Dentaltown February 2018 - 32

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case study

Mandibular Frenectomies

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by Timothy Anderson, DDS
Timothy Anderson, DDS, maintains
a private practice in Bismarck,
North Dakota. He is an active
member of the American Dental
Association, the North Dakota
Dental Association, Cerec Doctors
and Solea Doctors. Anderson holds
a bachelor's degree in physiology
from University of Minnesota and a
Doctor of Dental Surgery from the
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, and completed
his general practice residency at Hennepin County Medical
Center in Minneapolis. He delivers comprehensive, quality oral
health care and strives to create a positive and comfortable
experience for all patients while meeting their dental needs
and expectations.

32

FEBRUARY 2018 // dentaltown.com

High frenum attachments are something that we see a lot of in our practice,
many of which have gone untreated. A
high attachment often results in a localized
perio defect, patient discomfort and poor
aesthetics. During my general practice
residency, we were taught to release
these attachments with local anesthetics,
a scalpel and resorbable sutures. This
technique completely changed for our
practice once we began using a CO2 laser.
The Solea CO2 laser's 9.3-micron
wavelength allows me to vaporize hard,
soft and osseous tissue without anesthesia
and minimal bleeding. Previously, to
perform a frenectomy I had to inject
anesthesia, wait for profound numbness,
and manage bleeding with packing or
another hemostatic agent throughout
the procedure. The laser makes removing
soft tissue simple and virtually blood-free.
Eliminating injectable anesthesia from
this procedure has greatly increased the
patient's comfort level and case acceptance, especially those with significant
dental anxiety. The laser's unique cutting
properties significantly simplify the tissue
management, allowing for a clear and
clean working field.
Before using this laser, I never would
have imagined completing these types

of procedures with such precision and
predictability. The patients are no longer
intimidated by the procedure and my
team loves the laser's ease of use. Having
the right technology, which encompasses
such diversity in cutting, enables me to
take an often referred-out procedure and
now provide a safe, simple, quality service
to my patients.

Case summary
A 62-year-old patient required a mandibular frenectomy because of a localized
gingival and perio defect secondary to a
high, mandibular labial frenum attachment
(Fig. 1). The procedure was completed
with the laser for a total chair time of
15 minutes. No injectable anesthetic was
used, with the patient feeling comfortable
throughout the procedure. There was
minimal to no bleeding, and no sutures
were required.

Fig. 1
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