What is Mucocele?
Mucocele is a fluid filled well defined growth which occurs most commonly on the lower lip due to trauma from constant biting at that area. It is mostly filled with secretions from salivary glands and sometimes may contain blood. The size can increase or decrease with time as the fluid accumulates and leaks out of the lesion.
What is the treatment for mucocele?
It is a recurrent condition causing pain, infection, pus accumulation and can also turn into a fibrous and thick traumatic fibroma if left untreated. It is important to excise mucocele as a whole to prevent its recurrence. In the past it has been excised with the blade which has been really uncomfortable to the patient causing a lot of bleeding, pain, swelling, delayed healing requiring sutures and antibiotics.
What is the advantage of using LASER?
Lasers have recently gained popularity for surgical procedures in Pediatric Dentistry due to its multiple advantages (listed below) over the conventional blade.
1. Precise cutting
2. Bloodless
3. No sutures required
4. Faster healing
5. Antimicrobial effect
6. Biomodulatory effect
7. Less time consuming
8. Comfortable to the patient
9. No antibiotics required in most cases
10. Easily accepted by the Pediatric patients as it reduces anxiety from site of blood, pain or sutures.
In this case diode laser was used to excise recurrent traumatic mucocele on the lower lip in a 9 years old boy. Nitrous oxide sedation (Laughing gas) was used for initial behaviour management and local anesthesia administration. Subsequently, A clear lesion boundary was marked with stepwise detachment of mucocele from healthy tissue of the lip as a whole in a clean bloodless field. The child had a comfortable surgery with less fear and anxiety. Post-operative period was uneventful.
#ChildDentist#LaserSurgery#MucoceleRemoval#BestKidsDentist