Complete surgical removal of a frenulum, either the tongue frenulum or a lip frenulum.
Frenulum linguae is the Latin name for the tongue frenulum, a fold of mucosa that connects the floor of the mouth to the tongue.
If the frenulum is congenitally short or thickened, it can significantly reduce the mobility of the tongue, and it can also damage the tissue around the teeth (the periodontium). In such cases, a frenectomy is performed, a procedure in which the frenulum and its attachment to the floor of the mouth are completely removed. The procedure is performed in children.
Frenectomy is performed either under local anaesthetic using a conventional surgical approach, i.e. excision with stitches, which is accompanied by bruising and swelling, or, more recently, with a laser.
Laser treatment greatly shortens the procedure, to a few dozen seconds. The procedure is much less painful, and local anaesthetic is sufficient. Healing time is also much shorter, as no stitches are needed. After the anaesthetic wears off, the child may feel mild pain or pressure at the treated site; there may also be slight swelling or a slightly raised temperature, all of which subside within 1–2 days.
