To Cut...or not to Cut

Drew has been diagnosed with ankyloglossia, which is the attachment of the frenum into the mucoperiosteal covering of the alveolar processes. Or in my terms.....the thingy that connects the tongue to bottom of your mouth, is too close to the tip.

Studies have shown that this can cause problems with moving food around in the mouth, for toddlers. And some physicians believe that it can cause speech problems later in life ( although, I have found very little evidence of this).

Today I made the appointment to have a frenulectomy done on Drew.I am not very comfortable with this, but I have been reading A TON of articles on the subject, and there doesn't seem to be any downsides to having it done, other than the discomfort of the healing process, along with the discomfort of me having to put Drew in pain. Everyone seems to make this out to be such a simple little thing, and I have to say, if this was something that I was getting done to myself, or heard of someone else having it done, I would be calm, cool and collected about it. I, for some reason, have very strong feelings about this. My job is to protect my family from undue harm and pain. Whether it be physical or mental. Parts of me, just want to say.....NO WAY, I am not going to let someone gas my son and cut his mouth, if it's not 100% necessary. The fact that I have not come up with 100%, is my real problem. If anyone has any input on this, I would really love to hear what you think. Be honest about your feelings, as if you had to have it done to your own child.


Keep this in mind.Although ankyloglossia can be significant at birth, the severity and functional effects tend to decrease with time and oral growth. During the first 4 to 5 years of life, the oral cavity changes significantly in shape and size. The alveolar ridge grows in height, the teeth begin to erupt, and the tongue grows and narrows at the tip. At the same time, the lingual frenulum recedes, stretches, and may even rupture. Therefore, as the child grows, the severity of the tongue-tie lessens and the initial restrictions of lingual movement are diminished.