Tongue-tie is a condition where a child’s tongue is fused to the floor of their mouth due to their frenulum being too thick or too short. The frenulum is a small piece of tissue that attaches the tongue to the floor of the mouth.
Pediatric tongue-tie can cause many issues for your child, including making it difficult for them to feed and develop proper speech patterns. When this occurs, our Tampa Tongue Tie Center team provides a tongue tie procedure called a frenectomy to release the tongue and allow your child to feed with ease and develop normally. Read on to learn how to look after your child following their tongue-tie treatment.
What to Expect After a Frenectomy
Following your visit to our tongue tie center in Tampa for a frenectomy, your baby may experience some discomfort for a few days. However, they should be able to feed right away. If you are breastfeeding, the skin-to-skin contact will actually provide pain relief for your child. If you notice that your infant seems very uncomfortable or fussy, you can ask your dentist or medical professional for a painkiller to help with their discomfort.
You may notice some white or yellowish skin at the surgery site. While this may look scary, it is perfectly normal and will subside within a few weeks. Within two weeks, you should see the wound begin to narrow as the healing process continues. If you notice that the wound looks red and irritated, contact our office to speak to a specialist on tongue-tie for infant.
Perform Tongue and Lip Stretching Exercises
The best way to help your child heal after they get treatment for tongue-tie for baby is to perform stretching exercises. Ensure that you clean your hands before you begin. Here are some instructions for performing these exercises on your infant:
1. Gently lift the tongue toward the roof of the mouth using two fingers and lift the tongue up as high as it will go, holding it there for two seconds before letting it fall back onto your finger. This will help ensure that the tongue does not reattach to the floor of the mouth during the healing process.
2. Place a finger under your child’s upper lip and move your finger carefully from side to side for a couple of seconds.
3. Gently massage each side of the wound area to keep the muscles in your child’s tongue loose. This will allow proper movement as your tongue heals. Make sure to be gentle as the wound site will still be tender.
You can also perform sucking exercises to teach your baby how to suck properly with their new tongue, such as:
1. Rub your baby’s lower gum line from side to side gently with one finger. This will cause your baby to follow the movement with their tongue, teaching them how to properly move their tongue back and forth.
2. Place your pointer finger inside your infant’s cheek and your thumb on the outside of their cheek and massage it from side to side to alleviate tension.
By following all of these tips for post tongue tie treatment, you can rest assured that your child will reap the full benefits of the procedure. If you would like to learn more about tongue tie and your baby’s treatment options, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated team at Tampa Tongue Tie Center. We are happy to provide you with all the information you need.