Laser-Assisted Frenectomy Using 980nm Diode Laser

A frenum is a fold of tissue or muscle connecting the lips, cheek or tongue to the jawbone. Their high attachment may cause orthodontic problem (Central diastima), prosthodontic problems (Poor retention of denture), periodontic problems (gingival recession and inflammation) and speech problem (tongue tied in ligual frenum). A frenectomy is the removal of one of these folds of tissue and it is a common procedure in the specialty of maxillofacial surgery. Laser-assisted frenectomy is a much more comfortable for the patient because it means that no scalpel or stitches are required. This clinical study was carried out at department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Ramadi Teaching Hospital; 25 patients including 16 (64%) male and 9 (36%) female with age range from 3 months to 18 years old with mean age 6.5 years old. Chirolas 20W diode laser emitting at 980 nm; the laser is delivered through a fiber optic 400 μm. Beam profile is a single-mode Gaussian (TEM00), with a spot size (0.9 mm) was used to performed laser-assisted frenectomy. Our preliminary clinical findings include sufficient hemostasis, coagulation properties and precise incision margin with all of the surgical procedure. The postoperative advantages, i.e., lack of swelling, bleeding, pain or, scar tissue formation, the good wound healing and overall satisfaction were observed in the clinical application of laser-assisted frenectomy. The clinical application of the diode (980 nm) laser in oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures proved to be of beneficial effect for daily practice, it can be considered practical, effective, easy to used, offers a safe, acceptable, and impressive alternative for conventional techniques of frenectomy.