Post-Frenectomy: How Long Does Recovery Take?

When learning that your child needs a frenectomy to address their lip or tongue-tie, you are likely to have many questions, one of which is “How long will recovery take?” You must remember that each child is different, so providing a guaranteed length of time is impossible; however, when meeting with the pediatric dentist, you can expect to receive a general timeframe for how long your little one will need to recover swiftly and successfully. Keep reading to find out more.

What is the Average Timeframe for Recovery?

The typical progression after your child undergoes a frenectomy is as follows:

• Slight discomfort: 1-2 days
• Scarring of site: 1 week
• Wound narrows: 2 weeks

These timeframes vary from child to child; however, you can expect that your little one will be able to resume normal activity within a week.

If your baby is the one receiving a frenectomy, you’ll be pleased to learn that they will be able to latch immediately following their procedure. This allows for more efficient breastfeeding or bottle feeding as well as a happier baby.

What Should You and Your Child Expect?

It’s natural for there to be some discomfort a few days after the procedure. During this time, you can continue to provide skin-to-skin contact for babies or provide over-the-counter pain medicine to your older child. Other helpful tips to remember include:

• With a school-aged or adolescent child, you’ll want to make sure that they do not use a straw for at least 48 hours and avoid hard, crunchy, acidic, or spicy foods until the area has fully healed.
• You can help them brush their teeth the same night following their frenectomy, but you’ll need to be careful when cleaning near the surgical site.
• There is likely to be minimal swelling in the days following, so applying ice to the outside area of the mouth can help reduce inflammation and discomfort.
• Minor bleeding is also normal, even if the dentist uses a soft tissue laser. You can use sterile gauze or a black tea bag and place it over the area to help stop it.

Frenectomies are safe and effective procedures that will be well worth the minimal recovery time that is required. After a short time healing at home, your child will be back to their normal self, only eating, speaking, and breathing better.

About the Author
Dr. James Forester is a board-certified pediatric dentist who completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the University of Pacific’s Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in 2002. In 2006, he completed a postdoctoral program in Advanced Education in Pediatric Dentistry at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Alongside his colleague, Dr. Kristine Fu Shue, they help parents whose children need frenectomies. Addressing lip and tongue-ties, this procedure is safe and highly successful, increasing the oral range of motion with the help of a soft tissue laser. We encourage you to visit our website or call (805) 592-2020 to learn how we can help.