Oral Surgery
EXTRACTIONS
An extraction means to have a tooth removed, usually because of disease, trauma or crowding.
If you need an extraction, your dentist will first numb the area to lessen any discomfort. After the extraction, your dentist will advise you of what post extraction regimen to follow. In most cases a small amount of bleeding is normal. Your mouth will slowly fill in the bone where the tooth root was through the formation of a blood clot.
Here are some tips to follow to make recovery easier:
- Avoid anything that might prevent normal healing.
- Don’t smoke or rinse your mouth vigorously.
- Avoid drinking through a straw for 24 hours.
- Follow the diet your dentist suggests.
For the first few days, if you must rinse, rinse your mouth gently. If you experience swelling, apply a cold cloth or an ice bag and call your dentist right away. Ask your dentist about pain medication. You can brush and floss the other teeth as usual. But don’t clean the teeth next to where the tooth was removed.
Remember, when having an extraction, today’s modern procedures and follow up care (as recommended by your dentist) are there for your benefit and comfort.
FRENECTOMY
A frenum (also called a frenulum) is a band of tissue that connects or holds down a part of the body such a the tongue, lip, or cheeks. The band of tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth is called the lingual frenum, while the band connecting the lip to the gum in front the the teeth is called the labial frenum.
Occasionally a frenum might be exceptionally short, thick, or tight, or may extend too far down along the tongue or the gum. When a frenum is positioned in such a way as to interfere with the normal alignment of teeth or to constrict the movement of the tongue or lips, ti can be excised with a very simple surgery called a frenectomy.
Symptoms:
An usually thick, large, or tight lingual frenum can seriously constrict movement of tongue. This condition is called “tongue-tie” and is, in fact, the source of this metaphorical phrase. Children who are tongue-tied may have difficulty breastfeeding as infants, and may later develop speech problems. The lingual frenum may also pull so strongly on the middle of the tongue that the tongue acquires a heart shape. An usually short range of tongue extension may indicate the need for a lingual frenectomy.
A diastema, or a large gap between the two front teeth, is occasionally the result of an unusually thick or tight labial frenum that attaches very low on the gum. In such cases, frenectomy, combined with simple orthodontics, can correct this problem.
Treatment:
A frenectomy is normally a relatively simple procedure. Using either a scalpel or a laser, the dentist or surgeon will excise (cut) the frenum in question. When conducted with a laser, the surgery tends to cause very little bleeding, does not require sutures, and often results in very little post-procedure discomfort. The procedure can be performed using local anesthesia on most older children and adults. Very young children may have to undergo the procedure under conscious IV sedation or general anesthesia.