Which instrument is commonly used to remove muscle attachments in mucogingival surgery?

In mucogingival surgery, the removal of muscle attachments, such as the frenum or labial muscles, is often accomplished with scissors. Scissors provide precision and control during the procedure, allowing the surgeon to carefully excise soft tissues without causing undue trauma to adjacent structures. This is particularly important in maintaining the integrity of the surrounding gingival tissue and promoting optimal healing.

The use of scissors is favored because they can be used to make clean incisions and are capable of reaching into confined spaces, which can be critical when dealing with delicate mucosal and gingival tissues. Other instruments, like ball scalers, nippers, or chisels, are more suited for different purposes, such as scaling, trimming hard tissue, or shaping surfaces, respectively, and thus are not ideal for the specific task of removing muscle attachments.