Frenectomy- A Brief Review

The frenum is a mucous membrane fold that attaches the lip and the cheek to the alveolar mucosa, the gingiva, and the underlying periosteum. The frenum may jeopardize the gingival health when they are attached too closely to the gingival margin, either due to interference in the plaque control or due to a muscle pull. In addition to this, the maxillary frenum may present aesthetic problems or compromise the orthodontic result in the midline diastema cases, thus causing a recurrence after the treatment. The management of such an aberrant frenum is accomplished by performing a frenectomy. The present article is a compilation of a brief overview about the frenum, with a focus on the frenal attachments and their association with various syndromes; indications, contraindications, advantages and the disadvantages of various frenectomy techniques, like Miller’s technique, V-Y plasty, Z-plasty, modified frenectomy technique by Bagga et al, frenectomy by using electrocautery and LASERS.