A 15-year-old Caucasian female complained about the aesthetic result following more than two years of orthodontic therapy. Clinical examination of upper anterior teeth demonstrated hyperplastic tissue. The patient reported use of no medications (Figure 1). From Tooth #5 to Tooth #11, gingival contouring was conducted (settings were 2 watts in continuous mode) and local infiltration injections of 2 percent lidocaine, limited to soft tissue, well above bone level noted on radiograph. The fiber tip of the laser was applied to resect fibers of the frenum, disconnecting them from the midline.Figure 2 demonstrates the slight carbonization markings of the laser and hemostasis that occurred immediately after the procedure. Figure 3 demonstrates results at 20 days. The patient reported being pleased with the results.
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Written by Lori Trost, DMD and Karen Kaiser, RDH