The child’s correct speech and acceptable appearance depends on the development of an imperceptible formation, such as the frenulum of the upper lip, located in the gingival region. The future bite of the child depends on it.
Pathology in development can affect breastfeeding, cause inflammation of the nipples in the mother. The future health of the child depends on the correct determination of the cause of its appearance. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to independently identify problems; often a defect is discovered much later.
Problems in the development of the oral cavity
The main inconvenience is caused by the short bridle of the upper lip in the child when the fastening is below 5-7 mm of the upper part of the incisors. A diagnosis is made if it is not possible to determine the junction.
There are the following undesirable aspects that are formed when the bridle is improperly developed:
- Causes problems in mothers of newborn babies.
- The shape of the bite is broken.
- Over time, an increase in the gap between the upper incisors may occur.
- Gum troubles: pockets and inflammation of the mucosa.
- Some children have defects in conversation.
Incorrect tooth arrangement will have to be corrected by the dentist. The surgeon will perform an operation on the tissues to perform a trimming of the frenulum of the upper lip in children. A constantly open mouth will lead to the ingestion of harmful microbes, which will reduce the protective function of the body. The nasal mucosa does not 100% clean the air entering the lungs, but much more bacteria penetrate the mouth.
Diagnosis of a pathological condition
The problem of disturbances in the development of connective tissue with the help of an external examination of the patient is established. A broken bite indicates a problem. How is an offset formed?
When the milk teeth have already fallen out and new, permanent ones have grown, the frenulum of the upper lip in the child pulls the upper jaw along with it during its intensive work with food. Constant pressure gradually acts on the soft tissues, the bridge between the gum and lip is stretched. In most children, the condition normalizes with age, but the percentage of defective cases still exists.
What are the consequences of pathology?
Discomfort sometimes causes diseases of the oral cavity, such as:
- periodontitis;
- gingivitis;
- gum decline.
Gingivitis, in turn, can cause exposure of the neck of the tooth. Decreasing the gums provokes the development of other diseases of the tooth: bleeding, inflammation of the tissues around the tooth or leads to its final loss. External defects appear with a smile: plaque forms on the cervical space, suppuration, the roots are visible. Inflammatory processes affect the gum itself. The formation of the so-called pocket leads to loosening of the tooth.
A short bridle of the upper lip turns into an unpleasant symptom - an increase in tooth sensitivity. Reception of hot tea or cold milk is accompanied by pain.
Pathology in the development of the lip leads the child to a speech therapist, since problems arise in the pronunciation of some sounds. The bridle interferes with the free movement of the tongue, stretching when trying to publish a guttural tone.
What is the difference between the pathology of the lower mouth?
By analogy with the upper part, a lower one is also formed in mirror reflection. All of the above pathologies that form the bridle of the upper lip, also occur in this case.
An important place is occupied by the process of developing a nipple for breastfeeding in women. Trimming the frenulum of the upper lip in children is still in the hospital. If pathology occurs, the proper vacuum will not form between the mouth and the nipple of the mother. This will lead to pain and a complete abandonment of the child's milk.
In case of developmental disorders, the lower incisors suffer, the gum is exposed, the gaps between the teeth increase, carious conditions appear. If the upper lip becomes a hare, then the lower one becomes like a donkey.
Comparison with animals will clearly tell parents that they need to visit a surgeon and perform plastic surgery - undercutting. In addition to the listed oral defects, there are cases of violation of the length of the frenum of the tongue. Here there are significant problems in the pronunciation of all sounds, its movement is limited.
Here is an image showing the bridle of the upper lip. The photo below illustrates the problem area and cosmetic defect in the development of pathology. Sometimes it is necessary to trim it during dental treatment at the dentist.
How to remove a defect?
A short bridle of the upper lip in a child is subject to correction in an operational way. Tissue repair - the operation is painless and takes little time. She has age restrictions: the child must be at least 7 years old. Milk teeth should have time to fall out and grow new, permanent.
The exception is cases when the mother suffers from inconvenience when breastfeeding - then the operation is carried out in the hospital. In other options, a natural correction of the frenum with age is possible.
Doctors choose the moment for the incision during the onset of molar growth. In the process of bite formation, the gap between adjacent incisors is closed.
The methods of treatment are applicable for conditions when the frenulum of the upper lip and lower lip interferes, as well as for correcting problems in the free movement of the tongue.
Editing pathology in a clinic
There are three types of adjustment of the length of the bridle: undercutting with a scalpel or laser, excision and tearing. The latter occurs randomly during the active activities of the child. The disadvantage is uneven seam formation. The growth can also be displaced and interfere with the normal functionality of the mouth.
This condition cannot be ignored. First of all, the place of rupture is treated with a solution of a disinfectant. After this, you should visit the surgeon and trim the gaps - he will impose even seams.
Additional diagnosis of the child’s jaw may be necessary if the frenulum of the upper lip is torn due to trauma. The picture will clearly show if the teeth are damaged.
In professional medicine, other names for bridle operations are used: frenuloplasty - surgical fusion of the frenulum, frenotomy is defined as dissection and phrenectomy means excision.
Operation Correction
Before the incision, the patient is examined by an orthodontist, surgeon and speech therapist. The dentist makes a not so significant contribution to the formation of the direction for the surgical method of treating the bridle. The restriction is imposed on the period until all 4 upper incisors are cut.
When working with a scalpel, local anesthesia is performed. After the operation, a barely visible seam may remain, absorbable within a month. The frenulum of the upper lip is significantly injured with this method. Anesthesia may cause a small edema.
How is the operation performed?
If the frenulum of the upper lip is wide enough for a longitudinal incision with a scalpel, then dissect along. The surgeon sutures perpendicular to the line of motion of the knife.
Cut across if the child has a narrow frenum of the lip. The upper jaw gives a normal look due to the release of the front part. Tissues between the teeth are removed with a scalpel by excision.
The gap between the teeth can be closed by dental methods. After surgery, the bite is corrected by installing braces for a long time. Another way is to close the canal with veneers - a seal made of ceramic or white composite materials.
Device defect correction
Recently, the frenulum of the upper lip is corrected by a laser. This method has a huge advantage over dissection with a scalpel or knife. As a local anesthetic, a special gel is used, applied directly to the cut site.
Unlike the surgical method, suturing is not required - the wound is cauterized and immediately becomes normal. The process is similar to the process of soldering polymer materials.
The seam is formed instantly, no more than 15 minutes are spent on the entire procedure. Accordingly, the recovery period is reduced by three times.
If the operation is performed in a small child, then after visiting the clinic you need to immediately start feeding. It is required to develop a bridle every day until complete recovery.
Compare fixes
A scalpel cuts through the skin, damaging blood vessels. Bleeding forms, inflammatory processes are possible during the recovery period. The frenulum of the lower lip heals for a long time, saliva, drunken liquid and food constantly accumulate there.
An adult can adhere to a diet and once again not irritate the receptors with delicious food, but what if the operation is performed in infants? A medical device for correcting a bridle comes to the rescue - a laser.
An experienced specialist performs the procedure in a dental clinic. A hospitalization for this method is not required. We single out the main advantages of laser surgery before the conventional surgical method:
- speed, profitability, safety;
- lack of a noticeable seam;
- painlessness;
- edema does not form at all, since there is no bleeding;
- cauterizing a wound, the laser disinfects the incision site, the risk of inflammatory processes is reduced;
- the method is preferable for young children, the child is only going to scream, and the operation has already ended.
Correct the bridle in an operational way costs within a few thousand rubles. The price for eliminating a defect by a device varies within 10 thousand. Most people with lip defects choose the last method of getting rid of a short bridle.
Preparation before surgery
To go through the procedure for adjusting the frenulum of the upper lip, visit a speech therapist and orthopedist for advice. A baby is recommended to be fed before the procedure in order to avoid problems during the operation.
Special training for surgery is not required. The whole process is safe for tissues. The only recommendation is the purity of the oral cavity, which should be ensured before going to the doctor.