Frenum Before Surgery

Day 2

Day 10

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By: Judith Dember-Paige RDH BS COM

Patients testimonial: (Before Surgery) “As long as I can remember, I’ve carried tension in my upper back, my neck, and my chest.  I am a singer and after a couple of years I developed nodules on my vocal chords due to the strain placed on them while singing and speaking normally.  I thought I was singing wrong and was abusing my vocal chords.  I was told by my doctor to rest my voice but this did not help, and the hoarseness continued.  After much investigation, and a examination from my myofunctional therapist, I discovered I was tongue tied.  I made the connection, and could feel, that my tongue tie was contributing to the hoarseness and tiredness of my voice. After a few Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy sessions, I was referred to an oral surgeon who completely released my tongue tie.  I worked closely with my myofunctional therapist to get the best result.

Just after the laser frenum surgery, “I felt such searing pain, not from my tongue as expected, but from the tight tension that was released at the base of my head/neck and shoulders.  My tongue can now reach the height of my palate in a way I have not felt before, swallowing now was so different. I no longer feel strain when I speak or when I sing.  I love to sing and it is so much easier, my range has even gotten better and my voice is more consistent. ”

“I would say the key to the success of my new tongue was not the surgery itself, but the myofunctional therapy before, during, and afterwards.   The myofunctional therapy  helped me reach the full extension of my tongue for daily functional use.  I did my exercises that stretched my tongue to its full length.  Judith Dember-Paige is my myofunctional therapist, she really helps me to understand why I have to do the exercises, to ensure my tongue heals in its new long position and not its old short position. ”

“I recognized that I needed myofunctional therapy because when I woke up in the morning, I could feel my tongue was longer but it did not know where to rest, so it would rest on my teeth.  Since I started the myofunctional training, my tongue is learning its new resting place is in the palate.  This has been a very rewarding learning experience for me. ”

Day 20 and still healing

Photo: Day 20 and still healing!

#tongue tie release, #frenectomy, #shoulder tension, #tethered Oral Tissues,#TOTS