Plastic surgery of the frenum of the upper lip, tongue

The frenum of the tongue is a vertical fold that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. It is quite elastic, and its normal length is 5-7 mm. Located strictly in the center of the tongue. Anomalies in the development of the frenum lead to various dental diseases, malocclusion, speech defects, and impaired breast sucking in infants. Dentistry Amel Dental Clinic offers painless cutting of the frenum of the tongue in Dnipro, or frenuloplasty, which will avoid many unpleasant consequences, but first we would like to talk about such violations in more detail, about how the plastic of the frenum of the tongue is performed.

Anomalies in development are also possible in the frenum of the lip. The reasons for the formation of a short frenum of the lips are not fully understood, and its presence very often becomes the cause of the appearance of diastema, thinning of bone tissue in this area, and in adults it leads to inflammation and periodontal dystrophy.

Violations in the development of the frenum of the tongue and lips

The severity of certain functional disorders depends on the elasticity and length of the ligament, the place of its attachment, the length and flexibility of the edge of the tongue. The etiology of abnormalities in the development of frenum is not fully understood. It is assumed that in the process of morphological differentiation of tissue structures, they are formed in insufficient or too large quantities. This leads to a shortening of the frenum, a decrease in their elasticity, abnormal attachment, etc. A shortened frenum or a frenum that is not attached correctly is the cause of gum injury during meals, the development of inflammation and periodontal dystrophy, the formation of soft plaque and tooth decay.

If the frenum of the upper or lower lip is too short, a gap may appear between the front teeth of the jaw (diastema). Systematic damage to the gingival papilla during eating very often leads to increased bleeding of the gums, and in addition, diastema disrupts the formation of diction in the child.

Specialists identify five types of short bridles that limit the mobility of the child’s tongue:

• thin, transparent bridle;
• thin, translucent, the end of which is attached near the tip of the tongue;
• thick, opaque, attached near the tip of the tongue;
• dense, spliced with the muscle fibers of the tongue;
• practically does not stand out, closely intertwined with the muscle fibers of the tongue.

All types of anomalies limit the mobility of the tongue and therefore need correction. Almost a third of children with short bridles have difficulties in feeding, the development of the dentoalveolar system is impaired.

These violations are diagnosed, as a rule, even in infants when the child is examined by a specialist. In older children, it is possible to detect such defects at a dentist’s appointment, or the parents independently pay attention to the fact that the child cannot lick his lips, stick the tip of his tongue out of his mouth, etc. In some cases, the Hazelbaker test is used to assess the functionality of the frenum.

Correction of the frenum of the tongue and lip

An absolute indication for the treatment of a short frenum is a displacement of the dentition and the formation of a malocclusion. If pronunciation disorders are found, in most cases the problem can be solved by stretching the hyoid ligament during speech therapy exercises. In case of malocclusion resulting from a short frenum of the tongue, orthodontic treatment is performed.

In children over nine months of age, dissection of the short frenum is performed with scissors under local application anesthesia. At an older age, plastic surgery of the upper lip frenulum is recommended – excision of the upper lip frenum (decortication) and changing its attachment site with sutures (some users mistakenly call this procedure “removal of the upper lip frenum”). To combat stereotyped speech habits after surgery, classes with a speech therapist may be required.

Undercutting the frenum of the upper lip, lower lip, tongue is performed as follows:

• 1
  Classical technique. A scalpel is used. After surgery, stitches are applied. The rehabilitation period is several days.
• 2
  Laser cutting of the frenum of the tongue. The operation is performed using a laser scalpel. The procedure is completely painless and the rehabilitation period is about 2 days. An important advantage of the laser technique is the absence of bleeding (due to coagulation of blood vessels), as well as quick recovery after surgery.

The main advantages of laser cutting of the bridle:

• no need for traditional anesthesia;
• coagulation of small vessels when using a laser eliminates bleeding;
• no risk of infection;
• completed in a few minutes;
• tissue regeneration occurs very quickly, there is no swelling, the scar is almost invisible.

Actions after cutting the bridle

After surgery, you should adhere to the following doctor’s recommendations:

• at first, you should follow a diet, refusing too hot, solid and spicy foods, drink only chilled drinks;
• strictly adhere to the rules of oral hygiene;
• 1-2 days after the intervention, it is necessary to go through a doctor’s control;
• if necessary, a special course of restorative gymnastics is prescribed.

Correction of the frenum of the upper lip and tongue at the Amel Dental Clinic in Dnipro

Low attachment of the frenum of the lip, too short a frenum – in our clinic, all types of corrections are carried out to avoid various complications, including diction disorders, inflammation, periodontal dystrophy. All manipulations (excision, incision, transfer of the attachment site) are performed without pain and in one visit.

You can make an appointment with a doctor by filling out an application on the website of the dental clinic Amel Dental Clinic, Dnipro (Dnipropetrovsk). On the site you can get a free consultation using contact numbers or one of the communication channels: Telegram, Facebook, WhatsApp, by e-mail. You can find out the prices in the price list on the website or from our managers by phone.