Short frenulum of the tongue. Trim or stretch?

Unfortunately, even parents who are not privy to medical subtleties are familiar with the opinion that a short frenulum of the tongue in a child is the cause of speech therapy problems.
Why "Unfortunately"? Because it is ignorance of the material that leads to a clear decision - the bridle needs to be trimmed! Do you remember in the film “Pokrovsky Gate” the characteristic female surgeon with her famous phrase “Cut!.. without waiting for peritonitis”? So the same thing often happens to the poor bridle. However, as experience shows, there is not always only one way out. Not every case of the so-called “short frenulum” requires radical measures.

What is a short frenulum of the tongue?

The frenulum is a thin partition that connects the tongue and the lower oral cavity. Normally, the frenulum is quite elastic, stretches well and is attached to the tongue in its middle part.

An abnormal structure may be the location of the frenulum closer to the edge of the tongue or even at its tip. In addition, a significant decrease in its elasticity, that is, its ability to stretch, is possible.

So in fact, the concept of “short bridle” is not entirely correct. Therefore, there is no clear solution to this issue.

Lengthening methods

There are two ways to lengthen the tongue: the first way is surgery, that is, surgery; the second way is to lengthen the tongue at home with the help of exercises. True, the second method requires a long time and a lot of effort. To lengthen the tongue, they use a set of exercises that must be performed every day, otherwise there will be no result.

What is the problem with the incorrect structure of the frenulum of the tongue?

In infants, an abnormal frenulum structure can cause difficulty sucking. In this case, the problem is solved in the maternity hospital by pruning. If the baby is still able to eat normally, doctors try to leave the situation alone, giving, as they say, time to grow. Indeed, in many cases, along with the growth of the jaw, the frenulum gradually stretches and takes on a normal shape.

In older children, a short hyoid frenulum creates some speech therapy difficulties:

• Difficulties arise with the pronunciation of hissing sounds.
• Correct reproduction of sonorants is not possible.

To pronounce the so-called upper lingual sounds, you need to raise the tip of your tongue upward. An insufficiently elastic bridle prevents this from being done.

However, it is very important to understand that it is not “responsible” for all speech problems. So if a child has a delay in speech development, syllables and sounds are “confused” in speech, a limited vocabulary or other problems, a short frenulum has nothing to do with it. The speech therapist will suggest effective methods of correction.

In what cases is it possible to increase girth

Women monitor their weight not only to maintain health, but also to choose the right clothes. The body of the fair half of humanity is an unstable system. Hormonal levels change constantly. Not only the girth of the breast changes, but also its elasticity and shape. After failures, everything returns to normal over a long period of time. Don't run out and buy underwear every time you notice minor changes. You can increase the volume of your bra yourself.

How to check if a child has a short frenulum

The presence of difficulties with the frenulum can be easily determined independently:

1. Open your mouth slightly and place the tip of your tongue in the area behind your upper teeth. In this position, the place of attachment of the frenulum is clearly visible. If it is not “where it needs to be,” it is difficult to lift the tongue up.
2. Pull your tongue forward. A short frenulum does not allow this to be done; in addition, the tip of the tongue visually looks forked
3. Open your mouth and try to touch your upper lip with your tongue and lick it. Difficulties with the bridle make this movement difficult to perform.

Please note: sometimes a child cannot cope with these exercises not because there is something wrong with the frenulum. The cause may be weak muscles of the articulatory apparatus. Take a clean handkerchief and try to help your tongue. If resistance is felt when moving, then the problem is still in the hyoid frenulum.

How to correct malocclusion and tongue position.

There must be an integrated approach. Modern orthodontics offers various ways to straighten teeth. But as we have already seen, straightening teeth is ineffective without eliminating the causes leading to these changes.

Therefore, the solution to the problem of malocclusion should be aimed at the entire complex of pathological changes: restoration of the anatomically correct position of the tongue, development of the correct stereotype of swallowing, chewing, head position, posture.

Osteopathic treatment offers exactly this approach: restoration or formation of the correct relationship of anatomical structures

1. Correction of weakened or excessively tense muscles of the face, neck, floor of the mouth and the tongue itself, this will lead to the restoration of the correct position of the tongue in the oral cavity and uniform participation of the corresponding muscle chains in the processes of chewing and swallowing.
2. The effect on the bone structures that form the cavities of the nose and mouth leads to the restoration of the physiological volumes of these cavities and helps improve nasal breathing, chewing, swallowing and speech.

3. Motor innervation of the tongue, swallowing and chewing is provided by the hypoglossal nerve, which exits the cranial cavity through the canal of the hypoglossal nerve, where in some cases it may be compressed. Until a certain age, mobility is maintained in this zone and using osteopathic methods it is possible to restore the physiological correspondence of these anatomical structures.

Who to contact for help

Depending on the complexity of the situation, an orthodontist or speech therapist will help you cope with the problem. In any case, it makes sense to first get a consultation to decide what method of correction the child needs.

The dentist will carefully trim the frenulum, relieving the child of discomfort with one movement of his hand. However, recently doctors still recommend leaving surgical intervention as a last resort. An experienced speech therapist will offer a set of exercises and massage to stretch the frenulum.

Experts say that there are not many situations when the hyoid frenulum is absolutely unable to stretch. In almost all cases, a conservative approach achieves results.

Parents can evaluate the pros and cons of different approaches on their own.

Surgical method:

• A quick, radical solution to the problem.
• The operation is performed using anesthesia.
• The healing process takes some time and is uncomfortable.
• Dietary restrictions due to surgery.
• It is advisable to maintain vocal rest for several days.
• Psychological trauma in the child is possible.
• After the operation, classes with a speech therapist are necessary to correct sound pronunciation.

Frenum stretching method:

• Conservative, does not cause psychological difficulties in the child.
• Effective in most cases.
• Does not require changes to your usual routine.
• It takes some time (several months).
• Requires discipline and regular practice.

In any case, to resolve the issue, you need to consult a speech therapist.

Surgery and rehabilitation

You can make your tongue longer in the surgical department of a public hospital or use the services of a private clinic. This type of therapy is considered a type of plastic surgery to restore the physiologically correct length of the hypoglossal ligament.

To dissect tissue, traditional surgical instruments in the form of a scalpel are used, or a laser is used.

The table below describes the step-by-step process of tongue lengthening surgery:

When using laser equipment, the dentist performs the same actions, but the tissue of the hypoglossal ligament is dissected using a laser beam.

Komodo dragon or Komodo dragon

The Komodo dragon or Komodo dragon (lat. Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world. It is also called the "land crocodile". The lizard itself grows up to 3 meters in length, and its tongue – up to 70 cm. Komodo dragons weigh about 70 kg.

flickr/myopixia

This is a large and powerful animal that can kill even a buffalo. To do this, they should only inflict a wound on their victim, and then just chase her and wait until she falls dead. The fact is that the monitor lizard’s saliva contains many bacteria, which, when they get into the victim’s wound, cause blood poisoning.

How to make your tongue longer, the best ways

There are several basic non-surgical ways to lengthen the tongue. In this case, you can use speech therapy exercises, tongue twisters that develop the muscles of the tongue, as well as therapeutic massage.

Exercises

To stretch the hyoid ligament, articulation exercises are used, which gradually make the tongue longer. This type of therapeutic process is suitable for adults and children over 3 years of age.

Painter

The articulation exercise “Painter” is performed as follows:

1. You need to smile and then open your mouth as wide as possible.
2. After this, you should stroke the palate with the tip of your tongue, moving from the front teeth towards the throat. At this moment, the lower jaw should remain motionless.

3. While performing these manipulations, you must pronounce the following words:

“It’s time for us to paint the house.

We called a painter.

We lower the jaw smoothly,

We help out the painter.”

This exercise is suitable for children of all age groups, as its implementation is not particularly difficult.

horse

The technique for performing the “Horse” exercise involves following the following algorithm of actions:

1. You will need to open your mouth and make a wide smile.
2. After this, you should click the tip of the surface of the tongue, imitating the sound of a horse’s hooves, saying the following words:

“Let's ride our horse.

Along the road smooth, smooth.

A neighbor invited us to stay.

Try the sweet cake.

We arrived at lunchtime.

But our neighbor is not there.”

The exercise for developing the length of the tongue “Horse” is performed with periodic pauses lasting 1-3 minutes, which provide an opportunity for the muscles under stress to recover.

Fungus

To master the “Mushroom” exercise, you must do the following:

1. Open your mouth wide.
2. Raise your tongue up, resting its tip against the mucous membrane of the palate.
3. After this, you need to try to pronounce the following words:

“I stand on a thin leg.

I stand on a smooth leg.

I have a brown hat.

With my fluffy lining.”

The “Mushroom” exercise is considered quite complex, so it is best used to lengthen the tongue for older children and adults.

Harmonic

To perform the “Accordion” exercise, you will need to position your tongue exactly as during the “Mushroom” articulation exercise, but in this case you need to add a smile.

After this, you should smoothly open and close your mouth, and also try to pronounce the following words:

“We play the harmonica.

We open our mouths wider and wider.

I'll press my tongue to the sky.

I’ll lower my jaw.”

It is believed that during this exercise, not only the effect of articulatory stretching of the hyoid ligament is achieved, but also the facial muscles are significantly strengthened.

Drum

The drum is a simple exercise to increase the length of the tongue, the principle of which is as follows:

1. You need to open your mouth wide.
2. Place your tongue against the inside of the front teeth of the upper jaw.
3. Then you should repeatedly and as clearly as possible pronounce the continuous sounds “D-D-D-D-D”.

How to make your tongue longer is one of the Drum exercises.
While performing this exercise, you must ensure that your mouth remains open at all times. Otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve a positive effect in lengthening the hyoid ligament.

Swing

To perform the “Swing” exercise, you must follow the following algorithm of actions:

1. Open your mouth as wide as possible.
2. Make a smile.
3. Alternately move the tip of the tongue, touching the upper and lower teeth.
4. Keep the lower jaw motionless.
5. In the moment between moving the tongue, quickly pronounce the following words:

“I swing on a colored swing.

I go up and down.

I climb to great heights.

And then I go down again.”

From a technical point of view, performing this exercise is a rather complex process that will be difficult for children of the younger age group to master.

For adults, the “Swing” exercise is best suited.

Tongue stretching

Stretching the tongue is one of the simplest and most effective exercises, the implementation of which is as follows:

1. It is necessary to stick your tongue out of the mouth.
2. Pull the tip of the tongue in the direction of the nose, using only muscle strength.
3. After feeling tired, lower your tongue closer to the beginning of your upper lip.

While performing this exercise, you must ensure that the lower jaw remains motionless at all times.

Extending the tongue towards the surface of the tip of the nose should be carried out to the limit of physical capabilities. Only with the use of this approach will it be possible to achieve a positive result.

Tongue Twisters

Using the method of pronouncing tongue twisters makes it possible to develop the muscles of the tongue and thereby increase its length.

It is worth noting that the positive effect of using this method is less pronounced than that of articulation exercises or speech therapy massage.

Despite this, in combination with other techniques, you can recite the following tongue twisters every day:

1. Prokhor and his friend Pakhom rode together on horseback.
2. The white bull's upper lip was blunt.
3. Thick dust flies from the clatter of horse hooves across the black field.
4. The jackdaw sat on top of the stick, the stick hit the jackdaw.
5. Fenya has a signature sweatshirt, and Aunt Faya lives on Fontanka.
6. Chicken "Chick" tenaciously clings to a solid chain.
7. A water carrier brought water taken from the water supply.
8. Mother gave her daughter Sasha whey from sour milk.
9. The scales of a pike fish, the stubble of a Chukchi man.
10. The striped bee buzzed and buzzed before the bloodthirsty spider.

Tongue twisters should be pronounced in one breath, trying to demonstrate maximum speed in reproducing sounds. All words must be consistent, but at the same time legible to the ear.

Speech therapy massage

Speech therapy massage is an effective method of lengthening the hypoglossal ligament. This method of therapy is carried out with the direct participation of a speech therapist or dentist.

The technique for performing speech therapy massage is as follows:

1. The person sits down on a chair or dental chair, opens his mouth and sticks his tongue out.
2. The specialist performing the massage uses a cut of a sterile bandage to pinch the tongue with his fingers, lifting it slightly upward to free access to the sublingual ligament.
3. Then, with the thumb, index and middle fingers of the free hand, the speech therapist massages the frenulum, which limits the mobility of the tongue.

The average duration of a speech therapy massage is 10-15 minutes. depending on the well-being of the child or adult who needs tongue lengthening. In this case, a gag reflex may occur and the effect of excessive salivation may occur.

How to lengthen your tongue? How to make your tongue longer?

What are the ways to lengthen the tongue?

What and how to lengthen the tongue?

The tongue can only be lengthened surgically.

The frenulum is trimmed and the tongue becomes a little longer

Under no circumstances should you perform such an operation at home.

Because everything can end very, very badly

However, the main question is: do you need it?

I understand if you would like to change your face or figure. But the language.

However, there is no arguing about tastes, so if you really want it, then there is a direct path to the surgeon

Usually they lengthen the tongue of children when they have a short tongue. This is necessary so that the child can have clear, correct speech in the future.

We recently lengthened my daughter's bridle. The process is very quick: cut the skin under the tongue, treat it with an antiseptic and you’re done.

As for children, frenulum cutting is done before 6 months, or for older children, before school.

This organ is nothing more than a muscle, and all muscles, in order to develop, need to be pumped. Of course, the tongue does not need to be pumped with weights, but systematic stretching forward and to the side is considered productive, then it will become longer and more powerful.

To be honest, I can’t imagine why you need this! but still if you want to have a tongue like Miley Cyrus

Then you need to work very hard and just work on increasing your tongue! you must help him and train and lengthen your tongue as much and regularly as possible! to do this, pull it as hard as possible to the tip of your nose, sit and do this for hours, it will help 100 percent, but don’t touch it with your hands only with your lingual powers!

If it doesn’t help, you can go for surgery to enlarge your tongue!

Of course, the fastest and easiest way to lengthen the tongue is to trim the frenulum. But this is probably not only the fastest method, but also the most painful.

It is best to use various types of exercises for the tongue. You can simply take your tongue out of your mouth and try to stretch it as far as possible. Or you can pull out your tongue and, pulling it forward, move it to the sides. You can chat to them back and forth.

If you spend a lot of time training, your tongue will be as long as in the photos below.

In general, this is a strange goal - to lengthen the tongue, but if you need a long speech apparatus, you will have to stretch it in the literal sense of the word. This is a muscle that can be stretched. Plus, in India there are even yoga practices for stretching the tongue. But get ready for the fact that your voice may change due to a stretched tongue - you will feel uncomfortable speaking, your tongue will fall out of your mouth. So I don't recommend it.

If you want to lengthen your tongue without the help of surgery, then this process will take you a lot of time, but it is quite effective: you need to stretch your tongue as far as possible, you can pull it towards your nose, you need to help with your fingers. We place the middle and index fingers under the tongue, the hyoid frenulum lies between the fingers, grab it with our fingers and pull it out (stretch out the tongue too). The result will be if you practice constantly, but if sometimes you remember, then it’s unlikely that you will succeed.

Massage

You can do a simple massage to lengthen the tongue: grab the frenulum at the very bottom under the tongue with two fingers (index and thumb) and pull your fingers along it to the tip of the tongue. You must try to pull it, but you cannot use much force so as not to damage the thin fabric. In each session you need to do several of these techniques. Your fingers will quickly begin to feel the frenulum, and this action will not cause discomfort. By doing a massage 4-6 times a week, a person will be convinced that the frenulum has changed in length.

If the frenulum is less than 8 mm, then it is better to stretch it rather than operate. After surgery, a scar remains on the frenulum, which will reduce its mobility. In addition, a child who has undergone surgery will be afraid to do exercises so as not to experience the pain that he experienced during the operation.

Therefore, the best way to lengthen the tongue is to lengthen it with special exercises.

How to stretch the frenulum for children at home?

Stretching the frenulum at home should include regular articulation exercises, speaking tongue twisters that develop the muscles of the tongue, as well as the use of speech therapy massage.

Only an integrated approach using the above methods will allow you to achieve a positive result at home.

Australian echidna

The Australian echidna (lat. Tachyglossus aculeatus) is an oviparous mammal with an elongated tubular nose, at the end of which the nose and mouth are located, in fact, like all representatives of the animal world. But the oral cavity of this animal is narrow, and the tongue is very thin and long.

flickr/crijnfotin

In addition, the tongue is covered with a special liquid, which is produced by the salivary glands of the echidna and helps to capture insects. The animal's tongue protrudes outward by 18 centimeters, and this despite the fact that part of it still remains in the mouth.

Woodpecker

We are already accustomed to hearing the sound of a woodpecker (lat. Picidae) in the forest - this is how this bird gets its food from under the bark of trees. But how does he get it? Answer: with the help of a long (about 10 cm) and rough tongue, which is located in the woodpecker in a special cavity of the skull. At the tip of the bird's tongue there is a horny hook, with the help of which it picks up hiding larvae and pulls them into the mouth.

flickr/Ron Wolf

Woodpeckers can often feed on ants and termites, and in winter they can eat tree seeds. It is worth noting that the woodpecker’s tongue extends outward with the help of a special tape that goes around the internal cavity of the skull and is attached to the bird’s nostril.

Contraindications

It is possible to make the tongue longer through surgery, but in the absence of medical contraindications.

This type of treatment is not used in the following cases:

• the presence of any infectious disease that has an acute form of development;
• severe hematological pathologies such as hemophilia, thrombocytopenia, leukemia;
• chronic diseases of the oral cavity that are bacterial in origin (for example, glossitis, stomatitis, gingivitis);
• osteomyelitis of the upper or lower jaw caused by infectious microorganisms;
• all types of cancer, regardless of the type of tumor and its location;
• severe pathologies of the central and peripheral nervous system;
• all forms of caries, including complicated damage to tooth enamel.

The dentist may decide to postpone the surgical operation if, during a control examination of the oral cavity, it is determined that its sanitation was performed with obvious violations, and foci of an infectious process are observed.

Surgical dissection of the hypoglossal ligament is performed with extreme caution in people with diabetes. The presence of this disease can lead to severe complications that are associated with a long tissue healing process.