Contents
Usually, each person has a special jumper on the mucous membrane, which helps to strengthen the lips of the jawbone. This frenulum should not interfere with normal masticatory function and speech, but anomalies occasionally occur, especially in young children.
Babies often have a gap between their front teeth. Usually the cause of the anomaly is a very short frenulum under the upper lip. To bring the teeth together and give an aesthetic appearance to the oral cavity, special systems (plates, brackets, etc.) are installed. But these actions can be carried out only after plastic surgery.
Pathology in a child
Problems that a child may have in case of a dense or short frenulum: an interdental diastema is formed (gap, gap); the smile becomes skewed, weakly expressed and unaesthetic; possible speech disorders, distortion of the pronunciation of different letters; the mucous fold stretches the interdental papilla, which leads to malocclusion.
The lack of elimination of the pathology can provoke a number of complications: it is difficult for infants to perform the function of sucking; speech organs develop with deviations, as a result of which speech therapy problems are observed; difficulties during the period of chewing products; the formation of pockets in the gums, in which food can get stuck and rot, provoking a number of inflammatory processes and complex diseases of the oral cavity; the enamel becomes sensitive and the teeth quickly deteriorate; gaps between teeth.
A wide frenulum can cause the accumulation of pathological microflora, plaque, calculus, food debris in the teeth.
Indications for plastic surgery
In the presence of pathology, there are several treatment options, the most popular of which are laser and conventional plastics, as well as surgical removal. Only surgery can correct this defect.
Who appoints the procedure
If you notice a short pathology, contact the following specialists: neonatologist, orthodontist, speech therapist, periodontist. The dentist or surgeon does not set objective guidelines for surgery.
- The neonatologist has the right to prescribe an intervention if the defect interferes with normal breastfeeding. As a rule, we are talking about the pathology of the structure of the upper lip, since it is actively involved in the sucking procedure. In some cases, this specialist can independently perform the removal of the bridge or write a referral to a pediatric surgeon.
- The speech therapist determines the anomaly when speech dysfunction, hypoplasia of the speech organs is visualized. Often, pathology is detected when a child does not clearly or incorrectly pronounce the vowels “o, u” and others, in the pronunciation of which the lips are involved. The speech therapist, unfortunately, visualizes the pathology later. In this case, the usual pruning will not correct the situation, it will be necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
- Often the need for surgical intervention regarding the frenulum is determined by the orthopedist, orthodontist and periodontist.
When to carry out the procedure
The optimal age for surgery is 5-6 years. Children under 4 years of age are not subject to correction. The beginning of cutting the mucosa should be done when the temporary front teeth have already completely fallen out, and the permanent incisors are in the eruption stage.
What complications can be visualized during the procedure before the age of five: formation of the jaw after the procedure, as a result of which a repeated intervention may be necessary in the future; the child’s upper lip performs only a third of the prescribed functions (the child does not talk, does not bite solid food, etc.).
Types of procedures
The most common types of frenulum changes are surgical intervention (cutting, removal, repositioning, etc.), as well as plastic surgery (including laser).
Surgery – This procedure is performed with a scalpel. Local anesthesia is performed in this area, after which the doctor performs the removal of the mucous membrane, which will allow you to adjust the size of the frenulum. There is some bleeding during the operation, which is normal. The duration of the procedure is usually 30 minutes. The wound heals a little more than a week, at which time it is important to adhere to a special diet (liquid food at room temperature), special attention is paid to oral hygiene (antiseptic rinses).
Plastic – the procedure allows you to trim the frenulum of the upper lip of the child with little or no anesthesia. It includes 3 different procedures: frenuloplasty (method of changing the position of the jumpers); frenectomy (cutting out the mucous fold); frenulotomy.
The narrow bridge is crossed, after which stitches are applied. With a wide bridge, the doctor pulls it and makes an incision along. At the same time, soft tissues are removed, including the interdental papilla of the central teeth.
Plastic surgery is carried out in a dispensary and lasts no more than 20 minutes. The stitches dissolve on their own after the session.
Laser cutting is a method without blood. In this case, anesthesia means the application of an anesthetic gel with an immediate effect. After the procedure, there is no swelling of the area, pain and even a scar, and the procedure itself lasts up to 5 minutes.
Rehabilitation after the procedure
Recovery after plastic or laser surgery takes a little over a week. For the first few hours, children may feel discomfort (the anesthesia will wear off). The goal of parents is to help the wound heal faster, and for this it is important to follow several important rules: follow the regular and high-quality oral hygiene of the child; for several days, the diet should consist of liquid dishes, cereals, soufflé; visit the doctor regularly for examination; perform regular exercises.
Contraindications for plastics
Among the contraindications should be noted: chronic recurrent and acute diseases of the oral cavity; viral and inflammatory processes; osteomyelitis; poor blood clotting; the presence of caries of the anterior teeth with consequences; oncological formations; diseases of the nervous system, blood diseases; systemic diseases of the body at the active stage.