Dental lasers are unique tools that use various forms of energy and mediums to move and eliminate matter in a precise manner. The precision of these devices is unique because it was not formerly achieved with dental drills and previous utensils. The tools are so useful in fact, that they play a role in more than just orthodontics; they have uses in cosmetic and medical procedures involving other regions of the body besides the mouth and throat.
In a frenectomy procedure, the aim of the dental laser is to remove tissue that is conflicting with the normal operation of an organ or tissue. In a lingual frenectomy surgery, the organ relates to the patient’s tongue. The tissue which interferes with normal functioning does so either by reducing the amount of movement possible to less than would be regularly available or by overextending the range of movement.
Not surprisingly, one of the main pitfalls of having a tissue distort movement of the tongue is speech. And, so necessarily, speech problems are causes for concern in those needing and requesting this particular orthodontics treatment.
A second result of the presence of this additional tissue is an incomplete development of the teeth. In order to remove the obstructing tissue, known as frenulum, laser energy of a certain wavelength is emitted from the dental laser used by the practitioner and the force of that energy can decimate the tissue without the type of bleeding attributed to previous methods of tissue elimination.
A normal frenum is a tissue that is in conjunction with proper development and functioning of the organs it is attached to and those it affects. Ordinarily, we all have frenum in relation to our tongue and these assist with our normal speech and teeth development. The abnormality, frenulum, can occur in relation to the tongue when the tissue is located closer to the tip of the tongue than deemed appropriate for adequate speech patterns. Traditional diagnosis that can occur as a result of this positioning are tongue tie and clipping of the tongue problem.
In tongue tie, the lingual frenum is unusually short and thick. Because this tissue is responsible for connecting the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, any abnormality which shortens it is likely to decrease flexibility and agility of the tongue, contributing to the likelihood of speech and development issues. Observation of a person with this tissue condition reveals that the tongue ordinarily raises up to and never above a certain point below the roof of the mouth, even as the person persists in reaching for the roof of their mouth with this organ. By contrast, in the typical case of an unaffected tongue raising, the tip of the tongue does raise to meet the upper roof of the mouth without a problem. The second term for tongue tie is Ankyloglossia.
Utilizing a dental laser to remove obstructing tissue affords multiple patients the chance of restoring development of the speech, of teeth and restoring appearance.
