Frenectomy

Patients with an active infection around the mouth should postpone the frenectomy procedure until the infection is fully treated. In some cases, the procedure may be postponed or avoided since the condition may fix itself in time. Only a doctor is able to say for sure if a patient needs the surgery or not.

How many trips do I need to take abroad to complete the procedure? 

You will need 1 trip abroad to complete the whole procedure, and follow up with your local doctor. 

10 to 15 minutes.

1 - 2 days.

Any intake of blood thinners such as aspirin needs to be avoided for at least two weeks before the procedure is set to take place. This is done because anticoagulants increase the risk of excessive bleeding, especially when patients are undergoing a lingual frenectomy. Patients opting for this procedure due to speech difficulty should definitely see a speech pathologist in order to determine if the procedure is the right step or speech therapy can fix their problem.

Frenectomy surgery can be performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia, with the latter being more common for adults. Young children usually undergo surgery under general anesthesia. 
Once the anesthesia takes effect, the surgeon will begin removing the frenulum. There are two main instruments which can be used. Laser frenectomy provides the same results as a traditional frenectomy, but with less bleeding. Although it's a more advantageous technique, the laser can't be used in all cases, and the surgeon may have to resort to a traditional scalpel. 

Once the frenulum is cut, dissolving stitches are applied, especially if a lingual frenectomy is performed. The tongue frenulum has plenty of blood vessels. If a labial frenectomy surgery is performed, stitches are not usually necessary. 

The procedure lasts just around 15 to 20 minutes. 

In most patients' cases, the incision site will heal in around seven days. During this time, slight pain and discomfort are quite common, especially while talking or eating.

Patients should try to keep the area as clean as possible – rinsing the mouth with salt water is recommended at least twice a day until the incision site has properly healed. Since frenectomy surgery usually uses dissolving stitches, patients are not required to return to the doctor after undergoing the procedure.

Frenectomy surgery risks and complications include: 

● Excessive bleeding 
● Infection 
● Revision surgery 

Frenectomy surgery side effects include: 

● Pain 
● Discomfort while eating or speaking ● Nausea and vomiting if general anesthesia is used

Frenectomy surgery reviews set the average success rate at around 98%.

Patients will notice considerable speech improvement after the frenectomy surgery. 

– Is there any guarantee that the frenulum won’t grow back after frenectomy surgery? There is no guarantee, but following the doctor's instructions limit the chance of it happening. 

– My child needs frenectomy surgery, is there any way to make it easier? 
Laser frenectomy surgery is the best option in this case. If the child is very small or scared of the procedure, general anesthesia may be used. 

– How long before I can fit my dentures or braces after frenectomy surgery? 
The incision will heal in around 5-7 days.