How to cut the frenulum under the tongue

Short frenulum under the tongue of a child is a small flaw that's easy to fix. In the most obvious cases, the operation is performed immediately in the hospital and it takes no more than 2-3 minutes.

In a person's mouth is 3 bridle: the first one connects the jaw with the upper lip, the second lip with the lower jaw, the third - the frenulum under the tongue.

The size of the sublingual frenulum is checked in babies at birth. If too short, its pruning is carried out directly at the hospital.

Signs of a short frenulum

Babies first months of life shortened sublingual frenulum appears that they seriously take the chest on the debt suck it, quickly refuse from the breast. If the bridle stays short and at an older age, it can interfere with the pronunciation of sounds. In boys congenital abnormality is more common than in girls. It is a genetic predisposition. Although not a pathology at all, but simply a birth defect, which is easy to fix.

The procedure of pruning

Often the defect when it is obvious, fix the conditions of the hospital. Procedure cutting of the sublingual frenulum is painless for the newborn, because the membrane does not yet have nerve endings and there is almost no blood vessels.

The operation is carried out with special scissors, then the baby put to the breast or giving a bottle to drink to stop the bleeding.

In children aged 3 to 9 months cut the frenulum under local anesthesia. If the child is older, the bridle he has more fat, and cut it has in the transverse direction electrocoagulator or electric. It is easy to handle, place the cut heals in a day.

Usually after surgery, babies begin to breastfeed with a big appetite.

But not always a short frenulum requires pruning.

Manipulation required:

in case of problems with breastfeeding;
- deviations in the movement of language;
- in the formation of malocclusion;
- difficulties in pronunciation of some sounds, blurred speech and promiscuity of words when speaking.

In more severe cases can occur a displacement of the centre of language that will lead to improper formation of the lower jaw. In the future, these problems can lead to the development of periodontitis and gingivitis teeth.

The child five years of age the norm of the sublingual frenulum is its length from 0.8 cm When lifting the tongue up, it should not bifurcate and acquire the shape of a heart.

Even if you have problems due to a short frenulum, the baby is older than 4 years may be denied surgery. The fact that surgical intervention in this age will not help to correct defects of speech. Do not despair. Should consult a speech therapist who not only helps in correcting pronunciation, but with the help of special exercises to stretch the frenulum will help to cope with the situation as a whole.