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Do You Need a Frenectomy?
Posted on 7/23/2020 by Metropolitan Dental Specialty Group
Your oral health is intricately linked to parts of your body other than your teeth and gums. That's even truer for tissues closest to your teeth and gums inside your mouth. The frena are a membrane of muscular, connective tissues that hold different layers of tissues in the mouth together. The lingual frenum connects the tongue to the lower section of the mouth, the labial frenum connects the lips to the gums around the front teeth, and the buccal frena connect the cheeks to the side of the gums. Anomalies within these bands of frenum tissues can cause serious discomforts and disruptions to regular daily activities like eating, speaking, and sleeping. If not corrected on time, these conditions can permanently disrupt the normal tooth placement and tongue functions.
An elongated lingual frenum can cause a child to be 'tongue-tied', giving rise to difficulties in feeding through a bottle, and during later years, serious speech problems. Extended labial frenum can disrupt proper spacing between teeth, opening up large gaps between the teeth.
A frenectomy is a surgical procedure designed to correct frenum defects by removing or tapering the affected tissue bands.
What Happens During A Frenectomy?
In infants, elongated lingual frenum is usually not easily identified by pediatricians or general health practitioners. In fact, it could take until serious speech problems are noticed before the condition is properly diagnosed.
But be that as it may, our oral surgeons won't just rush patients with symptoms of an abnormal frenum into a frenectomy. We'll first examine the patient carefully to ensure that a frenectomy is the best course of action compared to other alternative treatments. If a frenectomy is necessary, we'll arrange for the procedure, which typically takes only 10 – 15 minutes. However, the patient needs at least 2 weeks from the surgery, during which they're placed on pain killers and aftercare procedures.
Visit our office today to find out what it takes to eliminate frenum problems that affect speech, eating, and other functions of your mouth.
Dental Blog | Metropolitan Dental Specialty Group We are a premier dental practice in Silver Spring, MD & the surrounding D.C. area, offering the best in restorative & cosmetic dentistry. Visit our Dental Blog! Metropolitan Dental Specialty Group, 8380 Colesville Rd #750, Silver Spring, MD 20910 \ (301) 585-0400 \ metdentgroup.com \ 9/19/2023 \ Tags: dental implants Silver Spring MD \
Your oral health is intricately linked to parts of your body other than your teeth and gums. That's even truer for tissues closest to your teeth and gums inside your mouth. The frena are a membrane of muscular, connective tissues that hold different layers of tissues in the mouth together. The lingual frenum connects the tongue to the lower section of the mouth, the labial frenum connects the lips to the gums around the front teeth, and the buccal frena connect the cheeks to the side of the gums. Anomalies within these bands of frenum tissues can cause serious discomforts and disruptions to regular daily activities like eating, speaking, and sleeping. If not corrected on time, these conditions can permanently disrupt the normal tooth placement and tongue functions.