ICD-9-CM 25.92 | ||
A lingual frenectomy is the removal of a band of tissue (the lingual frenulum) connecting the underside of the tongue with the floor of the mouth.
The removal of the lingual frenulum under the tongue can be accomplished with either frenectomy or frenuloplasty. This is used to treat a tongue tied patient. The difference in tongue length is generally a few millimeters and it may actually shorten the tongue, depending on the procedure and aftercare. If the lingual frenulum, at full extension of the tongue, isn't tense against the two front bottom teeth, there is little chance for any extension by its removal.
Results of lingual frenectomia via laser surgery are superior to those of traditional cold steel methods. Laser frenectomy results in a lower risk of relapse (i.e. adhesion).
Domenico Maceri, a professor at Allan Hancock College, claims that some South Korean parents have their children undergo frenectomy "which lengthens the tongue by about one millimeter" in the belief they will pronounce English better. Critics regard the surgery as unnecessary, as Koreans born in the United States have no trouble distinctly pronouncing /r/ and /l/. The process has also been used in reverse to aid native English speakers communicate with a native accent. In 2011, Rhiannon Brooksbank-Jones made headlines by obtaining a lingual frenectomy to aid her in speaking the Korean language without the inhibition of an accent.