Recovery after tongue-tie surgery is vital to the success and function of you or your child’s mouth. Dr. Gena Schultheis is happy to provide post-surgery instructions to help you heal properly, and we urge you to follow this guide as closely as possible to help expedite your recovery process.
We recommend making these exercise routines a normal part of your day. They should be completed five times a day for three weeks, directly after your frenectomy, with gradual decreases in frequency after the fourth week.
Our dentist and team recommend that, before the exercises, you wash your hands (or your child’s hands) with warm water and then rinse them in coconut oil, vitamin E oil or sesame oil.
Upper Lip
- Placing a finger on the upper lip, push it up as high as it can go.
- For two seconds, move it from side to side.
This prevents the raw tissue from re-adhering to its former place, guiding the healing process to retain flexibility in the mouth.
The Tongue
- Place both index fingers into the mouth from behind.
- Slip the tips of these fingers under the tongue.
- Gently touching the fold of the connective tissue, pull straight back.
Three stretching motions will benefit you:
- Exercise 1: Making sure the fingers are deep in your mouth, push the tongue toward the roof the mouth. Keep it in place for two seconds and then release. This helps unfold the diamond of the connective tissue so it is flat.
- Exercise 2: Using one finger, hold your tongue up. With the other finger, softly place it over the wound and lift and swipe sideways.
- Exercise 3: Place pressure on either side of the wound just outside the diamond to help loosen the muscles along the floor of your mouth.
If you have a young child who has recently undergone a tongue-tie procedure, we recommend doing these exercises with your child between meals (for an older child) or before or after diaper changes (for a younger child). Avoid doing these exercises immediately before or after eating to prevent discomfort.
If you have any questions about our tongue-tie post-op instructions in Annapolis, Maryland, call MD DC Sleep Solutions at 410-224-4500 for clarification.