Frenectomy is a simple oral surgical procedure that eliminates the presence of a frenum in the mouth. A frenum is a muscular attachment between two tissues found inside of the cheeks and lips and inside the mouth and gums. There are two kinds of frenum in the mouth, the labial frenum and the lingual frenum.

A labial frenum is a muscular tissue that connects the inside of the upper lip to the center of the gums between the two upper front teeth. The presence of this frenum creates a large gap between the two upper front teeth and can also cause recession of the gums by drawing the gums off the jaw bone. Usually, we will advise our patients to wait for the growth of their two permanent upper front teeth before considering the treatment for labial frenum. It is because there are cases where the gap between the upper front teeth is eliminated during the growth of permanent teeth. However, if this is not possible, braces are used to correct the gap. In some cases where the presence of labial frenum can cause pain to the upper lip and gums in younger children, labial frenectomy is performed.

The second kind of frenum is called lingual frenum. It is a muscular tissue that connects the bottom center of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Lingual frenum that extends all the way to the tip of the tongue can sometimes restrict the patient from eating and speaking properly. This condition is also called ‘tongue tied’. Lingual frenectomy is performed if the presence of frenum prevents the child from eating and speaking properly.