A shortened frenum of the tongue is a fairly common occurrence among newborns. This anomaly is easily diagnosed and, if necessary, is quickly eliminated.
Than the short frenum of the tongue threatens
The hyoid frenulum is a thin membrane that connects the tongue to the lower jaw. Sometimes this membrane is not of sufficient length, which limits the mobility of the tongue, in this case they speak of ankyloglossia - a shortened frenum of the tongue. With such an anomaly, the child is not able to stick out his tongue - he bends to the lower lip or takes on the shape of a heart.
A short hypoglossal frenum can cause a newborn to have problems sucking on the mother's breast, as the membrane prevents the baby from wrapping tightly around the mother's nipple. Such a baby will not be able to feed on breast milk normally, it will be bad to gain weight and often be capricious. The short frenulum makes it difficult for the tongue to move in the mouth. It is difficult for a child to raise his tongue and touch it to the upper palate, he cannot stick the tip of his tongue out of his mouth. This can lead in the future to various speech defects, for example, to the so-called lisp. A shortened hypoglossal frenum can also contribute to the formation of a malocclusion in a child and a displacement of the dentition.
Doctors still cannot name the exact cause of this anomaly, but it has long been noted that the defect is most often inherited.
A neonatologist can immediately recognize the problem and solve it in the maternity hospital in the first days of a child's life. If the defect is not too strong, then the specialist can postpone the question of cutting for a while, during which the bridle can stretch a little and return to normal.
If the parents nevertheless begin to notice that the baby is not sucking well at the breast and is constantly naughty, does not gorge itself, then you should contact a surgeon or dentist.
If your child is already large, and you suspect that he has such a defect, do the following: ask him to raise his tongue and touch it to the upper palate. If he can do it without difficulty, then everything is in order. And if this causes difficulty, and you see that the membrane is tightly stretched and does not allow the tongue to rise up, then your baby still has a short hypoglossal frenulum.
How and when to trim a bridle
It is best to trim the bridle at a very early age, up to a year. This is an extremely simple and practically painless procedure. It is carried out either in the surgical department of the polyclinic at the place of residence or in the dental clinic. In infancy, the operation is performed without anesthesia, with special scissors, and mother's milk will help stop the blood. The procedure itself will take 5-10 minutes. At an older age, the plastic of the frenum is performed under local anesthesia, if necessary, sutures are applied. At an older age, this procedure can also be performed with a laser using an anesthetic gel. In any case, cutting the bridle does not cause any complications and the sooner you perform this procedure, the better for your baby.
