2023-04-23 15:02:00
When Viih Tube and Eliezer told that their newborn daughter, Lua, had to undergo a frenectomy in the first week of life, many people were scared by the term. Usually, this procedure is extremely common and prevents the child from being tongue-tied.
Exactly because it is simple and easy to do, however, the topic is the subject of discussion among physicians: some claim that the diagnosis can be very early and without due care when assessing the need for intervention.
Pediatric dental surgeon Fabiana Pimentel explains that the procedure consists of a small cut in the excess membrane that is below the tongue (causing the tongue to stick) or in the upper lip, between the incisors (causing diastema, a larger than usual space between the upper teeth from the front).
Since 2014, the Ministry of Health has enacted the Protocol for the Assessment of the French Language in Babies, better known as the “Linguinha Test”, carried out in maternity hospitals shortly after birth.
However, the SBP (Brazilian Society of Pediatrics) filed a request to repeal the law in 2019, arguing that this test causes unnecessary surgical interventions and makes it difficult to identify more serious cases. To date, there has been no revocation.
For the pediatric dentist, the need to make this type of diagnosis early helps in breastfeeding the child.
“What is most popularly known is the tongue tie, in speech, but this anatomy can make the baby unable to breastfeed properly, in addition to being able to impair the entry of air into the nasal brakes, disturbing breathing, and causing a later use of dental devices”, he says.
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Why do?
Breastfeeding was one of the problems listed by Viih Tube. “Lua was born with a ‘brake’ on her tongue, and before having the frenectomy she breastfed. She had a suction bubble, she did several things.”
The expert points out that incorrect breastfeeding can lead to low weight, which can progress to malnutrition. Bubbles usually represent that the baby is ingesting more air than the milk, which, in turn, tends to cause discomfort, such as colic or gas.
In addition, it is common for the mother’s breasts to present wounds and the milk to begin to “stone”, causing pain and discomfort. “I think that, in relation to the benefits [da frenectomia]the risk is practically zero”, he says.
The complications that can be caused by the procedure involve, in addition to local pain, small hemorrhages or inflammation of the points. The anesthesia given by the medical team is local or topical.
in adults
According to the specialist, the mandatory tongue test was one of the factors that contributed to the indication to parents to opt for surgical intervention as soon as possible.
“There’s no problem doing it as a child or as an adult, it’s still simple, it’s just not common today that it’s not done as a baby”, he says.
As with the baby, the cut in the membrane is done quickly and under local anesthesia, giving the patient two days of recovery at home.
In this situation, support from a speech therapist is usually necessary — both in childhood, to improve diction, and later, to readapt.
It is also common for the brake to impact the dentition, which can be corrected in the future with orthodontic appliances.
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