The frenulum of the tongue (tongue web) is a little fold of mucous membrane that extends from the floor of the mouth to the midline of the tongue’s underside as explained by an NE Philadelphia dentist. Its function is to help anchor the tooth in the mouth and control tongue movements. The tongue frenulum is sometimes referred to as the lingual frenulum. In this blog post, we will talk about types of frenulum, abnormal attachment, and treatment.
Types of Frenulum
There are two basic types of frenulum in your mouth:
Labial frenulum – This form of frenulum is located at the front of the mouth, between the top lip and the gum. His counterpart is located between the lower gums and the lower lip. If there is a problem with this type of frenulum, it might affect the way your teeth grow and your overall dental health. It is very effective in pulling your gums away from a tooth, revealing the root.
The lingual frenulum: is placed between the floor of the mouth and the base of the tongue. It comes in a variety of sizes and might occasionally hinder your tongue’s movement. This signifies that the frenulum is tight, a condition known as tongue-tie. If this happens, it can affect the way the tongue moves in your mouth. This problem is especially annoying for babies because it makes it hard for a baby to feed properly.
Abnormal attachment
The lingual frenulum typically stretches from the bottom of your mouth to the center of your tongue. However, in rare circumstances, it may be unusually attached. An improperly connected lingual frenulum might have an impact on a baby’s nutritional and developmental achievements. Because of this, it is regularly examined at birth. Tongue knot, also known as ankyloglossia, is caused by a short lingual frenulum.
What complications are connected with tongue tie?
Tongue-tie, also known as ankyloglossia, is a functional restriction of the tongue that results in varied degrees of difficulties with tongue movement, speech issues, or eating, swallowing, or sucking. The most common areas of concern are breastfeeding issues and speaking challenges.
Treating a short lingual frenulum
Treatment of a short lingual frenulum might be debatable. If no feeding or developmental issues are observed, your doctor may choose a careful waiting strategy. This is because the lingual frenulum can gradually grow with age. If therapy is essential, there are two options:
- Frenuloplasty: This more complicated technique helps to loosen the lingual frenulum and is conducted under general anesthesia.
- Frenotomy: This method is commonly done in neonates, and it entails swiftly cutting or clipping the lingual frenulum with sterilized scissors.
