Pediatric Shadowing Case 1: Frenectomy

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I last posted, so I wanted to share some insights from my recent shadowing experiences at a pediatric dental clinic.

There has been quite a good amount of procedures that are much more common in children than in adults. An example of this is "frenectomy". But before I explain in details, let me dive into the anatomy of a frenum.

What is a frenum?

A frenum is the small band of connective tissue connecting your upper lip and your upper gums (you can feel it by running your tongue under your upper lip). Dr. Kim explained that it serves to stabilize the upper lip in place and limit movement. Though most people never think much about this feature, this piece of tissue is crucial in our daily activities such as chewing, speaking, and even determining teeth alignment.

So when can frenum become a problem?

Some people may have abnormally thicker and bigger frenum that extends lower than usual (to between their two front teeth). From the case I observed at the clinic, the patient's frenum caused spacing in the upper dentition . Not only can feel inconvenient for the patient, but it can lead to functional issues such as speech impediments, limited lip movement, and difficulties in maintaining oral hygiene.

What is frenectomy?

In order to fix these types of abnormal frenum, pediatric dentists perform frenectomy. A frenectomy is a procedure where the dentist removes a portion of the frenum to allow mobility in the mouth and reshapes the frenum more upwards. Dr. Kim did this through numbing the area and using a precise laser tool to trim the excess frenum near the teeth. The laser method was fascinating, because the young patient felt minimal to no pain with no bleeding. This procedure seemed to have minimized aftereffects children typically experience in a dental clinic.

Overall, this was an interesting procedure to observe because it is more commonly operated on children than adults. It also refreshing to observe a procedure targeting a tissue, rather than teeth.