At what age should babies undergo surgery for short lip frenulum?

It is a very common phenomenon for children to have short lip ties. Generally, this symptom in babies can be corrected through surgery. The best time for correction for most babies is around 2 years old. Parents also need to pay more attention to their diet, try to maintain a balanced nutrition, and do not let their children be picky about food. They should feed their children more foods high in protein and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.

The lip tie is a tendon that connects the tongue to the lower jaw. It allows the tongue to move freely and can also be stuck out of the mouth or licked upwards to the upper palate of the mouth. Short height in infants and young children before the age of 2 should not be considered abnormal. Symptoms such as the tongue being unable to extend out of the mouth and unable to lick the roof of the mouth indicate that the lip frenulum may be too short and require surgical treatment.

When a normal newborn is born, the frenulum of the tongue extends to or close to the tip of the tongue. As the body develops, the frenulum gradually moves closer to the root of the tongue. The tongue development will only occur in children after the age of 2, so a shorter tongue in infants and young children before the age of 2 should not be considered abnormal.

How to judge whether the tongue tie is too short? The following are the main manifestations of a tongue tie that is too short:

1. The tongue cannot stick out of the mouth.

2. The tongue cannot reach the upper lip.

3. The extended tongue forms an inverted M shape.

4. When the tongue is extended outward, the tip of the tongue is V-shaped or backward and square.

5. The tongue cannot pass through the roof of the mouth and cannot move flexibly left and right in the mouth.

Currently, many doctors do not advocate surgical correction too early in infancy. Tongue-tie that has affected pronunciation can be lengthened surgically as early as possible. But only a few cases require surgical treatment. The surgical method is very simple. Just make a horizontal incision along the sublingual part under local anesthesia, and then suture longitudinally to achieve the purpose of lengthening. The stitches do not need to be removed after the operation and can be allowed to fall off on their own.

If parents find that their child's frenulum is short, they do not need to rush to deal with it and can observe whether it will develop normally. If the child's speech is unclear, you need to take him to a professional pediatrician for consultation. Do not handle it on your own. In daily life, parents should pay more attention to observing their children's small habits and promptly discover any health risks that their children may have.