What is short lingual frenulum or ankyloglossia?
The short lingual frenulum or ankyloglossia is a small vertical mucous membrane that joins the most anterior part of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Sometimes, in infants, this frenulum is shorter than normal and is anchored, limiting tongue movements and can cause problems when suckling. In older children we can also observe this same problem, it is recognized by the difficulty in swallowing or even in the pronunciation of some letters. For this reason, it is very important to have the baby checked during the first year of life.
How can we detect it?
Some signs that may lead us to think that our child has a short frenulum or ankyloglossia are:
- Discomfort or pain when breastfeeding. Breastfeeding should not cause any kind of discomfort, so the pain and even the appearance of cracks in the nipples could make us think that our baby is having some difficulty expressing milk.
- Poor weight gain of the child, indicating that the child is not getting adequate nutrition.
- Hypogalactia or lack of milk production due to lack of adequate stimulation to produce milk or, conversely, excess milk production in an attempt by the mammary gland to compensate for the problem.
- Grooved tongue shape and little flexibility.
- Palate shape and morphology of the face, as well as functional aspects of the tongue that should be evaluated by specialized health personnel.
- Difficulty in pronouncing some letters such as D, L, N, R and T because they need to rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth and the tongue does not rise high enough.
How is short lingual frenulum or ankyloglossia treated?
The intervention or treatment to free the frenulum, known as frenectomy, is very simple and is performed under local anesthesia. The cutting of the frenulum does not require stitches and the care is very simple. Once it is done, the child can go home and the only special consideration is that he/she will have to perform a series of exercises that will help the rehabilitation of the mobility of his/her tongue. Not all short braces need to be operated, and each case is different, so the first step is to make a detailed evaluation of the case to assess the decision. If you suspect that your child may have lingual frenulum problems, do not hesitate to consult us, do not hesitate to consult usbecause early identification can prevent problems avoid problems breastfeeding, pronunciation and bite problems.
Pediatric Dentist in Ilzarbe Clinic
Illustrious Official College of Dentists and Stomatologists of Valencia: N.Col. 46004159
