IT’S COMMON to be tongue-tied in the sense of not being able to get your words out, but a tongue tie is also an actual medical condition, as is a lip tie. These conditions are caused by frena, which is the medical term for pieces of tissue in the mouth. One frenum connects the floor of the mouth to the tongue, and another connects the upper gums to the upper lips. These aren’t the only two frena we have, but they’re important for this topic.
Normal Versus Abnormal Frena
A normal frenum is thin and very stretchy, allowing unrestricted mobility of the lips and the tongue, which is essential for normal talking, chewing, and swallowing. If the tongue or upper lip frenum is unusually tight or thick, it can restrict movement and make each function harder. This is a lip tie or tongue tie.
A person with a tongue tie may not be able to lift their tongue to touch the roof of their mouth, causing significant difficulties in chewing, word pronunciation, and swallowing. A person with a lip tie may have a higher risk of gum recession or a large gap between their upper front teeth. In infancy, they may not be able to latch while breastfeeding effectively.
How We Treat Tongue and Lip Ties
Fortunately, with modern dentistry, there’s an easy fix for tongue and lip ties. Our practice is now offering SOLEA laser procedures. Solea enables us to do most hard and soft tissue procedures in our office with virtually no anesthesia, and soft tissue procedures are done with almost no bleeding. Blood-free and anesthesia-free procedures represent a significant leap forward in dentistry, as we can execute multi-quadrant dentistry, fillings on the fly, and soft tissue procedures in a single appointment.
Our Sawgrass kids will now be able to receive the care they need in a fraction of the time.
With Solea, your child can go out to lunch or right back to school without that numb sensation following their appointment.
Your Dentist Can Diagnose a Lip or Tongue Tie
For most of us, frena aren’t something we ever have to think about because they aren’t causing us problems, but if you believe yours or your child might be interfering with the normal function of the lips or tongue, schedule an appointment with the dentist to find out.
Taking care of our patient’s smiles is what makes us smile!
The content on this blog is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.