What’s the Difference Between a Frenectomy & Frenotomy?

Over the last decade, lip and tongue-tie diagnoses have drastically increased due to more parents being educated about why their child may be experiencing difficulty breastfeeding, digestive issues, or speech impairments. While this is definitely a “win” for modern technology and parents everywhere, it’s important to know that there are multiple treatment options depending on your child’s unique situation. Read on to learn the difference between a frenectomy and frenotomy.

What are Lip & Tongue-Ties?

Lip and tongue-ties are congenital conditions that can impair a child’s ability to move their lips and tongue. The frenulum is a small piece of tissue that connects their lips to their gums and their tongue to the floor of the mouth, and when it’s overgrown, too thick, or too long, it can affect your little one’s day-to-day function.

Lip & Tongue-Tie Treatments

Fortunately, lip and tongue-tie treatments have been around since the 18^th century. The main difference is that today, they’re faster, less invasive, and more comfortable for children thanks to advancements in modern technology, like the invention of the soft tissue laser.

Frenectomy

A frenectomy is when your child’s dentist will completely remove the frenulum from your child’s lips and/or tongue. This will free up the movement of their mouth to allow them to better breastfeed, chew, and digest their food. Frenectomies don’t require anesthesia and are quick treatments.

Frenotomy

A frenotomy is specific to a tongue-tie and involves their dentist trimming their frenulum and repositioning it to allow them greater control of their mouth. The procedure is fast and doesn’t require any anesthesia.

How Can You Tell if Your Child Has a Lip or Tongue-Tie?

There are several overarching symptoms that can alert you to whether your child has a lip or tongue-tie, or both. Some of these include:

• Difficulty breastfeeding, including your child having a hard time latching properly
• Making clicking sounds while nursing
• Poor weight gain and digestive conditions like colic
• Excessive drooling

If you notice any of these signs, be sure to have your child professionally examined by a dentist to determine whether they have a lip or tongue-tie that’s affecting their eating habits and digestion. If so, they can inform you whether a frenectomy or a frenotomy can help restore their oral movement, preventing additional problems down the road, like speech impairments and digestive issues.

About the Author

As a mother herself, Dr. Garcia-DeMartino is passionate about taking the time to listen to parents and understand their concerns. She uses her expertise as a dentist as well as the latest, safest technology, like a soft tissue laser, to help treat lip and tongue-ties in infants and children to improve their day-to-day lives. For questions or to learn more, please visit her website or call 908-859-5260.