Does A Frenectomy Change Your Smile?
Do you have problems sticking your tongue past your lower teeth or lifting your tongue to touch your upper teeth? You most likely have a short frenum. As an adult with a lip or tongue tie, you’ve adapted to the condition or may have a mild case.
A tight frenum makes cleaning the teeth difficult. It can cause oral problems, including speech and eating difficulties, gaps between the front teeth, and speech difficulty. However, getting a frenectomy gives the lips free movement, improving your smile.
Reading further, you’ll find out the types of frenectomy procedures and aftercare tips. Kindly read along.
What Is A Frenectomy?
A frenectomy is a procedure that involves the cutting or modification of binding tissues in the body. The process is necessary to increase the range of motion of another body part.
The soft tissue connecting the lips and gums is also known as the frenum. When the frenum is too short or tight, it affects infants’ speech development, swallowing, and breastfeeding. Therefore, a dentist at Implant Dentistry, Doc Rok, will have to perform a frenectomy to correct it.
What Are The Different Types Of Frenectomy?
There are two types of frenectomies in dentistry – lingual and maxillary. These oral procedures aim at resolving a tongue tie or a lip tie.
Lingual Frenectomy
The lingual frenum is the soft tissue connecting the tongue and the mouth. You may feel your lingual frenum stretching if you touch your mouth’s roof using your tongue. Because the frenum’s length varies for all individuals, some people have shorter frenum.
A short frenum restricts the tongue’s movement. This condition is known as ankyloglossia or, more commonly, a tongue tie. Studies show that tongue-tie occurs more in male infants than females.
A lingual frenectomy surgery is essential because a tongue tie interferes with breastfeeding and speech development as a child grows. The procedure is quick, giving the tongue more range for motion.
Maxillary Frenectomy
The labial frenum is the soft tissue connecting the top lip to the gums right above the front teeth. Short labial frenum hinders speech development and makes cleaning the gums and front teeth difficult, increasing the risk of dental problems, including gum disease.
The maxillary frenectomy is an oral procedure that increases the mobility of the upper lip.
Does A Frenectomy Hurt?
A frenectomy is a pain-free procedure. Dentists in Beverly Hills can use either a traditional or laser surgical method to carry out a frenectomy. Additionally, a frenectomy takes between 15 and 20 minutes regardless of the method.
A traditional frenectomy requires the use of a scalpel or surgical scissors. The dentist will have to close the incision with a few stitches in more severe cases. The procedure is pain-free because the dentist in Beverly Hills will apply an anesthetic to numb the area.
Laser frenectomy is similar to the traditional method. The only difference is that the dentist cuts the frenum with a laser. Generally, a laser frenectomy is painless, and there is a lower risk of infection or blood loss.
Recovering After A Frenectomy
After a frenectomy surgery, recovery is relatively straightforward. For infants, all you need to do is keep the area clean. For adults, you have to limit the foods you eat for a few days to prevent them from being trapped in the surgical site and increasing the risk of infection.
Furthermore, it is advisable to use your prescribed antibiotics to prevent complications or infections. Within a day or two after the procedure, you should start healing.
Conclusion
A short frenum impairs your speech, eating, and breathing. In addition, it hinders proper cleaning of your teeth, causing oral health problems. With a frenectomy, you can increase your lips and tongue mobility, improving your smile.
Because a frenectomy takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes, it is best to visit a dentist in Beverly Hills for the procedure. You can also call us or visit us if you live near West Hollywood, Culver City, or Santa Monica, CA locations.