The Recovery Process for a Frenectomy

Lip and tongue ties are more commonly diagnosed nowadays due to the fact that parents are more familiar with what symptoms to look out for. If you just learned that your child could benefit from a frenectomy, which is the treatment for these conditions, you’ll likely want to know what the recovery process will look like. Read on to learn what post-operative effects you’ll be supporting your child through, as well as how long healing will take.

What Happens During a Frenectomy?

A frenectomy is a short and generally pain-less procedure for children that involves snipping the overgrown or thick frenum (soft tissue) that connects their lips to their gums or their tongue to the floor of their mouth. This will help them regain complete mobility of these important oral features, making nursing, eating, and speaking much easier, especially if they have a more extensive lip or tongue tie.

What to Expect Immediately Following the Frenectomy

For infants and young children, you can expect your child to feel slightly uncomfortable from the procedure, although they will still be numb from the local anesthetic administered by their children’s dentist. They’ll likely need to be soothed and made to feel safe, and in some cases, swelling and bleeding can occur. However, these side-effects should be easily manageable at home with ice packs, medication, and a restricted diet.

At-Home Post-Operative Care Tips

Your child’s mouth will be sore, and they will likely need some additional cuddle time to help them relax following their procedure. In addition to this soothing, here are some ways you can help them make a speedy recovery following their frenectomy:

• Avoid having them drink from a straw for the first 48 hours.
• Avoid sour, acidic, crunchy, and hot foods.
• Maintain their regular oral hygiene routine.
• Help sooth swelling by appropriately applying an ice pack for the first 24 hours.
• Stretch the treatment area to reduce reattachment of the frenum (these stretches will be provided by their dentist).
• Thoroughly wash your hands before coming into contact with the surgical site.
• Give your child any prescribed medications and complete routine stretches.
• If sutures are present, wait between three and four days before beginning their therapy regimen.
• Expect to see a “wet scab,” or white patch in the surgical area.

If at any point you feel concerned that your child’s symptoms aren’t typical, never hesitate to reach out to their children’s dentist to make sure that everything is okay and to help minimize your anxiety. With the proper stretches and post-operative care, your child’s surgical site should begin healing within a couple of days, making a complete recovery in up to four weeks.

About the Practice

Midland Kid’s Dentist is run by two highly experienced and compassionate children’s dentists, Dr. Ramu Vuppala and Dr. Thomas Youngblood. Each of our dentists are members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and take pride in staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in dentistry. We provide safe, fast, and effective frenectomies to help infants and children gain complete movement and function of their smiles. For questions or to schedule an appointment, visit Midland Kid’s Dentist’s website or call 432-520-5437.