Our Honolulu Family Dentist Provides Helpful Surgery for Kids to Speak, Breastfeeding, and More
A frenectomy is also referred to as a frenulectomy, frenulotomy, and frenotomy, and it is the removal of the frenulum.
In dentistry, we most commonly refer to two types of frenulum:
- the labial frenulum (of the lip) attaches your upper and bottom lip to the gums
- the lingual frenulum (of the tongue) attaches your tongue to the bottom of your mouth
If either frenulum is not the appropriate size, speech patterns and crooked teeth can result. The lingual frenulum can cause an issue for infants while breastfeeding if it is too short.
The procedure to correct the issue, a frenectomy, is a very minor procedure that will take less than 15 minutes. General anesthesia is used for small children and infants while local anesthesia is used for adults. The procedure is very successful and causes minimal discomfort.
