5 Things To Know About Getting A Frenectomy
Posted on: 22 November 2022
Does your child have some additional skin underneath their lip that is pulling on their gum tissue? If so, know that a dentist can help you with this by performing a frenectomy. It is a procedure that many children have done when this issue comes up, and it helps prevent problems with their teeth and gums later on in life. Here are a few key things to know about the procedure.
A Frenectomy Is Performed In A Single Visit
The process of having a frenectomy done is actually quite fast and takes no longer than it would to have a filling put into a tooth. Know that your child will be in and out of the dentist's office with that piece of skin removed that attached their gums to their lip.
A Frenectomy Requires A Local Anesthetic
A dentist uses a local anesthetic to numb the part of your child's mouth that they will be working on. This is the same type of local anesthetic used for a cavity, with it being injected into the gums with a needle. The anesthetic starts working instantly, so your child will feel a small amount of discomfort from the needle before the anesthetic starts doing its job.
A Frenectomy May Use Sedation
If you have a child that is very nervous about getting a frenectomy and you are worried about them going through the procedure and remaining calm, you can request a form of dental sedation from the dentist. A safe form of sedation would be nitrous oxide, which is going to help your child relax and be calm the entire time.
A Frenectomy Is Performed With A Laser
The way that the skin is removed between the lip and gums is by using a laser. This will carefully remove the gum tissue and cauterize it at the same time, which prevents the area from bleeding. This is how the procedure is so safe and quick to perform since the healing process starts immediately.
A Frenectomy Has A Small Recover Time
Your child will feel some discomfort after the procedure, but it won't be too bad. For a couple of days, it will feel like they burned their gums by eating a hot piece of pizza. Encourage them to eat soft foods and have some ice pops ready to go when they come back from the dentist. Their gums will be feeling better in no time.
To learn more about lip releases, contact a dentist in your area.
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