10 out of 10, if you need a frenectomy, I highly recommend Dr. Kendal Lin of Worcester Periodontics. Who loves surgery? That eliminates most of us. Next question – – who loves dental surgery? Now there are no hands up. I put off a dental procedure for a long time, completely out of anxiety about it.
My issue was that my front two teeth were spreading apart, and I could see it starting to impact my other teeth. I decided I should probably look into braces because that’s a really cool thing to get right around your 55th birthday. When I brought it up to my dentist, I learned that my frenum was causing the problem. I had never heard of a frenum, but apparently we all have one, and mine was being a bit bossy with the rest of my mouth. Braces alone would not solve my problem, because if the frenum was still there, it would continue to cause a problem. So, I then put it off even longer. My dentist convinced me that it could not hurt to have a consultation with a periodontist.
A frenectomy is the removal of a frenulum, a small fold of tissue that prevents an organ in the body from moving too far. It can refer to frenula in several places on the human body. I had no idea.
When I have to do something I dread, I like to get it scheduled for ASAP and get it over with first thing in the morning. So, just a few weeks after my initial consultation with Dr. Lin at Worcester Perio, I was headed to Worcester, full of angst. Jay had offered to drive me there, so I yelled at him. I just needed to put myself in deep distraction mode, not have time to think about it, definitely did not want to talk about it (he’s good at trying to help like that), and just get it over with.
I was less afraid of the procedure than I was about the needle before it. Dr. Lin explained every step of the frenectomy that I was willing to listen to, and in general made me as comfortable as possible ahead of the procedure. She didn’t give me the play-by-play as she was doing it, but I could tell that if I just remained calm, I was in good hands, and it would all be fine.
All in, it was about a 20 minute procedure. The strangest part for me was when I got in the car to go home, I had the biggest sense of relief, adrenaline rush, cortisol rush/drop, I don’t know what it was, but I was immediately completely exhausted. There was never any real pain, before/during/after, but as they said might be the case, the next day I felt like I had walked in to a door. That didn’t last too long, and then I just spent the next few days not eating anything hot, cold, spicy or sharp.
Immediately following my frenectomy, I made an appointment for an adult orthodontic consultation with Dr. Todd Rowe, Rowe & Canary Orthodontists, in Leominster. I met with Dr. Rowe the day after Christmas, and as a gift to myself I will be sporting a little bling in the name of Invisalign starting in February. I was willing to get actual braces because it would seemingly require less self discipline, but Dr. Rowe explained the difference between if I was a growing 12 year old vs. someone (me) who has had multiple crowns and assorted other dental work over the 40+ years, and that getting braces would be much more of a production. So, Invisalign it is. I’m sure there will be a story about that. I’m hoping that it’s a little weight loss since having to take these trays out every time I want to eat or drink, and then brushing my teeth and the tray each time sounds like fewer between-meals snacks. We shall see.
Worcester Periodontics
48 Elm Street #3, Worcester, MA 01609
(508) 217-9514
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Rowe & Canary Orthodontists
11 Park Street, Leominster, MA 01453
(978) 537-6100
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