. It can also be the cause of speech problems. Lactation specialists, early childhood nurses and speech therapists will often see this and can advise if a laser frenectomy or tongue tie revision is necessary.

The conventional surgery to release frenums/frenulums is quite traumatic, painful and can take a long time to heal. With lasers we can precisely and almost painlessly remove the tissue making it more comfortable for you. There is minimal bleeding afterwards, no sutures and hardly any discomfort. Children go to school the day after and adults can go back to work the same day. Eating is normal and a baby will suckle immediately after the procedure! It truly is an amazing way to have surgery.

Dream Smile has Invested in the latest technology Diod laser from Biolase to make this procedure as painless and precise as possible.