If you have speech problems because of a frenum in your mouth, a frenectomy may be just the procedure you need. A frenum is a muscular attachment between two tissues inside the mouth.
There are two kinds of frenum. A labial or maxillary frenum or lip tie is tissue that connects the inside of the upper lip to the center of the gums between the two upper front teeth. The presence of a frenum can create a gap between the teeth. A lingual frenum is a tissue connecting the bottom middle of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and it's the most problematic when it comes to speech impediments.
What is a Frenectomy?
A frenectomy is a relatively routine procedure in which our dentist removes a frenum. For labial frenum, we typically wait until the two upper front teeth come in, to proceed with surgery, but in some cases, where the labial frenum causes pain in children, we perform the procedure at a young age.
Speech problems are usually more related to lingual frenum because the tongue cannot extend as it should when forming words. This is commonly known as being 'tongue-tied' and can prevent a patient from eating and speaking correctly.
A labial frenectomy can help with oral discomfort or self-consciousness due to the gap between the two front teeth. With a lingual frenectomy, the most significant improvements patients see is that their ability to speak or eat improves enormously. In some cases, a frenectomy is also advisable to prepare a patient for orthodontic treatment.
If you think that you or your child needs a frenectomy to make speaking more natural, let us know about your concerns and we will gladly answer any questions you may have about this procedure. We can tell you that a frenectomy is minimally invasive and done in the office.
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