A frenectomy is a simple surgical procedure that involves the removal of one or both frena from the mouth. The frenum is the connective tissue membrane that attaches one surface within the mouth to another.
There are three functions of frena:
- The lingual frenum, which is the vertical band of thin tissue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth
- The labial frenum, which is the connective webbing that attaches the lips to the gums above the top two front teeth and below the bottom two front teeth
- The buccal frena, which is the three strands of tissue that connect the gums to the insides of the cheeks