Frenum surgery. I. A comparison of three surgical methods.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate and compare three surgical methods to relocate labial frena to a more apical position. Thirty patients with frenum insertion at the gingival margin were selected for the study. All had been peridontally treated prior to frenum surgery. Stone casts from rubber base impressions in individual trays were used to measure the differences in frenum insertion before surgery and 2, 12, 26 and 52 weeks afterwards. The surgical methods, each carried out in 10 cases, consisted of frenum excision, vestibular extension of Z-plasty. The results showed that a significant reduction of the frenum was obtained with all three methods used, although after 52 weeks, the difference between the pre- and postoperative status were most marked where Z-plasty had been carried out and least so after frenum excision. Post-surgical symptoms were most frequent after vestibular sulcus extension and fewest after frenum excision.