The frenulum is a small sublingual piece of tissue that is located in the oral cavity. It comes in different lengths and elasticity, and may also differ in the place of attachment. These parameters directly affect the articulateness of speech, the correct pronunciation of most sounds and the ability to eat food in a normal way. It is the frenulum of the tongue that is often the culprit of problems with teeth and all kinds of speech defects.
How to check the hyoid frenulum?
The hyoid frenulum can have different lengths and attach in different places. The norm is a situation in which its location and size do not limit the movement of the tongue. In an adult, the jumper usually varies from 2.5 to 3 cm; in babies up to a year old, it should be about 8 mm.
You can check what the hyoid cord looks like, and if there are any anomalies, visually even in a newborn baby. To do this, it is enough to pull the lower lip so that the baby opens his mouth. This will allow you to assess where the septum is attached in relation to the lower row of future teeth, and how it holds the tongue. For comparison, it is enough to find photos and videos with a normal frenulum without congenital anomalies.
When is pruning necessary?
The presence of an abnormal septum does not always require surgical intervention. Indications for surgical correction of the frenulum are situations when:
- there are difficulties with feeding the baby;
- the wrong bite is formed;
- displacement of teeth.
With disorders in the development of speech associated with pathology, the problem in most cases is not solved by surgery. Stretching the cord is carried out with the help of gymnastic exercises and massage.
Causes of a short frenulum under the tongue
The pathology of the short connecting bridge under the tongue in children implies not only an inappropriate length, but also an incorrect location in the oral cavity. An abnormal frenulum is formed even before the birth of the baby.
Factors that cause a jumper defect include:
- Heredity. The presence of such an anomaly in parents increases the chances of its formation in a child.
- Environmental ecology.
- Injuries in the abdomen during pregnancy.
- The age of the pregnant woman. In babies born to women who give birth after 35 years, the likelihood of cord pathology increases.
- The presence of chronic diseases in a pregnant woman.
- Infection of the fetus during gestation.
- A viral or infectious disease transferred by a woman during pregnancy.
Symptoms of a shortened frenulum with a photo
A dentist or an experienced pediatrician can accurately diagnose the pathology of the jumper. However, the parents themselves can also suspect the presence of a problem if they have certain symptoms, as well as during a visual examination using photos of normally formed strands from the Internet. Infants with a short frenulum are characterized by:
- strong smacking and clattering of the tongue when feeding;
- biting the nipple during sucking;
- using lips to capture breasts;
- the requirement to often apply to the chest;
- release of the nipple from the mouth;
- poor weight gain;
- capriciousness.
Older children may experience the following symptoms:
- cessation of breathing during sleep;
- aerophagia;
- V-shaped tip of the tongue;
- frequent frenulum tears;
- snore;
- increased salivation when talking.
The age of the child at which it is desirable to do cutting
The actual question is at what age it is better to do a dissection of the frenulum under the tongue. If the problem is discovered even in the maternity hospital, and the identified pathology causes difficulties in feeding the baby, then it is eliminated there. The procedure is painless, and after it is carried out, the baby is applied to the chest to stop bleeding.
Starting from 6 months, such an operation becomes dangerous, since babies are not able to remain motionless for a long time, and any sudden movement of the head during manipulations can lead to serious damage.
Pruning should be postponed until 4-5 years. At this age, it is already clear whether the pathology affects speech, and whether it is possible to carry out correction with the help of stretching, massage and special exercises. Of course, an adult can also cut the septum, but this requires anesthesia, stitching, and the recovery process will take longer.
How is the operation performed?
Frenulum correction can be carried out even in the maternity hospital of a newborn, if this defect was detected immediately after birth. At this age, it is cut so that the baby can fully eat.
In cases where the shortening of the frenulum is diagnosed in older children, and various speech therapy exercises and massage cannot correct the defect, then surgical intervention is required. There are three main types of hyoid frenulum trimming:
- frenulotomy;
- frenulectomy;
- frenuloplasty.
Frenectomy - incision of the skin fold
The second name for frenectomy is the Glickman method. The essence of the method is reduced to the use of clamps with which the bridle is fixed. After that, incisions are made between the lip and the clamp. The edges of the wound are sutured. In newborns, the dissection of the skin fold is carried out quite easily and not painfully, without the use of anesthesia, since they do not yet have blood vessels and nerve endings in this area.
After 2-3 years of age in children, the structure of the lingual fold changes. Vessels appear in the connective tissue, and the septum itself becomes denser and fleshy. As a result, the operation will require anesthesia and subsequent stitching of the wound.
Frenulotomy
Frenulotomy is the simplest undercutting method, which aims to increase the length of the shortened bridge under the tongue. During such an operation, it is necessary to make an incision on it with the help of special scissors closer to the lower row of the front teeth. The distance at which the frenulum of the tongue is trimmed is 1/3 of its total length. The mucous membrane is dissected, and then the strands themselves. Next, the sides of the mucosa are brought together and stitched every 3-4 mm.
Frenuloplasty
This plasty method, which is also called the Vinogradova method, is based on changing the place of attachment of the frenulum in the oral cavity. This plastic frenulum of the tongue is carried out in several stages:
- the flap is cut and peeled off in the shape of a triangle, and the edges of the wound are connected by suturing;
- an incision is made in the direction from the septum to the papilla between the front teeth;
- the triangle is sutured to the surface of the wound.
Other similar methods of short frenulum plastics are also used, including the labial lintel (for more details, see the article: a short frenulum in a child: photo, ways to correct a defect). For example, plastic Limberg or Popovich.
Laser cutting
In addition to using scissors or a scalpel to cut a shortened hyoid septum (which is often quite painful), doctors in modern dentistry use a laser. Laser cutting is a more gentle method of performing the operation, which is worth turning to if the patient is a small child.
Laser frenulum removal has a number of advantages:
- simultaneous evaporation of tissue areas;
- lack of blood during the operation;
- wound closure;
- coagulation of vessels or, in other words, their baking;
- sterilization of the edges of incisions;
- lack of seams;
- fast healing;
- minimal risk of complications;
- ease of the procedure.
Contraindications for surgery
Usually, the operation to cut the hyoid frenulum has no contraindications. However, there are certain circumstances related to health problems in which doctors do not recommend the procedure or may advise to postpone it for some time. These include:
- caries;
- infectious diseases;
- low blood clotting;
- oncology in the oral cavity (we recommend reading: the first stage of oral oncology: symptoms, prognosis);
- pulpitis, stomatitis or other diseases in the mouth.
Can the hyoid frenulum be stretched?
Why rush to cut a short jumper when you should try stretching it first? For this, there is a speech therapy massage of the frenulum and special exercises. In addition, gymnastics is also relevant after surgery and when restoring the septum if it is torn.
Necessary:
- stretch the tongue forward and drive it around;
- alternately reach the tip of the tongue to the lower and upper lip or teeth;
- click your tongue, holding it near the sky and sharply lowering it down;
- with the mouth closed, drive with the tip of the tongue between the cheeks;
- stretch your lips with a tube with your mouth closed and smack.
In addition, children should be allowed to lick the spoon more often. Another way: drip jam on your lip and ask the baby to lick it. Also, let the baby smile more often with closed lips.
What is fraught with a short bridle?
The pathology associated with a shortened frenulum is a fairly common problem. This is a congenital defect, as a result of which there is a violation of the development and functioning of the element connecting the tongue and the lower jaw, which, in turn, affects the mobility of the speech organ itself. A short frenulum of the tongue in a child leads to the following consequences:
Some boys from birth have a defect in the development of the external genitalia - a short frenulum of the foreskin. Often, the pathology is inherited. In some cases, the problem occurs already in adulthood, when a man suffers a number of illnesses or injuries.
Features of the disease
If a man is diagnosed with a short frenulum of the foreskin, this means insufficient length and low extensibility of the skin fold, which passes to the head from the foreskin. Such an anomaly is diagnosed in 5% of men and boys, while the severity of the disease varies from mild to severe. Pathology code according to ICD-10 - N47 (Excessive foreskin, phimosis, paraphimosis).
A normal-sized frenulum, the tissues of which are elastic, perfectly stretches and does not interfere with the movement of the skin during intercourse. A short bridle does not allow the head of the penis to be exposed during an erection, which causes a lot of suffering to a man.
A short frenulum contributes to the shortening of sexual intercourse, leading to early ejaculation. More often, pathology occurs in a child from birth, but due to the described features, it is detected during the onset of sexual activity, in adolescence.
Causes of the pathology of the foreskin
Almost all newborn boys have physiological phimosis - the narrowness of the foreskin with the inability to expose the head. Pathology is combined with shortening of the frenulum. But by the age of 7, in 95% of children, congenital phimosis and other problems disappear. The remaining boys are diagnosed with a congenital form of a short frenulum.
Acquired forms of pathology also occur. There are many reasons for this state of affairs.
In teenagers or older men, shortening of the frenulum of the foreskin can happen when:
- Injury to the head of the penis against the background of hard sexual contact;
- Abuse of wearing tight underwear, trousers;
- Long-term traumatic sports;
- Damage to the foreskin by piercing, after the introduction of ointments and petroleum jelly;
- Transfer of infectious pathologies of the genital area - balanoposthitis, urethritis;
- Transferring STIs - syphilis, gonorrhea, etc.
Often, men with diabetes mellitus against the background of circulatory disorders suffer from recurrent balanoposthitis, in which the foreskin and skin of the head of the penis become inflamed. It also causes the frenulum to shorten over time.
The photo shows a normal and short frenulum of the foreskin (from left to right)
How to know if the bridle is short?
The appearance of the penis outside an erection can be normal, so in boys the problem is detected only by chance, during a routine examination by a urologist or surgeon. But during the period of active sexual life, the symptoms of the disease become more pronounced. During an erection, a too short frenulum does not allow the penis to straighten sufficiently, sometimes the erection immediately disappears from tightness and pain. The head of the penis in a tense state looks down. In such cases, the question arises: what to do?
During intercourse, if possible, a man has to look for a suitable position, otherwise there is pain, discomfort in the head area. The shorter the frenulum tissue, the more intense the pain. Rough sexual intercourse can even lead to a rupture of the frenulum and the appearance of bleeding. With untimely first aid, it can be long and plentiful.
A urologist, andrologist or surgeon will help diagnose the disease, which is recommended to contact if such troubles are identified. The examination method is simple - already during the examination, the doctor can easily determine the pathology.
Objective symptoms of shortening the frenulum of the foreskin are:
- When pushing back the foreskin, the short part of the frenulum does not allow this to be done sufficiently;
- When you try to strongly displace the foreskin, pain occurs.
Sometimes a psychologist is involved in the treatment of a disease if a man has complexes, and a sexologist, while there are violations and dysfunctions in the intimate sphere.
On the video about the causes and symptoms of a short frenulum:
Treatment
A complete cure is possible only by surgery, since it is not possible to stretch the skin of the frenulum with any drug. A frenulotomy operation is used - dissection of the short frenulum of the penis in order to restore its normal size.
The indications for surgery are:
- Congenital short frenulum;
- Scars on the bridle as a result of trauma, inflammation;
- The appearance of cracks, bleeding;
- Concomitant pathologies - phimosis, ejaculation disorders.
In case of acute infections, exacerbation of inflammatory processes, the presence of skin and purulent pathologies, the operation is performed only after complete recovery. Before the intervention, it is important to be tested for STIs, hepatitis, HIV, no special preparation is required. It is only necessary to shave off the hair on the genitals and thoroughly wash the genitals.
In childhood, the operation is not performed and the question of how to stretch the bridle does not arise. Usually, surgery is recommended for adolescents from 12 years of age and adults. In the first case, general anesthesia is used, in the second - local or general anesthesia. After disinfection of the penis area, the frenulum is transversely dissected, the artery is ligated, and the edges of the wound are sutured longitudinally. Only self-absorbable threads are used.
If there are scars, they are also removed (frenuloplasty). In some cases, Z-shaped plasty is shown - dissection of the frenulum in the shape of the letter Z, followed by suturing of two triangular flaps.
The duration of frenulotomy is up to 20 minutes. With a combination of severe phimosis and a short frenulum, circumcision is performed.
Often, laser and radiosurgical types of frenulotomy are performed. They are produced in the same way, but instead of a scalpel, a laser beam or a radio knife is used. There is practically no bleeding during this type of operation. The disadvantage is the risk of wound dehiscence as the size of the penis increases during an erection.
The bandage after the intervention should be worn for up to a day, then the wound should be opened to prevent infection from urine. The seams are treated daily with brilliant green, while they do not forget to visit the doctor regularly. Be sure to take antibiotics, if necessary - painkillers.
Important features of patient rehabilitation after frenulotomy:
- When taking a shower, put a condom on the penis so as not to wet the wound.
- Do not have sex until the wound is completely healed.
- Up to 2 months after the operation, it is mandatory to use lubricants during sexual intercourse.
On the video about the treatment of a short frenulum of the foreskin by performing a frenulotomy:
Effects
Without surgery, complications may develop. So, due to constant injury, cracks appear on the skin of the penis, where the infection easily penetrates. The result is often a recurrent inflammatory process. Men with a short frenulum experience early ejaculation and other problems in intimate life.
A serious consequence is bleeding and sharp pain from the rupture of the frenulum. In this case, it is important to immediately stop the blood - press the head for 10 minutes, then take a bath with a disinfectant and apply a bandage. After such a complication, it is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible and perform the operation even before the growth of scars on the frenulum.
A short frenulum is a common diagnosis in babies, which a mother can hear even in the maternity hospital. In the same place, this pathology must be immediately eliminated, because the newborn baby will experience difficulty in sucking the mother's breast or when feeding from a bottle. The frenulum can be successfully corrected, the procedure is quick, almost painless and well tolerated, so do not worry if this happened to your baby. This is a common operation in the practice of pediatric surgeons. Much more dangerous are the consequences that this anomaly can cause in advanced cases.
An abnormally short frenulum occurs in many newborns, but if surgery is performed on time, the child will not remember this problem in the future.Why is the bridle cut for a child, and is it really necessary?
The frenulum of the tongue is a webbed bridge that connects the tongue and the lower jaw (see also:). Thanks to its presence, the tongue is held in a normal position. It is responsible for many important functions in the human body:
- nutrition, in infancy - breast sucking;
- correct pronunciation;
- normal bite;
- work of the facial muscles.
When the frenulum has developmental pathologies, the normal functioning of the oral cavity is disrupted. Normally, it is located in the middle of the tongue and has a length of about 2.5-3 cm, in babies up to a year - 8 mm. Usually frenulum anomalies consist in shortening the length or attaching it to the tip of the tongue. This deviation is called ankyloglossia, or a short frenulum. The location of the frenulum in the mouth, characteristic of this anomaly, is shown in the photo.
Why is ankyloglossia dangerous for a baby? It causes deviations in the development of the jaw and malocclusion. You can understand that the baby has a short frenulum immediately after birth. The baby does not suck well at the breast, gets tired quickly, cries and is often applied to the mother's breast. During feeding, characteristic clattering sounds are heard, and milk pours out of the mouth. Such babies grow slowly and gain weight, because their tongue is inactive, and sucking causes discomfort, it hurts to move the tongue. The same is observed in artificial babies.
At an older age, a simple test is used to determine ankyloglossia: if the child can reach the upper palate with the tip of the tongue, the length of the frenulum is normal. A specialist may suspect a deviation when a child has malocclusion, periodontitis, speech pathology, discomfort when chewing and swallowing food. Usually this problem is diagnosed by a speech therapist, who is contacted for help with incorrect pronunciation of sounds and words.
Ankyloglossia must be treated, otherwise it leads to serious disorders:
- chewing food;
- bite;
- pronunciation;
- nasality;
- snoring (apnea);
- inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity;
- frequent colds due to mouth breathing;
- disorders of the gastrointestinal tract;
- scoliosis.
Often ankyloglossia occurs for hereditary reasons. If relatives had such a pathology, the probability of having a child with the same disorder is quite high. In addition to the genetic predisposition, a short frenulum is formed with pathologies of the mother's pregnancy and other factors:
- viral diseases (the first and third trimesters are especially dangerous);
- toxicoses;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases;
- psychotraumatic situations;
- taking alcohol, drugs, chemical poisoning in the first 3 months of pregnancy;
- poor environmental situation in the region of residence;
- bruising of the abdomen or other injuries.
At what age do such an operation?
There are no age restrictions on plastic surgery, it is done for the smallest patients, school-age children, and adults. Mom is practically not separated from the child, because the plastic of the frenulum itself passes quickly.
Plastic frenulum of the tongue is easier to tolerate in the first months of life. It is best to make it for a newborn so that the baby can eat comfortably and grow well.
In older children, it is more difficult to carry out the correction, since it is performed under general anesthesia, and convincing a one-year-old child to sit still for several minutes is much more difficult than operating on a baby. That is why doctors recommend in some cases to postpone the intervention until the age of 4-5 years.
However, during this time, persistent speech disorders may appear, which subsequently require long-term corrective work and constant exercises. Other experts recommend cutting the membrane between the tongue and jaw during the growth of the upper teeth.
Where is frenuloplasty done and which doctor should I contact?
If ankyloglossia is suspected, the child will be referred for a consultation with a dentist, orthodontist or maxillofacial surgeon, who will confirm or refute the preliminary diagnosis. The decision on the need for surgery will be jointly made by the orthopedist, surgeon and speech therapist.
3 degrees of pathology: mild, moderate and severe There must be good reasons for this:
- serious nutritional problems in a newborn baby;
- speech therapy disorders that cannot be eliminated by conventional means;
- malocclusion;
- violation of proper food intake;
- displacement of teeth, inclination of the incisors inward.
Experts share the degree of pathology on a 5-point scale. Small deviations are successfully eliminated without surgery at the age of over 1 year by performing special exercises.
The operation is performed in the maternity hospital or in dental clinics for older children. If the case is complicated, they operate in the maxillofacial departments.
Surgical correction of a short frenulum
A newborn baby can be operated on even in the maternity hospital, because at birth a neonatologist will check him for the presence of this pathology. In older children, the procedure is carried out quickly, it does not require a stay in the hospital, after it you can immediately go home.
Contraindications to cutting the bridle may be:
- oncological diseases (including the oral cavity);
- blood diseases;
- acute infectious diseases;
- diseases of the oral cavity and teeth (caries, pulpitis, osteomyelitis).
Bridle cutting is carried out if the child is completely healthy; in the presence of caries or other disease, the operation is not possible The main types of operations for ankyloglossia
It is up to the specialist to decide which type of surgery is appropriate. Usually this:
- frenulotomy - cutting the frenulum and suturing the edges of the mucosa;
- frenuloectomy, or the Glickman method, when the frenulum is cut from the side of the teeth;
- frenuloplasty, or Vinogradova's method, in which a layer of tissue is cut off from the mucosa and sutured to the frenulum.
There are other ways - it all depends on the specific case. The specialist will advise how best to proceed in this situation, perhaps circumcision of the frenulum is not required.
How is the procedure for trimming the bridle?
A child over 2 years old needs to be explained why it is necessary to cut the jumper between the tongue and jaw. It is necessary to calm him down so as not to cause severe stress.
The operation is performed under local anesthesia. There are no nerve endings and blood vessels in a newborn child in the frenulum. That is why her pruning does not cause much concern to the baby and parents. The operation time usually takes 5-10 minutes.
For an older child, a lidocaine spray or gel is applied to the site of the future incision. Then the doctor performs cutting with a surgical scalpel or scissors. Sutures are not always required.
Treatment with a laser
Laser correction is considered the safest method of surgery and belongs to microsurgery. It practically does not cause complications. There are no stitches after laser surgery, this is not necessary, and the postoperative period lasts 2 days.
The duration of laser surgery is only 3-5 minutes. This method is suitable for babies, because it does not cause bleeding, complications in the form of secondary infections, it is accurate and almost painless.
Recovery period
For babies up to 9 months, the rehabilitation time is only a few hours, after which the baby can be attached to the breast. In older children, the recovery period lasts about a day. After laser surgery, rehabilitation is even faster.
Immediately after the operation, the babies begin to eat normally without experiencing discomfort, and mother's milk will help the wound in the mouth heal faster. Babies quickly gain weight and grow well. Speech therapy disorders in babies under one year old are not diagnosed, and older children will need corrective work with a speech therapist. What exercises are recommended in the presence of pathology, you can see on the video.
In the presence of pathology, it is recommended to regularly perform simple exercises. After frenuloplasty, you should:
- do not eat for 2 hours;
- 3-4 days do not eat irritating foods - salty, spicy, sour and too hard;
- refuse hot food and drink;
- for some time it is better to eat food in a pureed form;
- do not load the language with conversation;
- after eating, it is imperative to rinse the oral cavity with antiseptic agents (chamomile decoction, calendula tincture, Furacilin solution);
- do special exercises developed by the doctor;
- lay sea buckthorn oil, Solcoseryl on the site of surgical intervention;
- visit a speech therapist as prescribed by the attending physician;
- if there is pain, the child is given pain medication (Nurofen, Ibuprofen).
Are there complications after the operation?
Usually, no consequences, except for a short-term restoration of the normal function of the oral cavity and tongue, do not occur. Everything passes quickly, almost painlessly and is well tolerated by the child.
With poor postoperative wound treatment, improper hygiene, inflammation and pain may occur. In school-age children, scarring sometimes forms, in which case a second dissection will be required.
Among children, the pathology of the structure of the oral cavity in the form of a short frenulum of the tongue, called ankyloglossia, is common.
Often, a short frenulum of the tongue is determined in newborns immediately after birth, when viewed in a maternity hospital.
Pathology is recognized quite simply: normally, a thin cord connecting the tongue and the lower oral cavity reaches the middle of the tongue, while the abnormal frenulum is attached to its very tip.
It also happens that the frenulum is practically absent and the tongue fuses with the lower part of the mouth.
Prerequisites for the development of a violation
In half of the cases, ankyloglossia is diagnosed in children whose mother and father (or one of the parents) had similar problems. Pathology in the embryo develops in the mother's womb in the first half of pregnancy due to:
- lack or untimely therapy in the expectant mother of a viral disease in the 1st and 2nd trimesters;
- treatment of diseases with antibiotics;
- work with chemical reagents (paints, varnishes, solutions);
- frequent stressful conditions;
- the age of the expectant mother (over 35 years old);
- unfavorable environment.
Varieties of anomalous frenulum
Five types of short hyoid frenulums have been identified: 
- transparent thin, restricting the movement of the tongue;
- thin translucent, fixed by the front edge almost at the tip of the tongue;
- thick opaque, fixed near the edge of the tongue;
- a short and tight tie connected to the muscles of the tongue (a common anomaly in children suffering from palatine and labial clefts);
- a fold fused with the tongue muscles.
Symptoms and signs of pathology
It is easy to determine a short frenulum of the tongue from the first days of a child's life. The main and first sign of the disease are difficulties in breastfeeding.
To suck milk from the mother's breast, the newborn needs to make serious efforts, involving other organs in addition to the tongue. The tongue irritates the mother's nipple, resulting in the release of breast milk.
With a shortened frenulum, this process is quite complicated and many babies try to compensate for low mobility of the tongue with their gums and lips, which is quite difficult for both the child and the mother.
On the left is a normal frenulum, on the right is a pathological one.
The baby quickly gets tired, the mother feels discomfort during feeding, the process of breastfeeding is disturbed, meals become frequent, long and restless with breaks for rest.
During attachment to the mother's breast, the child is naughty, arches, throws back his head, and may even refuse to breastfeed. As a result, the baby is nervous, underweight.
In older children and adults, due to a short frenulum, the sound pronunciation of hissing and other letters is difficult, it becomes problematic and develop.
Self-diagnosis of the disease
Frenulum defect is more common in boys. Parents can independently visually diagnose the pathology.
The movements of the child's tongue will be constrained or the tongue will be attached to the lower jaw, the child will not be able to stick it out of the mouth.
At an older age, it is necessary to ask the child to lick his lips - if the frenulum is short, then he will not be able to do this, and he will also not be able to reach the upper teeth with his tongue.
Treatment Methods
To date, two methods of treating a short frenulum in children are in demand: conservative and surgical cutting.
If you deny surgical intervention to cut the frenulum, you can do special gymnastics at home, developed by speech therapists, aimed at stretching.
Exercises:
To stretch the frenulum, a speech therapist may advise you to perform speech therapy massage. The procedure is quite unpleasant, but very effective. It is performed with absolutely clean hands, sometimes the doctor can afford to wrap his fingers with a sterile handkerchief or bandage:
- Hold the bridle between your thumb and forefinger and move them along the tie from the bottom up.
- Place the middle and index fingers under the tongue so that the bridle is between them; with your thumb, press on the front of the tongue and gently pull it outward.
- Pull the tip of the tongue up and down alternately, then gently pull the jumper up with your index finger.
- Put the edge of the pipette cut off in the form of a ringlet on the tip of the tongue, press the ring against the palate with the tongue and close the mouth; repeat the exercise three times a day, 8-10 times.
Prompt problem solving
Surgery is indicated for:
- displacement of teeth;
- incorrect pronunciation of sounds and letters that cannot be corrected by classical methods;
- with problems with breastfeeding.
It is forbidden to operate in the presence of oncology, blood problems, diseases of the oral cavity and untreated infectious processes in the body.
The decision on the need for surgery should be made jointly by a speech therapist, surgeon and orthopedist. Many doctors believe that the frenulum can stretch on its own with age.
For newborns, the frenulum is incised in the maternity hospital with the help of special scissors. Until the age of 9 months, she does not have time to grow blood vessels and nerve endings, so the operation is completely painless, bloodless and is performed under local anesthesia.
Rehabilitation lasts only a couple of hours, after which the child is applied to the mother's breast. As a result, children's appetite sharply increases.
Older children need to trim the bridle until the complete change of all. The age of 5-8 years is considered a favorable period, but in exceptional cases, the operation can be done earlier.
Before cutting, the attending physician will refer the patient to the laboratory for blood and urine tests. The procedure is performed in the clinic under local anesthesia, its duration is no more than 10 minutes. To avoid possible blood loss, electric scissors or an electrocoagulator are used.
A week later, the child should undergo a rehabilitation speech therapy course, which consists in training and strengthening the muscles involved in raising the tongue, setting disturbed sounds and fixing their correct pronunciation.
Cutting the frenulum of the tongue in children is much easier than in adult patients:
Consequences of ankyloglossia
Children with an abnormal frenulum under the tongue are not able to gain the body weight required for age due to constant malnutrition, they lag behind their peers in growth. They disrupt the sucking process, the newborn baby is not able to clasp the mother's nipple, the feeding process becomes long, intermittent.
The photo shows a short frenulum of the tongue in a child close-up
At an older age, the child has serious problems:
A short frenulum of the tongue in a child should not cause panic among parents. Before you decide on the operation to cut the jumper, you need to get expert advice.
But it cannot be avoided in case of diagnosing acute orthopedic or dental ailments. In other cases, you should rely on the experience of the doctor and his advice.
Classic frenulum therapies, such as special exercises and speech therapy massage, require great strength and patience. Therefore, it is necessary to act, because the health of the child is in the hands of his parents!
