Frenum:  The tissue that connects your cheeks, tongue or lips to your gum area. You have several frenums in your body.

Diastema:  Diastema refers to a gap between your teeth. Gaps can occur anywhere in your mouth, but they’re most common between your two front teeth. This condition is usually a cosmetic concern.

The labial frenum, or muscle attachment connecting  of the upper lip to the gums can be located too “low” which may prevent the front two teeth to touch together, causing a space. An upper lip tie can also affect craniofacial development in severe cases. Typically, the frenum is removed in conjunction with braces to close the gap. If not removed, the frenum may cause the gap to reopen. The procedure to remove a frenum is known as a frenectomy.

A frenectomy is a procedure we performed in our Clearwater, FL office.