Monday, November 25, 2013
If you have ever seen or performed a frenectomy with a scalpel, you will recall that the surgery tends to be a bit messy. In fact, it may be one of the bloodiest surgeries when it comes to the oral cavity.
For this reason, frenectomies were always something I preferred to refer to the oral surgeon, especially on a younger patient. While diode lasers have been on the market for a while, a recent case in my office really showed just how different these tools work in comparison to traditional surgery. This case completed using a Denmat Sol Diode Laser demonstrated the ability of laser to perform concise procedures with no bleeding, very little post-op sensitivity and incredible clinical outcomes.
The patient was a 23 year old female interested in doing anterior veneers. The tissue was very thick in the anterior frenum, heavily extending between the teeth with a very tight lip attachment. She had an existing large diastema between teeth #8 and 9, and we had closed that with composite resin prior to the day of surgery.
The laser is set at a lower power setting to avoid too much transfer of heat to the surrounding tissue. The lip is pulled back just slightly to create tension on the frenum. The fibers then can be cut with a back and forth motion just above the periosteum.
The final clinical shot shows a diamond shaped area of exposed tissue. We also reshaped the facial tissue at the papilla between teeth #8 and #9 to flatten the profile a bit. Note that there almost no bleeding at the site.
That night, the patient had very little discomfort, reporting she still went out to dinner as planned. We had her back after 72 hours, and there was already significant improvement in the healing of the tissue.
Two weeks later, there was almost no evidence, not just of the surgery, but that there was ever a frenum present. At this point, we will take impressions which will be used to create the diagnostic wax up for veneers from teeth #7 to #10.
I have found there are many benefits to using a laser over traditional ways of performing surgery, such as a scalpel or electrosurgery. Dentalcompare features a Buyers Guide on diode lasers which covers everything from how they work, to clinical applications, to tips on getting one for your office. If you're looking for a laser, it's a great place to start.
Also, if you have a case showing the benefits of a diode laser that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. Drop a comment or any feedback below.