Tongue & Lip Fraenectomy

Tongue Fraenectomy

In our mouths, there are some attachments all along the sides of the cheek to the gum regions. One of the most noticeable attachments will be the one that links your tongue to the floor of the mouth in the centre of the lower jaw. This is called the lingual frenum. This can be short or tight in some patients, limiting tongue movements. This condition is known as ankyloglossia or more commonly “tongue tie”. In certain patients, speech and eating may be affected as well as the ability of the tongue to rest in the palate and develop the upper jaw.

The procedure to ‘release’ the tongue tie (Fraenectomy) is a fairly simple procedure and can be done by Dr. de Villiers using a soft tissue laser and local anesthetic.

LIP FRAENECTOMY

The upper and lower lips can also be tied and this causes a gap between the teeth as well as limitation of the movement of the lips.The gap caused by the active lip creates a space that is needed for the front teeth to erupt into the correct position.

The procedure to ‘release’ the lip tie (fraenectomy) is a fairly simple procedure and can be done by Dr. de Villiers using a soft tissue laser and local anesthetic.