Frenectomy

 
 

Infant frenectomy

Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) is a condition present at birth that restricts the tongue's range of motion. With tongue-tie, an unusually short, thick or tight band of tissue (lingual frenulum) tethers the bottom of the tongue's tip to the floor of the mouth, so it may interfere with breast-feeding. The most common procedure to fix a tongue or lip-tie is an infant frenectomy. A frenectomy refers to the removal of the frenulum, or small fold of tissue, that causes tongue and lip-tie.

 

Frenectomy

A frenectomy is the procedure in which the lingual frenulum is cut. It is done when the frenulum seems unusually short or tight, often referred to as a “tongue-tie”. Tongue ties prevent the tongue from being able to have the full range of motion that they ought to. A loose frenum allows the tongue to move further upwards or out of the mouth. If a person has restricted tongue movement, a tongue tie is likely to blame.