My Twin Toddler Girls Have Long Frenum's That Attach Between the Two Front Teeth

I would definitely get the frenum removed. Not only does it cause spacing of the interior teeth but it could develop speech problems. I am a dental hygienist and have recommended this to many of my patients. the earlier you get it done the better.

My daughter, who's 19mos. actually has the same thing. We had asked our Peditrician about it at her 12mo. check-up and she said it was quite common. That in most cases as the child grows it goes away, and so does the gap. The doctor did say that in some cases surgery is necessary, but she always recommends waiting until kids are at least 3 or 4, most of the time 5 to see where they are at before looking to much into surgery.

My friends son has that and the oral surgeon told her to wait until all of his adult teeth come in. You might want to talk to your dentist when they have their first cleaning. Depending on the severity they will refer you to an Oral Surgeon.

hi B.,

i'm sure you've already received a ton of advice but i wanted to let you know that i actually had the same situation when i was a child. my dentist had mentioned that i might have to have it snipped surgically, but never had it done. if i remember correctly, once my adult teeth all came in, the problem disappeared and the dentist no longer felt the need for me to endure any kind of treatment.

hope everything goes well for you and the girls!

B.,
I am not sure this is the exact same thing, but I have a space between my two front teeth. There is some tissue between the teeth but only at the top. Other than the gap my teeth are very straight and I never needed braces. Growing up it did bother me some. I was sometimes self conscious about it and would often smile for pictures whith out showing my teeth. I know that I was described by people that didn't know me well as the girl with the gap in her teeth. Although I think it was more about the most distinct physical charateristic than teasing. In fact I never remember being teased about it...all my insecurities ended up being my own. So to sort of get to the moral of my story, I grew up conifedent and self assured. Even by high school where it can be the worst I was already getting over it. I was popular enough with out being one of those girls you hate and had lots of friends. I grew to accept who I was and what I looked like. I know I could have had it fixed and even considered it, but don't regret my decision not to. I am now 35 and have two children of my own. It's too soon to say for sure if my kids will have it or not. (it can be a hereditary traight). My 3 year old son doesn't have the tissue between his baby teeth but my one year old daughter does. I am going to wait and see what happens and when she is older let her decide. In the meantime I will do what I can to help her by a confident young women and accept herself as she is. Also look at all the celebrities that have this. Lauren Hutton and the actress that recently played Sara Conner on the terminator series to name two. Both beautiful women. I hope this helps!

Hi. My name is A.. I'm a mother of three wonderful children, 11, 7 and 3 years. I'm now 37, and when I was
a child (and no laser technology) I had the procedure done.
At that time, they simply numbed the area, cliped the excess tissue and put and couple of stitches in. My adult teeth were then able to come in closer. I am not an expert, but I do have the name of a great dentist who could help with any quesitons you may have. His name is Dr. John Leo, DDS. The name of the practice is Family First Dental Care. They are located at 1982 Livernois, Troy, MI. The phone number is ###-###-####. He's a General Dentist who is great with kids (of all ages). Let me know how things go for you!

I have 22 years of dental experience. Frenums will more than likely be gone before their permanent teeth erupt. Also, most toddlers have space between their teeth, which is a good thing. It means there is sufficient room for larger, wider permanent teeth. That being said, at times the fremun does need to be altered surgically, usually not until the permanent teeth are all erupted. A periodontist (gum specialist) can do this easily. Sometimes this is heredity. If other people in your family have space between their two front teeth then it may continue in your toddlers. If they haven't had a visit to their dentist yet, now would be a god time to let him/her take a look at it and the rest of their mouth as well.

One of my daughter's had the opposite problem, her frenum ws too tight, which affected her ability to suck. It needed to be fixed so she could eat, we had it done when she was about a week old. It was a very quick procedure in the oral surgeon's office. They numb her up with a topical gel, clamp it and it is done in a matter of seconds. She stopped crying after about 3 minutes. Go see an oral surgeon, they will answer your questions about what affect the long frenum will have, if they rcommend to fix it, and how that is done. Don't worry about this one.

I am a 34 yr old woman that had the surgery in second grade. I remember it like it was yesturday and am very glad my parents decided to have it done. As always, and I am sure you will, just do your research of a doctor you trust. good luck!

Hi B. ~

My 11 year old daughter had the laser surgery about 3 years ago. Her front tooth was beginning to over lap the other. It was a quick and simple procedure done in the dentist office. The dentist numbed her, then zapped it with the lazer. Very little blood or pain. Her tooth has pretty much moved back to how it should be. It was definitely worth it! Good luck!

B.---My now 17 year old son had the same problem and his first dentist sent us to the oral surgeon to have it looked at. I think he was in 1st or 2nd grade. The surgeon sent us home. He said that the mouth changes so much in the first several years of life and teeth come in and others fall out. You should probably not worry about it too much until they are older and then a more accurate assessment can be made at that time. My son eventually needed braces, but he did not have to have that tendon cut.

Good luck. D. M

My brother has this and never got it fixed. He has been self concious about his teeth his whole life because of it. I would say, if you can get it fixed and its not a harmful procedure, then do it. They will thank you for it later!

Both my children have apparent frenums that are very evident. My daughter when she was 15 months old gave her self a "frenectomy" by falling down the stairs. The oral surgeon (the best in michigan) told me that it was better that it happened on its own. She still has a large gap between her teeth and she is not 2. He said that he advises waiting until they are older (teenage) when they loose their teeth and get new ones. Then with the new teeth and adolescents "crouding" may happen and alter their jaw/teeth. Therefore when they are somewhat older and more self conscious of it they may seek surgery. While they are young they still can fall and hurt their mouths. My daughter repeatedly has fallen or my 3 year old has hit her "accidently" and made it bleed. Hold off in my opinion.

My 5 year old daughter recently had this laser procedure done, she said the numbing needles hurt the most. She was sore for a couple of days, but she's fine now. The dentist recommended that we waited until she was 8, but It was hurting to brush her teeth so they thought it would be a good idea to go ahead with the procedure. Good luck!

I had that procedure when I was about 8. It was no big deal just a local anesth. a few stitches and I was done. I remember getting my stitches out on my way to camp. ( I am 31 now ).

My three year old daughter also has this skin attatching from the upper lip, and goes between the two front teeth. Her dentist said that usually in childhood an injury will take care of this before surgery is necessary. He suggested we wait, and when her adult teeth are starting to come in, if it hasn't taken care of itself, then we will have it clipped. She also has the spaces between the front teeth, and the dentist loves it! It gives the adult teeth enough room to come in! She may or may not need braces-depending on how the gap closes together.