What is Frenectomy

A frenectomy is simply the removal of a frenum in the mouth.

A frenum is a muscular attachment between two tissues. There are two frena (the plural form of frenum) in the mouth that can sometimes obstruct normal function and are candidates for frenectomies.

These frena are called the lingual frenum, which connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and the maxillary labial frenum, which connects the inside of the upper lip to the gums just above the upper two front teeth.  

Above you can see a diagram of the mouth and the major frena that are present. Recommended for babies born with a short, long, or tight frenulum which may cause difficulty breastfeeding and patients who have speech difficulties as a result of the frenulum being too tight.

To improve your baby's lip and/or tongue mobility as well as functionality, we at KIDS perform this procedure using laser*.

KIDS uses Soft Tissue Laser to treat lip and tongue ties. This is our preferred approach to treating lip and tongue ties.

A Soft Tissue Laser has the benefit of:

• Less invasive therapy, no cutting or sutures

• Virtually painless and less swelling

• Lasers remove any infection and bacteria like no other method can

• Faster healing due to laser bio-stimulation of the cells

• Faster recovery than the conventional method

As we use Soft Tissue Laser (which allows for releasing tongue ties and lip ties in babies with minimal bleeding) stitches are not required, therefore a general anaesthetic for your baby is not needed. A small amount of local anaesthetic may be used.

When a laser is used to release a tongue tie, it allows for a more considered approach to tongue tie release, not just a quick snip of scissors and a hope the job is done! This is because of the preciseness of the laser that is designed to focus on the area of treatment. A laser allows your baby's lip and tongue ties to be released at the same time.

Visit us at KIDS, where our caring and experienced staff will assess your baby if he or she is having problems latching during breastfeeding.

* Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.