Torn frenulum

Discussion in 'The Toddler Years(1-3)' started by nurseandrea02, Jul 16, 2008.

  1. nurseandrea02

    nurseandrea02 Well-Known Member

    First off, I should explain what the 'frenulum' is. It's the little piece of skin that connects your upper lip to your upper gums, generally between your 2 front teeth.

    Last night we glanced over & saw Conner covered in blood. No whine, no fuss, just blood everywhere. We quickly determined it was coming from his mouth & after a few minutes, we had gotten the bleeding under control. Being a squirmy, almost 1 yr old, it was nearly impossible to find the source since he would NOT cooperate.

    We finally realized that he tore his frenulum. How, we're not sure, but it's torn. Now when he smiles, he has this flab of skin that hangs down the middle of his upper lip. It looks so ridiculous that I called & canceled their 1 yr old pictures. I called the Ped & he said it'll heal up on his it's own. I see no redness, no scab, no irritation. His upper lip is slightly fat, but not bad. He's fussy & is refusing to "bite" into hard foods (like his favorite...a cookie!) & won't drink from a hard spouted sippy (thank goodness I have stock of the soft spout ones). He's only slightly overly fussy, but he's also working on some teeth & molars, so it's hard to say what he's fussin' about.

    Anyone else torn their own frenulum or had kids who have done it? How long does it take to resolve? Will it look funny or no?

    Please tell me it'll be all healed up by their 1st birthday party in 2 weeks!!!!

    TIA
     
  2. NINI H

    NINI H Well-Known Member

    My DS David fell in the tub around maybe 18 months old and hit his mouth and severed it. The Dr said it would heal and that we should be thankful because it can often cause the front teeth to stay seperated. I had mine removed as a child just for that reason. I think it will heal in a couple of days, maybe up to a week. I honestly can't remember how long it took to heal. Maybe it's an excuse for a lot of ice cream and smoothies. :D
     
  3. 2girls2b

    2girls2b Well-Known Member

    Around 15 months old, Regan fell into the windowsill and tore her frenulum and burst her upper lip. It was swollen and bled. We thought it was healing well until it started bleeding again and we had a hard time stopping it so we took her to the doctor. They ended up cauterizing it to stop the bleeding and after that it healed on its own. It took probably a week or so to heal. So far, we don't see any lasting effects from it. She has been to the dentist twice since then and he doesn't see any problems.
     
  4. nurseandrea02

    nurseandrea02 Well-Known Member

    Thank you all for your replies...they're reassuring to hear that they seem to heal well on their own!!!
     
  5. twinboys07

    twinboys07 Well-Known Member

    I tore mine when I was a toddler (somewhere between 1-3 years old). My aunt was watching me and I tripped over one of those curb-type things that stops your car before you infringe on another parking space. I am sure they have a name, and I am sure I know it... but "mommy brain" is preventing me from remembering! Anyway, it was fine but I had a little flap that hung down kind of funny for years. Finally, when I was about 12, my father (a dentist) trimmed off the excess tissue because it bugged me, so I basically have only a very small frenulum now. You could never see mine in photos or anything, though.

    Sorry to hear about your little guy-- hope he heals (and feels better, if he's sore!) soon!
     
  6. melstofko

    melstofko Well-Known Member

    OUCH :eek: I hope the poor guy heals quickly.
     
  7. melissao

    melissao Well-Known Member

    Andrew did this around a year old. We were at the pedis office and he fell off the chair and did it! Of course the pedi/nurses weren't back from lunch yet, so I ran him next door to the pedi dentist. They said it happens ALL the time and it would heal quickly. I don't remember skin hanging down though, just lots and lots of blood!
     
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