Lingual Frenectomy

One of the most common ways to correct tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) is a lingual frenectomy procedure, a safe and effective method that involves removing the lingual frenulum. Tongue-tie develops when there is a congenital anomaly that results in the membrane that connects the floor of your mouth and the underside of your tongue (the frenum) is too short. The severity of tongue-tie can vary greatly, so much so that a person may have so mild a case they do not even notice, or in other cases the severity can cause issues like difficulty eating, impaired ability to talk, limited tongue mobility, and/or poor oral health. In the case of newborns, one of the biggest issues that a lingual frenectomy can correct is difficulty breastfeeding. Fortunately, all of these issues can typically be corrected by performing a simple lingual frenectomy procedure.

Issues That Can Develop Due to Ankyloglossia

• Difficulty Nursing: Difficulty or inability to latch and stay latched while feeding is one of the most common indicators that a child may have ankyloglossia. In addition to difficulty latching and staying latched, other indicators include the mother experiencing extreme nipple pain to the point where nursing is avoided. This in turn can result in the mother having a lower milk supply, which can cause the infant to not gain the necessary weight and thrive. Although this issue has been shown to make nursing difficult, most children with ankyloglossia do not experience the same issues when taking milk from a bottle. In most cases, parents notice an immediate and significant improvement in their child’s latching ability following a lingual frenectomy.
• Tongue-tie or altered speech: Proper enunciation of lingual sounds such as “r” and sibilants are some of the most commonly affected speaking issues for children or adults who have untreated ankyloglossia. Though a child’s ability to enunciate may be affected, research indicates that language and speech acquisition is not negatively affected by this issue. Most children and adults who have a frenectomy notice an immediate improvement in their ability to speak and enunciate.
• Reduced tongue movement: As a result of reduced tongue movement, individuals with frenum related issues often struggle to perform certain mechanical tasks, such as playing a woodwind instrument, licking their lips or an ice cream cone, or kissing. Additionally, it is not uncommon for them to have cuts or experience frequent discomfort under their tongue.
• Uncomfortable tongue posture/mouth breathing: Patients with ankyloglossia often have tongues that do not rest at the roof of their mouth, which is the ideal position for a tongue to rest. As a result, it is common for these individuals to develop mouth-breathing, which can put them at greater risk of health issues, such as enlarged adenoids and tonsils, sleep-disordered breathing, and/or chronic ear infections.
• Oral health issues: Patients with ankyloglossia are more like to develop bruxism and TMJ pain. As a result, they are also at an increased risk of tooth crowding, needing braces, and/or needing jaw surgery.
• Systemic impacts: Because the tongue is restricted, muscles in your neck and jaw are forced to compensate, which can cause other issues like muscle tightness or poor posture to develop.

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