The short frenulum in children

The so-called lingual frenum is a fold of mucous membrane that joins the free part of the tongue with the lower surface of the mouth, just behind the teeth. Many children at birth have a frenulum that is too short , which prevents them from moving the language properly and which can affect language

The so-called lingual frenum is a fold of mucous membrane that joins the free part of the tongue with the lower surface of the mouth, just behind the teeth.

Many children at birth have a frenulum that is too short, which prevents them from moving the language properly and which can affect language development due to a bad pronunciation of the words. It is usually detected between 2 and 3 years of age and the most serious cases can be solved with a small surgical operation.

What is the short frenulum in children

When this mucous fold does not grow enough or appears very close to the tip of the tongue, the child is said to have a short frenulum or ankyloglossia. It is a congenital anomaly that can prevent the child from sticking out his tongue beyond the line of the teeth and that usually hinders the movement necessary to produce certain sounds.

In addition, this problem may have repercussions on breastfeeding in its more developed cases, since the baby uses the tongue to suck the breast milk.

Children's frenulum and language

Children born with a short frenulum may have limited ability to speak due to reduced movement of the tongue inside the mouth. The sounds produced by its contact with the palate, such as the consonants 'n', 's', 'z', 'l', 't' and 'd', are more complicated for them, especially the pronunciation of the 'r'. Most children with this problem usually adapt and their speech development becomes acceptable.

Treatment of the short frenulum in children

Usually, the abnormality of the frenulum that affects the language is treated after 2 years, when the babies begin to speak more fluently. It is important that if pronunciation problems detecta are detected in the child, a speech therapist or speech therapist is asked to assess the best treatment and to rule out neurological complications that affect speech. The short lingual frenulum can be solved with a

conservation treatment if the reduction of the membranous fold is slight or close to the normal limit. In more advanced cases, when the tongue can not come out in front of the incisors, it is advisable to submit the child to a surgical procedure called frenectomy, in which the tissue is lengthened. Patricia García

. Editor of GuiaInfantil.com