Frenectomy
Not to be confused with Phrenectomy, removal of the phrenic nerve
A frenectomy (also known as a frenulectomy, frenulotomy or frenotomy) is the removal of a frenulum, a small fold of tissue that prevents an organ in the body from moving too far. It can refer to frenula in several places on the human body. It is related to frenuloplasty, a surgical alteration in a frenulum. Done mostly for orthodontic purposes, a frenectomy is either performed inside the middle of upper lip, which is called labial frenectomy, or under the tongue, called lingual frenectomy. Frenectomy is a very common dental procedure in the dental world and is performed both on children and adults.
There are several frenula that are associated with types of frenectomy:
- Genital frenectomy can be performed to remove frenulums from genitalia
- Lingual frenectomy (of the tongue) as treatment for ankyloglossia
- Labial frenectomy (of the lip) is very common with patients undergoing denture treatment in order to get the proper fit of dentures or patients who have tissues attached to centre of upper lip and causing recession of gums or gap between the upper front teeth called central incisors.
- A frenectomy can also be performed to remove a section of tissue (the frenulum) that attached to the gingival tissue between two teeth.