What to Expect Following a Frenectomy
During the healing process, it is important to follow any after care instructions provided by our office. The primary challenge with healing after a tongue or lip-tie correction is the mouth's rapid healing abilities, which can lead to early reattachment of the tissue. Wound edges naturally shrink inward as they heal, so it's particularly important to maintain stretching exercises across the full 4-week post-procedure period to prevent reattachment during the critical healing weeks (second and third weeks).
Caring for the Treated Area
- Following your child's frenectomy, there is typically little to no bleeding. If your child experiences bleeding following the procedure, please use the gauze provided to maintain gentle pressure on the area for 10 minutes. This pressure can be repeated with new gauze up to 3 times for 30 minutes.
- For children older than 6 months, you may use Tylenol or Ibuprofen to manage pain or discomfort.
- Slight swelling around the treatment area is not uncommon.
- You may see some white spotted appearance around the edges of the treatment area. This special "bandaid" is applied by the laser to improve healing and reduce pain.
- Please use care when brushing any areas that were treated with the laser. Brushing your child’s teeth and gums with a soft brush or clean cloth helps reduce bacteria in the mouth and promotes healing. Not brushing can cause swollen or bleeding gums that can cause additional discomfort.
Stretching Exercises Following a Frenectomy
To prevent the tissues from reconnecting, we recommend performing brief sets of gentle stretching exercises several times a day rather than forceful, extended ones. It is important to maintain a calm, positive demeanor to reassure your child that not everything will be uncomfortable. During the initial days following treatment, you can expect to see a bit of spotting or bleeding.
Upper Lip Stretches:
Tongue Stretching Techniques:
Vertical Stretches:
These stretches focus on widening the healed area both vertically and horizontally, centering your effort on the midsection to prevent reattachment.
- With index fingers positioned under the tongue, lift the back portion upwards towards the roof of the mouth, fully exposing the diamond-shaped surgical site.
- Hold for 5 seconds, releasing and repeating as directed, ensuring you fully visualize the entire area.
Horizontal stretch:
- Position an index finger against the base of the wound, applying pressure downward towards the neck for 5 seconds.
- Repeat as per given instructions.
