Plastic surgery of the frenulum of the upper lip (frenuloplasty) is a dental operation during which dissection of the mucous fold located in the oral cavity between the gum and upper lip is performed. This procedure is popularly called “trimming.” When the frenulum is located too low or passes between the front teeth, forming a gap, then such a frenulum is considered pathological. The modern dental clinic “World of Dentistry” offers several methods of plastic surgery of the upper lip frenulum.
Pathologies of the frenulum of the upper lip
Normally, the frenulum of the upper lip begins 5-8 mm above the necks of the front teeth. It can be seen if you lift your lip. The width of the bridle should be no more than 1 mm, it should be elastic and stretch well. The following pathologies of the upper lip frenulum can be distinguished:
- Low location. This violation causes a number of consequences:
- When moving the lips, a frenulum that is too low pulls on the interdental space. Because of this, it gradually expands.
- Dental necks become exposed. At the same time, food particles accumulate under the lip, which can cause an inflammatory process.
- Speech impairment.
- Formation of malocclusion.
- Wide bridle. May cause the following problems:
- Formation of a diastema (large gap between the front teeth).
- Incorrect position of the anterior incisors.
- Oral hygiene in the area of the upper units is difficult. Cotton swabs may be required for cleaning.
- In the absence of plastic surgery, permanent teeth grow with a large gap between them.
- Short bridle:
- If the length of the frenulum is too short, infants have problems with sucking. The baby cannot make sucking movements, begins to cry and abandons the breast.
- The incisors are not erupting correctly. They grow with an inclination forward.
- Disorders in speech development.
- Difficult hygiene, which provokes diseases and tooth loss.
- With delayed correction of the frenulum, chronic inflammatory diseases such as periodontitis and gingivitis occur. As a result, teeth become loose and fall out. In advanced situations, osteomyelitis may appear.
Indications for plastic surgery
- The presence of a diastema - a wide gap between the teeth. If the frenuloplasty is not performed, the problem may turn from an aesthetic one into a dental one. When the frenulum is placed between the teeth, the units take an incorrect position and are injured, provoking the development of periodontitis.
- Periodontal diseases or the risk of their occurrence. Typically, such diseases are characteristic of a short frenulum, which pulls the gum upward, exposing the dental necks and roots. Plaque accumulates in these places, provoking the development of inflammatory processes.
- Inability to install a prosthesis. If the length of the frenulum is short, the structure will not be able to be held in the oral cavity when moving the lips.
- Inability to carry out orthodontic treatment. Incorrect positioning of the frenulum not only provokes malocclusion, but also prevents the installation of braces or plates.
- Speech disorders. Defects in the frenulum can cause the inability to pronounce certain sounds, usually vowels.
- Dysfunction of sucking function in infants. If a child cannot breastfeed, cries, or gains weight poorly, then frenuloplasty is performed.
At what age is it better to perform upper lip frenuloplasty?
The operation can be performed at any age, both children and adults. But it is better to perform plastic surgery when discomfort is detected in order to prevent complications. If the baby has no problems with sucking, but a frenulum defect is detected, then the operation is performed at the age of 5.5 years. The fact is that during this period, temporary teeth are replaced with permanent ones, and while the molar units have not completely erupted, you can easily prevent their divergence by eliminating the diastema. Some dentists recommend plastic surgery of the upper lip frenulum at 7-8 years of age. At this point, the front incisors have fully erupted, so the bite can be tracked and the operation performed more accurately.
Contraindications for surgery
- Dental diseases of the oral cavity.
- Disease of the jaw bone tissue (osteomyelitis).
- Complications of caries.
- Previous radiation therapy to the head and neck area.
- Serious disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system.
- Blood diseases.
- Infectious diseases in the acute phase.
- Mental illnesses.
- Metabolic disorders with a tendency to collagenosis.
- Presence of cancer.
Is it painful to trim the frenulum of the upper lip?
In our clinic, high-quality anesthetics are used during surgery. During the procedure, the child communicates with the doctor and does not even notice how the procedure is going on, since it takes a short amount of time.
Stages and types of operation
The method of surgical correction is selected according to the structural features and type of fold attachment:
- Frenotomy
- the essence of the operation is to dissect the mucous membrane if it is very short or narrow. The doctor makes a transverse incision and stitches. - Frenectomy
is a surgical excision of the labial frenulum, a more radical intervention that involves partial or complete removal of the interdental papilla, mucous tissue located in the basal part between the central incisors. - Frenuloplasty
- moving the attachment point of the mucous fold (usually higher). Y-shaped and Z-shaped frenuloplasty is performed (the difference is in the shape of the incisions). The bridge is vertically dissected, the resulting mucous flaps are peeled off, moved, and sutured by the doctor.
Trimming the frenulum of the upper lip is a simple intervention that is performed under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis (hospitalization is not required). The intervention does not require any special preparation, other than a standard package of blood tests (general, coagulation, infections, etc.). Absorbable material is used to close the wound, so there is no need to remove sutures. The intervention is carried out classically or using laser technology.
Laser plastic surgery of the frenulum of the upper lip is performed according to a similar scheme, but does not involve sutures. The fold simply “evaporates” under a focused laser beam, which simultaneously sterilizes the wound and coagulates the vessels. Plastic surgery of the lower or upper frenulum takes about 5 minutes.
Voznyuk Vladimir Aleksandrovich Implant surgeon, doctor of the highest category
Give examples of such testimony
When the doctor understands that the frenulum will interfere with orthodontic treatment, then the decision is made to trim it
Voznyuk Vladimir Aleksandrovich Implant surgeon, doctor of the highest category
Can the procedure time increase?
The procedure time may increase due to the volume of the procedure
Voznyuk Vladimir Aleksandrovich Implant surgeon, doctor of the highest category
Give examples of recommendations
It is recommended not to visit the sauna, bathhouse, swimming pool, avoid drinking alcohol, smoking and avoid physical activity.
Preparing for surgery
Frenuloplasty is a fairly simple operation, but it still has a number of contraindications. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct a thorough examination before the procedure. The list of mandatory diagnostic procedures includes:
- General blood and urine analysis.
- Fluorogram.
- Coagulogram.
You should also perform professional oral hygiene, in particular, remove carious lesions and cure dental diseases.
Before visiting a specialist, you need to eat a hearty meal, since after plastic surgery you will have to refrain from eating for several hours. After a snack, you should brush your teeth and rinse your mouth.
Lip frenuloplasty in Krasnodar
Laser lip frenuloplasty is a safe and effective method of frenulum correction, which is chosen by dentists in modern dental clinics. Our experts also recommend using laser techniques. This method allows you to achieve results in the shortest possible time.
In the city of Krasnodar, you can perform this procedure in our dental clinic “Symmetry”. The clinic has all the necessary modern, high-quality dental equipment. And our dentists have extensive experience and high qualifications, confirmed by many specialized diplomas and positive reviews from our patients.
Plastic surgery methods
Depending on the type of pathology and structural features of the frenulum, various surgical techniques can be used.
- Laser plastic surgery. This method is the most modern. The laser allows you to reduce the time of surgery and subsequent recovery, and also prevents bleeding, as it “seals” the edges of the wound. In addition, the laser has an antiseptic effect, does not cause severe pain and does not leave a scar. The procedure goes as follows:
- The frenulum is treated with an anesthetic gel.
- The laser beam is directed to the problem area.
- Tissues are vaporized under the influence of the beam, blood vessels are sealed and sterilized.
- Frenuloplasty. This technique for correcting the position of the frenulum is carried out using surgical instruments. The operation is performed under local infiltration anesthesia. Depending on the shape of the frenulum incision, there are 2 frenuloplasty techniques:
- Y-shaped.
- Z-shaped.
Both techniques allow you to move the frenulum to the desired location. Before the procedure, injection anesthesia is performed, and sutures are applied with a special self-absorbing thread. Frenuloplasty is usually prescribed when the frenulum is too short. The incision is made transversely, as a result of which the organ becomes longer. After this, a suture is placed along the cut edge.
- Removal of the frenulum or frenectomy. The frenulum is removed if it is too wide. An incision is made along the edge of the mucosa. In this case, the papilla located between the teeth and a small part of the tissue near the roots of the incisors are excised.
- Plastic surgery of the frenulum of the upper lip with decortication. It is used if the frenulum has grown into the free edge of the gum. During plastic surgery, not only the frenulum itself is affected, but also the strands of connective fibers at the site of fusion are removed. The operation is of great importance, since if the ingrown tissue is not excised, the gums will be destroyed.
Carrying out the operation
The operation does not require any serious preparation. If there are dental diseases, they are treated first. The doctor must sanitize the oral cavity to avoid the risk of developing an infectious process. Plastic surgery is done using different methods:
- Frenulotomy (dissection). This method is used to correct a narrow frenulum without a visible attachment point. The doctor cuts it transversely. After this, sutures are applied in the longitudinal direction.
- Frenectomy (excision). Unlike the previous method, frenectomy is performed to correct a short and wide frenulum. During the operation, the doctor tightens it and makes an incision along the ridge. The interdental papilla is also excised. If there is a large diastema, the tissue between the end parts of the incisors is also excised.
- Frenuloplasty. With this type of adjustment, the area where the bridle is attached moves. This operation is performed by two methods, which differ from each other in the way of forming the mobilized flap. To do this, the doctor trims the mucous membrane so that it can be moved along the periosteum. The operation with cutting and mobilization of the mucosa is more complex than the two previous types, so it is performed less frequently.
Regardless of the method chosen, the operation is performed under local anesthesia and takes about 15 minutes.
Postoperative recovery
Normally, after the anesthetic wears off, pain occurs in the surgical area. With laser plastic surgery, the discomfort is much less pronounced. In order for the healing of the wound surface to be successful, it is necessary to follow the recommendations:
- Do not eat food for 2-3 hours after surgery.
- Over the next two days, you should eat only soft food, the temperature of which will be optimal. This is necessary so as not to injure the mucous surface of the oral cavity.
- Perform regular hygiene using a soft toothbrush. After brushing your teeth, you should rinse your mouth.
- If the operation was performed on a child, then parents should monitor the hygiene of his teeth.
- At the appointed time, visit a specialist for a preventive examination.
- A week after the intervention, it is necessary to begin performing exercises to strengthen the masticatory and facial muscles. The rules for performing gymnastics will be announced by the doctor.
The first few days after the procedure you will feel some discomfort due to the changes that have occurred as a result of the surgery. However, the discomfort usually goes away after 4-5 days. During this period, the mucous membrane heals, and diction is restored. In order for the interdental gap caused by the incorrect position of the frenulum to disappear, it will take much more time.
Types of lingual frenuloplasty surgery
If the child is over 10 years old, manipulations are carried out using two methods:
- Classical.
- Modern.
The first involves the use of standard surgeon instruments with further suturing. There is a certain rehabilitation period, during which a speech therapist and dentist work with the child.
The modern method involves the use of a laser. This is a painless and quick procedure with virtually no recovery period.
