Frenum Releases

If you’ve noticed your baby struggling to latch or your child having trouble pronouncing certain words, a tongue-tie may be the cause. Tongue-ties and lip-ties are common conditions that can affect feeding, speech, and oral health — but they’re also very treatable.

A tongue-tie, otherwise known as ankyloglossia, is a developmental anomaly of the tongue. The condition means that a piece of tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth – called the lingual frenum or frenulum is shorter and tighter than normal.

This results in the limitation of tongue movement. It can range in severity from mild cases with little significance to complete tethers which can interfere with your child’s ability to eat, speak and maintain oral hygiene.

If you notice nursing challenges, speech concerns or restricted tongue movements, we recommend an evaluation with a pediatric dental specialist. We can assess your child’s anatomy and determine if a tongue-tie revision would be beneficial.

1. Difficulty with breastfeeding including: nipple pain for the mother, difficulties in latching and remaining latched
2. Clicking sounds when nursing
3. Inadequate weight gain or getting tired while feeding
4. Speech challenges including unclear pronunciations
5. Trouble lifting tongue, licking lips or sticking tongue out
6. Trouble cleaning food of teeth especially at the back – difficulty with oral hygiene
7. Gum recession on the tongue side of bottom front teeth
8. Visible tight tissue under the tongue

An upper lip-tie occurs when the tissue connecting the upper lip to the gum is too thick or tight. This can restrict movement of the upper lip and the attachment can interfere with maintaining optimal oral hygiene of the upper front teeth or create space closure issues during orthodontic treatment.

Releasing this tissue can help improve lip mobility, allow for easier brushing and flossing and support closure of space between upper permanent teeth.

A lower lip-tie often contributes to tension on the gums of the lower front teeth. Overtime, this pulling tension can contribute to gum recession and suboptimal oral hygiene. Releasing a lower lip-tie would alleviate the downward pressure, protect gums and promotes healthier oral hygiene.

Most children recover quickly and comfortably. After the procedure – mild soreness and swelling may occur for a couple days. The majority of your child’s discomfort will diminish after the first 24 hours after the procedure.

If they experience any pain, you can administer over the counter analgesics (such as Tylenol®) according to your child’s age and weight. Natural methods of pain relief are preferred for infants such as breastfeeding and providing skin-to-skin contact.

If you are breastfeeding, you may nurse your baby right after the procedure — even while in the operatory.

At home, post-procedure, we recommend gentle exercises for stretching, maintaining optimal oral hygiene, soft foods and plenty of fluids and to follow all post-operative care advice.

The mouth has an amazing ability to heal quickly and the mobility of the tongue will improve as the frenum release area heals.

Please note that a small amount of spotting or bleeding is common for few days.

You may notice a small white or yellow “healing patch” (diamond-shaped area) under the tongue or lip. This is a normal, soft scab that forms as part of the healing process. It may appear more prominent by day 5, then gradually shrink and disappear over the following weeks.

A tongue-tie can effect more than just feeding and speech. Your tongue can influence how your child grows, eats and communicates. A release may have lifelong benefits. If you suspect your child may require assistance with a tongue-tie, our team is here to provide an assessment and discuss with you recommendations with your family.