title: An Alternative Method to Treat Ankyloglossia.
abstract: Ankyloglossia entails short lingual frenum, impairing satisfactory tongue movement and leading to problems related to deglutition, feeding and diction. This clinical report uses laser technology, rather than traditional surgical procedure with scalpel, to perform a lingual frenulotomy on a 9-year old child diagnosed with ankyloglossia, aiming to investigate more conservative and less traumatic dental procedures. Due to the many advantages of the laser device, such as bloodless surgical field, absence of sutures, minimal swelling and post-surgical pain, the high intensity diode laser is a viable alternative technique in soft tissue surgeries.
authors.forename: Gabriel Ferreira
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Nicoloso
authors.forename: Iuri Silveira
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Jorge Abel
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: Bruno Lopes
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: da Silveira
authors.forename: Marta Dutra Machado
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000072676:Ankyloglossia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D013537:Sutures
keywords: ankyloglossia; lasers; surgery